Covid-19 cases down to 8, including 2 FDHs

 By The SUN 

Covid-19 testing area at HK Airport

Hong Kong health authorities reported eight new Covid-19 cases today, Mar. 6, bringing the city’s tally to 11,075.

Half of the cases were imported, and included two foreign domestic helpers. One is a 41-year-old woman who arrived from the Philippines and tested positive at the airport although asymptomatic.

Pindutin para sa detalye

 

The other one is 46-year-old Indonesian helper who developed symptoms on Mar 4 and was found infected on arrival at Hong Kong airport yesterday.

2 new cases - 1 confirmed, the other preliminary - are linked to K11 Musea

The two others are returnees who were both found to have the coronavirus variant. One is a one-year-old baby girl who arrived from Pakistan via United Arab Emirates, and the other is a 56-year-old woman from India. Both had no symptoms.

Of the four local cases, two were of unknown sources.

Call now!

One is a 34-year-old computer technician who used a ground floor washroom at K11 Musea mall in Tsim Sha Tsui, site of a recent cluster of infections. 

The patient also visited at least two restaurants in Wanchai and attended a property investment seminar where there were around 50 participants. 

He lives on Heard Street in Wanchai and works in Lincold House in Taikoo Place.

Pindutin para sa detalye

The other is a 75-year-old man retired man who lives in Fu Ning Garden in Tseung Kwan O and developed symptoms on Mar 3. Before testing positive he visited several restaurants in TKO and on Wanchai Road.

The two linked cases are both children of a previously confirmed patient. Their schools, St Paul’s Co-Educational College and St Paul’s College, have been asked to suspend classes for two weeks.

CALL US!

More than 10 preliminary positive cases were also detected, including a 56-year-old doctor who has clinics in Tuen Mun and Kwai Fong and lives in Tai Kok Tsui. He visited two hostels for the elderly during the incubation period.

Another case is a 32-year-old computer programmer at a company in Tsim Sha Tsui. He watched a movie on the fourth floor of  K11 Musea and also used a toilet there.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

A third case is a 73-year-old retired man who visited several restaurants in Kowloon and lives in Regency Park. Another is a construction worker at the Chek Lap Kok airport. More than 30 of his colleagues were deemed as close contacts and moved to quarantine.

BASAHIN ANG DETALYE

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

 

55-year-old woman dies of stroke 3 days after getting Sinovac jab

By The SUN 

The woman died at Kwong Wah Hospital early this morning

The Hong Kong Health Department has reported the death from an “acute stroke” of a 55-year-old woman, days after receiving the Sinovac coronavirus jab.

In a statement issued today,  the DH said the woman had a history of chronic illnesses. She suffered a stroke yesterday, Mar 5, and was admitted to Caritas Medical Centre.

Pindutin para sa detalye

 

She was later transferred to Kwong Wah Hospital where she had a cardiac arrest and passed away early this morning.

The woman received her Covid jab at the Kwun Chung Sports Centre on Tuesday.

Call now!

 

A co-convenor of the expert panel looking at possible side-effects from Covid vaccination, Ivan Hung, has said the deceased had high blood pressure as well as high cholesterol.

He said the mass vaccination which kicked off two weeks ago should continue since they don’t know if the woman’s death was related to her having received the Sinovac jab.

CALL US!

He revealed 17 of around 61,500 people who had the Sinovac jab in the first week had experienced serious side effects, but most have recovered and people have no cause to worry.

Hung said the experts panel will discuss the case on Monday.

Pindutin para sa detalye

Earlier, the panel ruled out a connection between the death of a 63-year-old man from an apparent heart attack and his having been vaccinated with Sinovac earlier.

The man, who had diabetes and high blood pressure, was reportedly found with clogged arteries after he died, but the panel is still looking into the exact cause of death.

Dr Chan admits fewer people are booking for a jab after the man's reported death 

Separately, Health Secretary Dr Sophia Chan admitted in a press interview that the number of people applying to get the vaccine has dropped “a little bit” after the man’s death.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

“There’s still bookings everyday, but it has slowed down a little bit and we understand the situation,” Chan said. “The public wants to understand the situation a little bit more.”

Government figures show that the number of those who booked online for a jab dropped from a peak of 18,000 on Tuesday to around 6,000 Friday. 

Chan urged anyone with health issues and are unsure about vaccination to consult their doctor.

BASAHIN ANG DETALYE

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Phl agencies sent 80% fewer DHs to HK last year amid pandemic

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Filipino workers lining up at Polo: Actual drop in their numbers in HK was just 7%

Deployment of Filipino domestic helpers to Hong Kong took a deep dive of nearly 80% last year due to several factors that were mostly related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Figures from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration database show only 32,263 workers were deployed by Philippine recruitment agencies to Hong Kong last year, down sharply from the 159,107 deployed in 2019.

