By Daisy CL Mandap
 |
| The Filipina tested negative at the airport, and to 2 more tests while in quarantine |
A Filipina domestic helper who started coughing on the day
she finished her 14-day quarantine and moved into her employer’s house is among
29 new Covid-19 cases reported today.
According to Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health
Protection, the Filipina arrived in Hong Kong from the Philippines on
Dec 24.
“On January 7 she completed quarantine and arrived at her
employer’s house and started coughing. A
few days later she developed a fever and went to the accident and emergency
department for treatment,” Chuang said.
She said the helper was not allowed to leave her
employer’s house until she tested positive. Everyone in the employer's house will now have to be put under quarantine.
Chuang also said that since the infection developed within
the 14-day quarantine period, the case has been classified as "imported."
Two other imported cases were reported today. One flew in from Pakistan,
and the other, from the United States,
and both tested positive at Hong Kong airport.
The CHP official also confirmed that a quarantine order was
issued for all asymptomatic residents of buildings 20, 22, 24 and 26 Reclamation Street
in Jordan,
after two more infections were found in the block.
A total of 27 residents there have been found infected.
She said, “The safest and most effective way of stopping the
infection is to evacuate the residents.”
This was because the buildings were interconnected and the
communal places were shared by residents, mostly South Asians, who often
mingled together.
 |
| More than 80 cases have been found in the Yau Tsim Mong area, where the Reclamation block is located |
Chuang also said that more than 80 infections have been
reported in the Yau Tsim Mong district in the past two weeks, particularly on Jordan Road, Temple
Street, Canton Road
and Woosung Street.
Two of the new cases came from Shanghai Street, which is about 100
meters away from Reclamation
Street.
Many residents in the area are said to be Nepalese who
worked at two construction sites where a number of infections were reported in
the past few days. The workers are suspected to have spread the virus to their
families and friends in the neighborhood.
These worksites are at the Central Kowloon Route and the Tseung Kwan
O-Lam Tin tunnel, which both accounted for two new cases each today. The TKO
site now has 40 confirmed cases, while 22 other cases have been linked to the
Central-Kowloon worksite.
Also today, residents at three apartment buildings have been
ordered to take Covid-19 tests after at least two unrelated infections were
discovered in each of them.
In addition, residents in units 9 of one of the buildings,
Yan Shek House in Kwai Chung, will have to move to a quarantine center from
tomorrow.
The two other affected buildings are The Spectra in Yuen
Long and 163-165 Shanghai Street
in Yau Ma Tei.
As of 9am today, there were 563 confirmed patients being
treated in 25 public hospitals and the treatment facility at AsiaWorld Expo.
Amohng them, 42 patients are in critical condition, 30 are serious, and 491 are
in stable condition.
Hospital Authority’s Dr Sara Ho said one more patient passed
away in the past 24 hours, raising the death toll in public hospitals to 157.
At the daily press briefing, Undersecretary for Food and
Health Dr Chui Tak-yi gave an overview of the prevailing Covid situation.
He reported that between Dec 31, 2020 and Jan 6 this year, a
total of 296 were recorded, of which 268 were local cases. From Jan 7 to 13, a
total of 311 cases were recorded, of which 292 were locally acquired.
Cases with unknown sources accounted for 27% and 29%,
respectively. Nearly a third, or 30% of all the patients in the past two weeks
had no symptoms.
He advised the public to remain vigilant, as there has been
no substantial decline in the number of cases.
