The SUN HK : 4 FDWs among 12 infected patients in Laguna City block

By Daisy CL Mandap

Residents of Flat E, Blk 5 of Laguna City in Kwun Tong will be evacuated

Four foreign domestic workers – three Indonesians and one Filipina – are among the 12 confirmed Covid-19 cases in a Laguna City block which has been partially evacuated due to the possible spread of the virus through the sewage pipes there. Ten of the patients are residents, while two are security guards.

The news came as health officials reported 73 new coronavirus cases today, Jan 25, all but four of them locally acquired. More than half, or 38 of the cases, had unknown sources.

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Of the four imported cases, one was a 44-year-old Filipina who tested positive while in quarantine at Ramada Harbour View Hotel in Sai Ying Pun. The three others were returnees from Belarus, Pakistan, and Dubai.

More than 60 preliminary positive cases were reported, including three nurses from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Dr Lau Ka-hin from the Hospital Authority said the three cases did not appear to be linked, although two of the nurses worked together in the isolation ward, where they looked after Covid-19 patients.

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One of these two also worked in a medical ward, where the third infected nurse worked.

No patient was classified as close contact because the three nurses wore full protective gear while on duty. But a total of 10 medical staff who had meals with the nurses will be quarantined, and the wards where they worked will stop receiving patients.

As three other medical wards had already been closed due to a previous outbreak, the admission of cases at the accident and emergency department will be affected, said Lau. He thus urged those who need medical attention to try going to other hospitals or private health clinics instead.

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“We appeal to Hong Kong citizens to avoid going to the Accident and Emergency Department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital if they have mild symptoms,” he said.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection again expressed concern over the high proportion of cases with unknown sources, saying they could lead to an exponential increase in infections.

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“I urge the public if they have any mild symptoms, even if they have undergone testing previously and they have a negative result, they should go for testing and seek medical attention as soon as possible,” Chuang said.

Yuen says the virus appears to have spread through the drainage pipes

Earlier, top microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yuen inspected block 5 of Laguna City in Kwun Tong, and announced the evacuation of all residents of Flat E in the block, after finding evidence of “vertical transmission” of the virus.

Infections were found in Flat E units on the 15^th, 16^th and 17^th floors of Block 5. Two other flats in the block have also been found with Covid-19 cases, bringing the total number of units affected to five.

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Two security guards at the building have also tested positive for the virus.

Yuen said one of the guards lives on Reclamation Street in Yau Ma Tei where several infections have been recorded, and he could have brought the virus from there to his place of work.

But the virus could also been introduced to the block by an infected guest who attended a family gathering in Flat E on the 16^th floor on Jan 9.

The expert said the virus might have been transmitted through the drains to the other floors.

There are now a total of 10,159 coronavirus cases in Hong Kong. Two confirmed cases passed away in the past 24 hours, raising the related death toll in public hospitals to 166.

A total of 822 confirmed patients are being treated in 24 public hospitals and the treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo. Of these, 35 are in critical condition, 34 are serious, and 759 are in stable condition.