Two more elderly patients die from Covid-19, raising HK’s death toll to 22

By the SUN

 

One of today's Covid-19 casualties was admitted to Queen Mary Hospital in Pokfulam

Two more elderly patients diagnosed with Covid-19 passed away earlier today in two separate public hospitals, raising Hong Kong’s death toll to 22.

They were the third and fourth patients to succumb to the disease in the past 24 hours, the deadliest day for Hong Kong since the first coronavirus case was reported on Jan. 24.

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One of the latest cases was the husband of a resident of the Kong Tai Care for the Aged Centre in virus-plagued Tsz Wan Shan estate, and lived in Choi Fai Estate in Ngau Chi Wan. The 88-year-old patient died at Queen Mary Hospital this morning.

The second patient was a 95-year-old woman who had close contact with an infected woman who lives in Choi Hung estate. The elderly woman passed away at United Christian Hospital this afternoon.

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Also this morning, a 92-year-old man who lived in Tsz Wan Shan, died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. He had a chronic illness and was admitted to hospital for shortness of breath and cough on Jul 7.

At about 11pm last night, a 76-year-old woman, also a Tsz Wan Shan resident, passed away at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. She had an underlying illness was admitted on Jul 21, with abdominal pain and cough.

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Up until the first week of July, when the so-called third wave of infections swept through Hong Kong, the death toll was steady at seven. But the record rise in cases has led to deaths being reported on an almost daily basis, all involving elderly patients.

A big number of the new cases have occurred in care homes for the elderly, prompting a warning from health authorities for the elderly to remain at home.

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Aside from Kong Tai, another elderly home severely affected by the new wave of infections is Cornwall in Tuen Mun, where 21 residents and three staff have tested positive for Covid-19.

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Maid jailed 3 weeks for stealing $8,500 from employer

By Vir B. Lumicao

The Tuen Mun court heard the maid hid $2k of the stolen money inside her bra 

A Filipina helper who admitted stealing $8,500 from her male employer this month was sentenced to three weeks in jail today, Jul 27, by a Tuen Mun magistrate.

A. J. Madamba, 27, bawled out after her sentencing by Magistrate Cheung Kit-yee.

Madamba had admitted stealing $7,500 and $1,000 on two separate occasions from Lee Joy-tak, her employer at the Aegean Coast residential estate on Castle Peak Road.

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The maid had been in Lee’s employ since August last year.

Lee told police he used to put cash in an unlocked drawer in his room for daily expenses.

On Jul 13, he put $15,500 in the drawer, but when he checked the money four days later, he found out $7,500 was gone. He said he did not ask the maid about the missing money because he trusted her, but he had doubts.

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In the morning of Jul 20, he placed $12,500 in the drawer, and took photos of all the bills. When he got home at night, he checked the drawer and noticed $1,000 was gone.

This time the employer asked Madamba about the missing cash and she readily admitted stealing it for her own needs. She then took out the money from the left pocket of her sweat pants. The employer called the police and the maid was arrested.

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During an investigation at the Tuen Mun Police Station, in the presence of two interpreters, one for Tagalog and another for Chinese, Madamba suddenly pulled out $2,000 from her bra.

The police said she admitted taking all of the missing money but only kept $2,000 and spent the rest.

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In mitigation, Madamba’s lawyer said the defendant was married but separated from her husband. She has a son aged 9 who lives with her mother. She arrived in Hong Kong last year. Previously, she worked as a domestic helper in the Middle East.

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The magistrate sentenced the maid to three weeks in jail for both offences, with the sentences to run concurrently, and said stealing from an employer was a serious breach of trust.

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Duterte promises help for displaced OFWs, attacks critic in SONA

By Vir B. Lumicao

President Duterte delivering his 5th SONA

President Rodrigo Duterte has promised to “retool” overseas Filipino workers displaced by the coronavirus so they can find jobs at home, in his fifth State of the Nation address before select guests at the Batasang Pambansa today, Jul 27.

In his speech that lasted an hour and half, the President said that he has asked relevant government agencies like the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) to come up with projects that will help displaced OFWs.

He also urged Congress to pass a law establishing a Department of Overseas Filipinos.

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Minutes into his speech, Duterte attacked Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon for reportedly dragging his daughter and son into the issue of oligarchy while defending the Lopez family after Congress voted to cancel the broadcasting franchise of ABS-CBN.

Duterte said Drilon’s statement that oligarchs need not be rich was an insinuation that the Lopezes, who own the giant TV network, are not oligarchs.

He renewed his attack at the end of his speech, saying the control of water and electricity businesses was Spanish-era oligarchy that Drilon achieved for the Lopezes when he acted as their lawyer in its water and power franchise deals with the government.

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Reacting to the tirade, Drilon said he was not defending the Lopezes but was against the rejection of the network’s franchise bid, seeing it as a violation of press freedom in the country.

Another opposition senator, Risa Hontiveros, also slammed Duterte, saying he dismantled the lives of ordinary workers in ABS-CBN, not the oligarchs.

