CHP of DH provides update on SARS-CoV-2 virus cases related to Moon Palace

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (January 4) provided updates on the epidemiological investigation and contact tracing of SARS-CoV-2 virus cases involving Moon Palace at Festival Walk, including a case that tested preliminarily positive related to Moon Palace.

     The case that tested preliminarily positive, which is related to Moon Palace, involves a 13-year-old female who is the daughter of case 12673. She had a meal at Moon Palace from around noon to 2pm on December 27 with case 12673. She was arranged to conduct quarantine at the Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre on December 31 and her specimen collected on the same day tested negative. She developed a fever on January 3 and was sent to a public hospital. Her specimen collected today after admission tested preliminarily positive with a Ct value less than 30, carrying N501Y and T478K mutant strains.

     The patient has no recent travel history. She received two doses of COVID-19 vaccination (Comirnaty) on July 29 and August 20 in Hong Kong.

     The patient lives in Block 6, Villa Athena, 600 Sai Sha Road, Ma On Shan, with case 12673. The patient is a student and according to information provided by her, she mainly stayed at home after having a meal at Moon Palace on December 27 until she was arranged to undergo quarantine at the quarantine centre on December 31. The Government has made a "restriction-testing declaration" for the building concerned on January 1 and no case that tested positive was found.

     There are so far six cases (case 12611, 12637, 12654, 12673, 12708 and 12747) that tested positive and a case that tested preliminarily positive as mentioned above related to Moon Palace. The whole genome sequencing analysis conducted by the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch showed that the genetic sequences of cases 12673 and 12708 are highly similar to those of 12611, 12637 and 12654.

     Also, among the 46 environmental samples collected by the CHP in Moon Palace yesterday (January 3), none tested positive. The 44 environmental samples collected earlier also had no positive test result. The CHP is continuing its contact tracing work of cases related to Moon Palace. The CHP has successfully contacted all 207 customers who have patronised the restaurant from 1pm to 3pm on December 27 and have arranged for them to undergo quarantine at the quarantine centre. The CHP reminds any person who had been present at Festival Walk, Kowloon Tong from 1pm to 5pm on December 27 (including but not limited to full-time, part-time and relief staff and visitors), to undergo testing again on January 8 and 15 in accordance with the compulsory testing notice.