By Vir B. Lumicao
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| Chuang says the FDH did not seek medical help immediately after developing symptoms |
A foreign domestic helper had reportedly infected her female
employer and her two young daughters, aged 1 and 2, despite testing negative when
she took a coronavirus test two weeks after her symptom began.
Health department staff said today, Feb 21, that they could
not ascertain the helper’s nationality.
The employer, her daughters and the helper, who was tested
again, were among the 20 new cases recorded today, which brought Hong Kong’s
total tally to 10,869.
Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection
said in today’s press briefing that the helper, aged 35, had a sore throat on
Feb 3.
Then her one-year-old ward developed a symptom on Feb 9,
followed by her 29-year-old employer on Feb 12, and her two-year-old ward on
Feb 14. On Feb 16, the helper took her specimen to the hospital with the help of
the employer and initially tested negative.
The helper underwent a second test and was confirmed
positive yesterday, along with her employer and the two toddlers. They all live
in Tower 1 of The Apex in Kwai Chung.
Chuang said the employer and her family were infected as the
helper had a rather high CT value of 37 due to her long period of having the
symptom before she went for a test.
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| The Apex in Kwai Chung where the helper lives with her employer's family |
The lone imported case was a 68-year-old woman who arrived
on Feb 20 from India
via flight AI 1314 and tested positive at the Asia World Expo testing
facility.
The CHP official said six of the new patients were identified
in compulsory testing sites.
Six of the 19 local cases have untraceable sources while 13 were
linked to other infections.
There are also more than 10 preliminary positive cases,
Chuang said.
Chuang said one of the six with untraceable sources was a
man aged 72 who lives in Block 1 of Sceneway Garden in Lam Tin where compulsory
testing was held on Feb 17.
She identified another of the six as a public light bus
driver without a fixed route but who last plied the Laguna City, Kwun
Tong-Castle Peak, Tsuen Wan route. He must have contracted the virus by
handling money paid by his passengers, Chuang said.
Chuang advised all passengers who might have taken that
minibus to go for a checkup if they don’t feel well.
The CHP official said there was an outbreak at the Caritas
Lok Yi School on Lei King Road,
Sai Wan Ho, where a male staff and two male students were confirmed positive
today. Two other staff members and another student were preliminary positive
cases.
She said 40 staff of the school and 20 students will be
quarantined due to the outbreak.
The staff who worked at Caritas Lok Yi School also worked as
a male social worker at the Hong
Shi Pinehill
School.
Six residents and a dozen staff members of the school who
the patient had been in contact with will have to be quarantined, said Chuang.
She also said about 100 officers and staff of a property
company in Shamshuipo were sent to compulsory testing and quarantine after one
IT staff there tested positive and another tested preliminary positive despite
being not close contacts.
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| CHP would not say if the fourth wave of infections has eased |
Asked if she thought the fourth wave of the pandemic was
stabilizing, Chuang said she could not comment on that.
“With any relaxation of social distancing, any gatherings,
there are threats of transmissions, so the public have to be careful in observing
hygiene as much as possible and try to reduce big gatherings as much as
possible,” Chuang said.
“So I would describe the current situation as not yet
completely stabilized.”
