7 imported cases reported; 6 with mutant virus, 3 vaccinated

by Daisy CL Mandap

4 of the 7 infected passengers flew aboard Qatar Air, triggering a ban on its flight from Doha

Seven imported cases of Covid-19 were reported in Hong Kong today, Jul 20, taking the number of confirmed cases to 11,965.

The new cases include two who came from the United States, two from Bangladesh, and one each from Japan, France and Iran. All flew in on Jul 18 and tested positive on arrival test at Hong Kong airport.

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All but one of the cases were found to carry the L452R strain of the coronavirus, often associated with the highly infectious Delta variant.

Three had two shots each of the BioNTech vaccine in Hong Kong between March and April before flying abroad. All of them had the mutated virus.

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They include the 27 year man who was reported as having tested preliminary positive yesterday after arriving from the US. His infection prompted an overnight lockdown of a building in Sheung Wang where he resided while in Hong Kong, but no other case was detected.

The other two are a 52-year-old man who also came from the US and developed symptoms on arrival in Hong Kong, and a 39-year-old man who came from France.

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The other four patients are a 33-year-old man who came from Japan, a 58-year-old man from Iran, and two young females, aged 12 and 16, who came from Bangladesh.

Only the 12-year-old Bangladeshi girl did not have the mutant strain.

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As four of the patients flew in aboard QR 818 from Doha, the flight operated by Qatar Airways has been suspended for 14 days starting today, Jul 20 until Aug 2. These passengers include those who originated from Bangladesh, France and Iran.

3 of the 4 passengers who flew in from Doha had the mutated virus

The ban on QR 818 left many passengers booked to come to Hong Kong on the same flight scrambling to find other airlines and sorting out their quarantine arrangements.

One traveler who was scheduled to fly into Hong Kong with her young daughter via QR 818 posted an appeal in a Facebook travelers support group for help in booking another quarantine hotel as she had to change airlines because of the ban.

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Others complained of not being informed early enough about the ban, and finding out about it only from the Hong Kong government’s official announcement which came out this afternoon.

The flight ban was triggered not just by the four passengers who tested positive on arrival tests on Sunday, but also of another woman from Bangladesh who was found infected with both Covid-19 and the mutated strain when she arrived on Jul 14.

In its statement today, the CHP again urged the public to avoid non-essential travel outside Hong Kong, particularly to places designated as extremely high risk and very high risk.

Parents are also asked to avoid taking unvaccinated children with them when they travel.

If travel is unavoidable, passengers must ensure they get fully vaccinated before leaving. They should wear a surgical mask in public places at all times and maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene.

Information about the Covid-19 situation in Hong Kong can be found  (www.coronavirus.gov.hk) or through the WhatsApp helpine at 9617 1823, or by clicking the link, wa.me/85296171823?text=hi,. 

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