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| 4 of the newly arrived Filipinas are domestic workers but the 3 are a resident mother and her 2 daughters |
A
record number of newly arrived Filipinas from Manila are among the 28 new cases
confirmed today, Jul 11, by Hong Kong health authorities, bringing the city’s
total to 1,432.
But
a further 33 people tested preliminary positive, in what could be the biggest
ever number of Covid-19 cases recorded in Hong Kong in a single day.
Of
the 12 imported cases, seven involved Filipinas who recently flew in from
Manila. Four are all domestic helpers, while the three remaining ones are a
mother and her two daughters who are all returning residents.
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Dr Chuang Shuk-wan of the Centre for Health Protection said the first of the seven infected Filipinas is 31 years old, and arrived in Hong Kong on Jul 9. She was asymptomatic, and was sent to Tuen Mun Hospital for treatment.
Three others arrived yesterday aboard Hong Kong Airlines Flight HX 782, aged 26, 29 and 32 years old. Two were asymptomatic, while one had a cough. All were sent to Tuen Mun Hospital,
The
mother and her two daughters, all residents, flew in aboard Philippine Airlines flight PR 330. The mother is 41 years old, and her daughters are aged 21 and 16. All didn't have symptoms. They were transferred to Prince of Wales Hospital from the AsiaWorld-Expo.
The
new surge of cases in what the experts call a third wave, has prompted warnings
from health officials for people to stay indoors and refrain from gathering in
public.
“Stay
at home as much as possible so we can have a chance to control the outbreak,”
said Dr Chuang.
She
warned that the latest outbreak is the worse that Hong Kong has experienced as
it affects people from all walks of life: residents in elderly homes and
housing estates, taxi drivers, students and restaurant patrons and staff.
Among
those who tested preliminary positive is a 27-year-old senior immigration
assistant assigned at the Shenzhen Bay border crossing. He stopped going to
work on Jul 8 after experiencing stomach ache, diarrhea and sore throat.
There has also been a noticeable increase in the number of airline and ship crew members
who test positive on arrival at the airport.
Today’s imported cases include an
airline crew who had already left Hong Kong before his test result showing he
had the virus, had come out. Another is a FedEx pilot who arrived from the
United States, and had eaten at a Din Tai Fung restaurant during the incubation
period.
Since
Monday, four Filipino sailors who flew into Hong Kong to board their freighter
were also found to have the coronavirus disease.
But
the worst outbreaks occurred locally, particularly in hotspots identified
previously: the Kong Tai Care for the Aged elderly home in Tsz Wan Shan, the Bun
Kee Congee & Noodle Shop in Ping Shek Estate in Choi Hung, and the Sun Fat
restaurant in Jordan.
Three
more cases were reported from the Kong Tai cluster, involving staff members who
tested positive at a quarantine centre.
Three
cases were also linked to Bun Kee today, including a 33-year-old woman who visited
the restaurant with her grandfather on Jul 1 and developed sore throat and
myalgia four days later.
Another
linked case is a 29-year-old man who did not go to Bun Kee, but his father did,
on Jun 30 and Jul 2. The test result on the father is still being awaited.
The
third patient visited Bun Kee, but also went to a sushi shop in Ping Shek
Estate. He was tested after developing a cough and sore throat.
Another
patient is the three-year-old son of the Hospital Authority’s IT staff who
tested positive previously, but the source of his infection is still unknown.
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| The shuttered Bun Kee restaurant, where about a dozen new cases have been linked |
Two
other cases are linked to the King Wing Restaurant at the River Trade Terminal
in Tuen Mun, where a previously diagnosed patient who also worked at Sin Fun,
was a cook.
But
of the new local cases, eight have sparked concern because the source of the infection
is not known. A number of similar cases were reported in recent days.
“We
have many cases without a definite source of infection and they cannot be
linked to any imported cases…I think it’s worse than the situation in March
when there were a lot of imported cases,” said Chuang.
These
cases include an 82-year-old woman and her 85-year-old husband who live
together in Tsz Wan Shan. The couple rarely went out, with the woman visiting only
the wet market in the estate.
Another
puzzling case is that of a 42-year-old woman who lives in To Kwa Wan and works
in a restaurant in Jordan. Her case could not be linked to any previous
infections.
Another
case is a 72-year-old man who lives in Yuen Long. He went to consult a private
doctor on Jul 4 after feeling tired, and started to cough. He visited his son’s office in Cheung Sha Wan
on Jul 6 and interacted with his colleagues. Earlier, he went to Ka Ka Ho restaurant
on Castle Peak Road in Yuen Long with 14 family members.
Also
among the new cases is a 12-year-old student who developed a sore throat on Jul
7, and played volleyball with a schoolmate who tested positive earlier. During the incubation period, she swam in a
public pool.
Also
included is a 62-year-old woman who works part-time at Tsui Ho restaurant in
Lam Tin and occasionally also did domestic work in two flats in Laguna City.
Another
is a male clerk in Kwun Tong and lives in Tin Shui Wai. He went to the gym a
couple of times and added family gatherings during the incubation period.
