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| The man runs a watch repair shop on Tsuen Wan Market Road, and could have been infected there (Flickr photo) |
At their press conference today, May 14, the officials also
said the 63-year-old man, who did not have symptoms, could have infected his
66-year-old wife and their 5-year-old granddaughter who both tested positive
earlier.
Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said
that although asymptomatic, the man’s viral load was high, meaning he was
highly infectious. (As of today, 203 infected patients in Hong Kong were listed as asymptomatic).
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| Pindutin pra sa detalye! |
She also said there are many Covid-19 patients who show mild
symptoms, so it is important that everyone who feels unwell should seek medical
attention immediately.
“Some may think that it’s not serious so they don’t see a
doctor…unfortunately if they contracted Covid-19 that could lead to something
serious. If they don’t see a doctor immediately they could form a transmission
chain in the community.”
The man, who had a watch repair shop at no 10 Tsuen Wan Road
Market, was isolated and tested after his wife and granddaughter who both got
sick, had earlier been found infected.
Chuang said, “we cannot rule out the possibility that he was
the first case.”
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| Chuang says it's possible the man caught the virus first but did not know it because he had no symptoms |
This was because the man, identified as case no 1052, had
more interactions with other people. He usually traveled by car from their flat
in Lei Muk Shue estate in the same district, and brought his own lunch from
home. However, even at the height of the contagion, he continued to run his
shop.
His wife, on the other hand, mostly went to market and then
to their son’s house nearby, to look after their granddaughter.
Chuang said health officials will look for the man’s
customers as part of contact-tracing, but the task may be difficult because he
kept no records of his transactions.
Health authorities have also begun testing more than 1,000
people in 850 households in Tower 5 of Lei Muk Shue Estate where the couple
lives, and Cheuk Ming Mansion
Apart from the three, five other members of the two
households remain isolated after reporting symptoms.
After her grandmother fell ill, the girl visited her
maternal grandmother in Charming
Garden
Market stall vendors are also being screened for any close
interaction with the grandmother, who however, said she always wore a mask
whenever she did her shopping. Containers for saliva samples were reportedly left with them
so they could be tested.
Also being checked is the tutorial school where the girl and
her grandmother went during the incubation period, as well as the Modern China
restaurant in Olympian
City
Of the 1052 confirmed patients, only 39 remain in 11
hospitals, with one in critical condition. The death toll remains at 4.