The cancellation of the network franchise was among the issues raised by about 1,000 anti-government protesters who gathered inside the University of the Philippines’ campus in Diliman.

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The Anti-Terrorism Law which Duterte signed earlier this month, was also a rallying cry for the protesters.

Police made no attempt to stop the protest, but arrested five members of the jeepney drivers’ group, Piston, as they made their way to the UP campus.

 

Press freedom was one of the rallying cries at the pre-SONA protest at UP 

Police Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas said the arrest was made as the protesters were aboard a jeepney, which is still not allowed on Metro Manila's streets.

In his penultimate SONA, Duterte said that while the nation is grappling with Covid-19, several groups have been using the crisis to gain ground, including drug lords, profiteers and corrupt felons. He warned they cannot outrun the long arm of the law.

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He also threatened telecoms Smart and Globe, expressed apprehension in asserting the country’s victory against China over the West Philippine Sea, and claimed that martial law in Mindanao ended without abuses by the police and military.

But he disappointed business groups by not detailing what he intends to do help the economy recover after the world’s longest lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Instead, he called on Congress to approve a list of measures, including the second part of the Bayanihan (to Recover as One Act), which supplements funds and extends the sweeping powers given him to respond to the pandemic.

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In his SONA speech, Duterte also said:

• That he will not allow traditional face-to-face classes to resume unless all risks of exposure Covid-19 is eliminated with the introduction of a vaccine. He said he appealed to Chinese President Xi Jinping four days ago to make the Philippines one of the first recipients of a vaccine, and grant credit for its purchase

• He is not in a hurry to reopen businesses in the country because he does not want to see the third wave of Covid-19 contamination that the US and China are now experiencing.

• The death penalty by lethal injection must be revived for drug-related offences

• That he opposes either American or Chinese bases in on the South China Sea, because in a conflict between the two superpowers, Manila would suffer. But he reiterated he cannot expel China from the disputed islands because of the country’s inferior firepower

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HK posts new daily record of 145 Covid-19 cases, including baby from Phl

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

The baby who tested positive flew in with family members from Manila

A baby who flew in from the Philippines with family members was among the 145 cases of Covid-19 cases reported in Hong Kong today, Jul 27, the highest daily tally on record. The new cases brought the overall tally to 2,779.

It was the sixth day in a row that the daily number of cases reached more than 100, prompting the government to further restrict public gathering.

According to Dr. Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection, the baby’s family members were infected earlier.

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That could indicate that the baby was with the Filipina domestic worker whose two employers tested positive with her yesterday after flying in from Manila.

The group, along with eight other infected Filipinos, must have flown in Friday, the day before nucleic acid test for Covid-19 was made a pre-boarding requirement for all travelers coming from the Philippines.

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Several media reports indicated earlier that today’s tally could top 180, as 60 other cases tested preliminary positive for the virus.

Two more patients who both lived in virus-plagued Tsz Wan Shan,  were also reported to have died today, raising the fatality toll to 20.

 

The 2 new fatalities were both residents of Tsz Wan Shan

A 76-year-old woman with chronic illnesses died at about 11 pm last night at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei. She was admitted on Jul 21, with abdominal pain and cough.

A second patient, a 92-year-old man with underlying illnesses, succumbed at 9am today in the same hospital. He was admitted there on Jul 7 due to shortness of breath and cough.

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Up until the first week of July, when the so-called third wave of infections swept through Hong Kong, the death toll was steady at seven. But the record rise in cases has led to deaths being reported on an almost daily basis, all involving elderly patients.

The surge has also swamped local hospitals that many patients who are either confirmed or preliminary positive for the disease, have been advised to stay at home and wait until they could be admitted.

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Hospital Authority’s Dr Sara Ho said that as of midday today, more than 100 patients were waiting to be admitted to hospitals.

This was even after 200 less serious patients had been moved to second-tier beds in isolation wards, and more than 100 recovering ones were transferred to an isolation facility at Lei Yue Mun holiday camp.

Ho appealed for their patience, saying more isolation beds are being freed up to accommodate them. She said the tier-1 beds are being reserved for newly diagnosed patients, especially those with severe symptoms.

 

Dr Ho is appealing to patients waiting to be moved to hospitals for patience

Nearly all, or 142, of today’s cases were local transmissions. The two other imported cases, apart from the baby, were a returnee from South Korea and a seafarer from India.

Of the local cases, 83 were linked to previous infections, 56 of them family clusters. Another 11 cases were linked to workplaces.

The remaining 59 local cases were from an unknown source.

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Notable cases include three linked to the Cornwall Elderly Home in Tuen Mun. Two are residents and the third is a staff member of the care home. So far, three employees and 21 residents of the facility have tested positive for Covid-19.

Two workers at a slaughterhouse in Sheung Shui were also confirmed to have the virus today, while two others have tested preliminary positive. Chuang said a thorough cleansing of the abattoir is being carried out.

