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| At least 3 Filipino seafarers have tested positive for the virus while on brief stop in HK |
Fears of a widespread outbreak of the coronavirus disease in
Hong Kong have continued to grow, as health
officials today reported 38 new cases, 32 of them locally acquired.
The continuing surge in cases has led the Education Bureau
to order the early closure of schools from kindergarten up to secondary,
starting on Monday. But schools are given the chance to go ahead with scheduled
tests next week, or postpone them for several months.
Yesterday saw the biggest daily tally of local
transmissions, with 38 of the 42 new confirmed cases not having left Hong Kong during the incubation period.
Of the new cases reported today, Jul 10, six are recent
arrivals, at least two of them Filipino seafarers. They brought Hong Kong ’s total tally to 1,403.
Nine cases could not be traced to any known source, and Dr
Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection says these are a cause for
great concern, as the outbreak now is more widespread than during the previous
surge in March,
“During that period, (many of the cases) were linked, and we
can find a source, and those unlinked cases are only sporadic cases, so we can
still locate them and still stop the spread. But in recent cases, I think the
spread is much wider,” said Chuang.
She also warned that the recent infections that could not be
linked to any previous cases could potentially lead to a wider community
outbreak.
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| Chuang and Ho: More hospital beds are being readied to cope with a possible surge in cases |
Among the new imported cases are at least two Filipino
seamen who had flown to Hong Kong to board
their freighter. The first arrived yesterday aboard Cathay Pacific flight CX
and tested positive at the airport.
The second came on Jul 7, along with two other Filipino
seafarers who tested positive for the virus the next day. The latest patient
was found infected after he developed a fever yesterday. All three are now
receiving treatment at the hospital.
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Also among the imported cases is a new arrival from India
who tested positive on the twelfth day of his quarantine, a pilot from
Kazakhstan who had already left for the United States when his test sample
showed he was positive for the virus, a 32-year-old ship crew member who flew
in from Kuala Lumpur, and another 32-year-old man who was on the same flight.
But the biggest cause for concern among today’s new cases
was the cluster of 11 infections among residents of Ming Chuen House in Shui
Chuen O Estate in Shatin.
Experts from the Department of Health and the Housing
Department were immediately sent to the residential building, and they have
reportedly ruled out any contamination from the sewage pipes.
Samples from the common areas in the housing block have been
taken away for testing.
More cases linked to two restaurants, Bun Kee Congee &
Noodle Foods at Ping Shek Estate and the Sunfat Restaurant in Jordan,
were also reported today.
They include a 70-year-old man who visited Bun Kee,
along with his 70-year-old wife who had never been to the fastfood joint.
Another is a taxi driver who had been out of work, but was
picked up by a fellow driver who had visited Bun Kee, and subsequently tested
positive.
Another case linked to the restaurant is 39-year-old woman
who had also visited Bun Kee.
For Sun Fat, a new case involves a customer who went to the
restaurant on Jul 3 and 4.
Another case that could be related to the eatery frequented
by taxi divers is a cluster of cases involving one family. A 51-year-old woman
married to a taxi driver tested positive, along with two of her sons.
There were other cases linked to one or two previously known
infections, including another elderly resident of Kong Tai Care for the Aged
Centre in Tsz Wan Shan, and the 18-year-old son of another resident who tested
positive earlier.
Also included are a number of students in various schools: Po
Leung Kuk Chee Jing Yin primary school, Kowloon City Baptist Church Hay Nien
(Yan Ping) primary school, Christian Alliance S C Chan Memorial College in
Kowloon Tong and the Taoist
Ching Chung
Primary School
There is also an MTR employee at Tai Wo station, a staff of
an employment agency recruiting foreign domestic workers, and two staff member
of Ming Cheung House.
Those whose source of infection is not known include:
- a 40-year-old woman who works at SA SA branch in Yau Tong,
along with her husband, also 40, who
works at a metal grill factory in Fotan;
- a 13-year-old student who lives in Tseung Kwan O and attended various tutorial
classes,
- 41-year-old woman who works in Taikoo Place
- an 89-year-old woman who lives in Tsz Wan Shan whose 94-year-old husband was also found infected
earlier;
- a 40-year-old man who lives in Choi Wan estate;
- a 35-year-old man who runs a tutorial school on Electric Road
- a 47-year-old woman who lives in Wo Che estate and works
at a SA SA shop in Ma On Shan
- a resident of Choi Fai Estate who did not visit Bun Kee,
but has 4 neighbors who were stricken by the virus after eating at the fastfood
outlet.
As of noon today, 172 confirmed cases are confined in nine
public hospitals. Eleven patients recovered and were discharged today, raising
the total number o f recoveries to 1,180. Seven people have died.
Dr Sara Ho of the Hospital Authority said 60% of hospital beds are currently in use, and the second-tier isolation wards are being readied to cope with a possible increase in cases.
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