Another case that sparked concern involved a cross-border truck driver who lives in Sheung Shui. He fell ill on Jul 24 and was confirmed to have the virus today. Chuang said the patient hardly left his residence.

Also among the new cases is another firefighter at Tsing Yi South Fire Station, a nurse at the psychology department of Shatin hospital who was apparently infected at home, and between five and six people linked to various restaurants, including Fulum in Tuen Mun.

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HK orders no dine-in, masks in all public places, and gathering limit to 2 people

By The SUN

Dining in will be banned in all restaurants for a week starting on Wednesday

Hong Kong has imposed the tightest restrictions on public gathering yet, amid a record surge in  coronavirus infections.

Following a special excutive meeting this morning, Jul 27 Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung announced four new measures intended to curb the spread of the virus.

From Wednesday, Jul 29, there will be no more dine-in services in all restaurants and food courts; masks should be worn in all outdoor places,  no more than two people will be able to gather in public places; and all sports centres and swimming pools will be closed.

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The restrictions will remain in force for a week, or until Aug. 4.

Anyone found violating the restrictions will be liable to pay a fixed fine of $2,000, or risk prosecution and upon conviction, pay a maximum fine of $5,000.

Cheung said the only exemptions from the gathering ban is when family members who live together go out, or they are all riding in a car.

Masks must be worn in all public places, both indoor and outdoor

For the mask-wearing regulation, the only exemption will apply to children below two years old, or there are reasonable excuses, such as physical or mental illness.

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Also on Jul 29, travel restrictions for people flying in from the United States and Kazakshtan, including a negative test for Covid-19 prior to boarding, will take effect, four days after similar requirements were imposed on those coming from seven countries, including the Philippines.

Air and sea crew coming in will also be subject to stricter requirements on the same day, including preventing them from mingling with the local community, even after testing negative for the coronavirus before, or after, arriving in Hong Kong.

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Cheung called the current coronavirus situation quite severe, and the risk of large-scale outbreaks as "very high".

He cited the more than 100 confirmed cases being reported for the past five straight days. Today, the highest daily tally of 145 cases was reported, with about 60 more testing preliminary positive.

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He also urged employers to allow their employees to work from home as much as possible to reduce the number of people lining up for takeaway food.

Eating in parks is still possible, but people should strictly observe social distancing, and not throw away lunch boxes.

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Duterte SONA preparations hit by virus infection of 25 media staff

By The SUN

Andanar announced the contamination within his office a day before the President's 5th SONA

A total of 25 Covid-19 infections has hit the Presidential Communications Operations Office and its attached agencies.

Of these, 19 were directly under PCOO, President Rodrigo Duterte’s media operations office headed by Secretary Martin Andanar, who confirmed the news today, Jul 26.

The Philippine News Agency reported separately that there was one fatality among the 19 cases, but did not give details.

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PNA further reported that government printer Apo Production Unit has one case and one death, Presidential Information Agency and Radio Television-Malacanang have two cases each, and PTV-4 has one.

Two personnel of Radio Television-Malacañang are also infected, said Secretary Martin Andanar, head of the Presidential Communications Operations Office.

Andanar made the disclosure on the eve of Duterte’s fifth State of the Nation Address tomorrow.

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“We regret to inform everyone that, as of 2:10 pm of July 26, 2020, we have 19 Covid-19 active cases among our personnel who were infected while performing their duties to the public,” Andanar said in a statement sent to media organizations.

He said some of the infected personnel were involved in the production of communication materials as well as TV and radio programs that support Malacañang’s daily briefings.

The PCOO has its offices in the New Executive Building at the Malacañang compound on Jose P. Laurel St., San Miguel, Manila.

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He said the PCOO immediately conducted testing and contact tracing of primary and secondary contacts of the infected personnel among the office staff to minimize the transmission of the virus.

The entire skeleton workforce of his office will also undergo testing.

“From thereon, we have intensified our testing and contact tracing to include all of our skeleton workforce in order to ensure everyone’s safety,” Andanar said.

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He said the PCOO continues to assist and support the families of infected staff as it ensures the safety of all of its personnel against the virus.

Andanar said a Covid-19 Response Team has also been formed to coordinate all his office’s contact tracing, testing, monitoring, and isolation/quarantine efforts.

He assure the Filipino public that the delivery of essential and timely information to them Filipino public will continue despite the contagion.

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Work has been suspended at the New Executive Building due to the contagion and employees of the media affairs office have adopted a work-from-home arrangement, Andanar said.

Radio TV-Malacañang will also be under a two-week lockdown, and contact-tracing and testing of close contacts of the infected personnel is under way, Andanar also said.

For the SONA tomorrow, RTVM will be deploying a different team composed of individuals who had no contact with the infected personnel, he said, adding that a contingency plan is also being put into place.

Andanar said the PCOO prepared three separate Zoom viewing rooms for Cabinet officials, local chief executives, Sangguniang Kabataan officials and overseas Filipino workers.

“These virtual viewing rooms will cater to select individuals who cannot be physically present during the address,” he said.

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