But the drop of 126,844 refers only to Filipino DHs who did not pass through agencies in the Philippines, largely as a result of Hong Kong’s policy shift last year that allowed terminated workers to remain here and process new work contracts.

Pindutin para sa detalye

The actual drop in the number of Filipino DHs working here last year was only more than 15,000, according to Hong Kong Immigration figures, accounting for just about 7.5% of the total workforce.

And there are already signs of improvement with the number of Filipino DHs rebounding to 206,481 in February, as 1,700 of them arrived in Hong Kong within the month.

The big drop was in the number of Filipino DHs who left the Phl amid the pandemic

The Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies, which shared the POEA data, described the shrinkage in deployment from the Philippines as “shocking.”

Call now!

 

Thomas Chan, president of the HKUEA, cited the following as possible contributing factors:

·      Greatly reduced recruitment in the Philippines due to lockdown in many areas outside of Manila;

 ·      Drop in demand in Hong Kong for Filipino due to the high costs of agency fee, swab test and 21-day quarantine imposed on employers;

Pindutin para sa detalye

·       Employers’ worry that the workers would test positive on arrival, prompting them to hire those who were already in Hong Kong

·       Lengthier processing of work contracts in the Philippines, which led to lots of visas being cancelled because employers could not wait.

The POEA statistics showed that rehires, who make up the bulk of the deployed workforce, shrank to  as low as 18,923 last year from 113,630 a year earlier.

CALL US!

Again, this just indicates the huge number of FDHs in Hong Kong who were able to process new work contracts on site without having to return to the Philippines and go through agencies again after being terminated.

The so-called “agency hires”, or those who left the Philippines to work in Hong Kong for the first time, slipped from 45,443 in 2019 to 13,336 last year. 

This was the result of intermittent lockdowns between Metro Manila and the provinces, and the tightening of restrictions for travel to Hong Kong.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

There were only four “direct” hires – or those who did not go through recruitment agencies - last year, compared with 34 a year earlier.

BASAHIN ANG DETALYE

PADALA NA!

CALL US!

Immigration unveils contact-less applications for FDH visas

By The SUN 

Immigration wants fewer FDH visa applicants visiting their offices

The Immigration Department launched today, Mar 5, a new scheme of processing contact-less applications for foreign domestic helper visas.

The Smart Renewal service allows persons who apply online for a visa extension or renewal for an FDH, to skip going to an office of the Immigration Department to collect the visa and pay the fee, once their application is approved.

Pindutin para sa detalye

This new service is available for FDHs who are (1) renewing their contracts with the same employer; (2) are to complete the remaining period of the current contract; or (3) applying for a deferral of home leave under the emergency guidelines during the pandemic.

To avail, applicants may log in to Immigration’s dedicated page, “Online Services for Foreign Domestic Helpers” (www.immd.gov.hk/fdh) to complete an online application form.

Call now!

 

Once the application is approved, a notification of approval will pop up, along with a general demand note (GDN) indicating the fee amount along with the payment details.

Payment of the indicated fee may be done through various means, such as the Faster Payment System (PPS), Internet banking, Payment by Phone Service (PPS) or automatic teller machines, or in person at a post office or convenience store. 

CLICK FOR DETAILS

Once Immigration acknowledges receipt of the visa fee, the visa and/or extension of stay label will be mailed to the employer’s correspondence address. The label must then be affixed to the FDH’s passport as instructed. 

In case no correspondence address has been provided, the visa labels will be sent to the address indicated in the employment contract.

Pindutin para sa detalye

This means that throughout the application process for these types of services, the worker or the employer need not be physically present at an Immigration office to pay the fee or collect the visa label.

At present, those who submit FDH visa applications are required to, upon approval of their applications, pay the fee and collect the visa in person or through an authorised representative from an Immigration Department branch.

Sample of FDH visa indicating validity and other conditions

However, the process will remain unchanged for applications made through other means - by post, drop-in box or in-person - and in special cases requiring in-person submission or interview.

In these cases, the applicant must go personally to an Immigration branch as before to attend an interview, or pick up an approved visa.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

A statement issued by Immigration urged applicants for FDH visas to consider going through the Smart Renewal Service so they can reduce traveling outside their homes, and contribute to the campaign to contain the coronavirus.

The new arrangement was introduced amid mounting concerns among FDHs whose visa extension applications remain stuck in Immigration, even if their permits to remain in Hong Kong had already expired.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

Immigration says it will explore the possibility of extending the Smart renewal service to other FDH visa-related applications.

For details of the Smart Renewal service, please visit www.immd.gov.hk/fdh or call the enquiry hotline at 2824 6111, or fax to 2877 7711 or email enquiry@immd.gov.hk.

BASAHIN ANG DETALYE

PADALA NA!

Call us!

 

 

 

2 Filipinas with coronavirus variant among 11 new infections

By Vir B. Lumicao

The 3 FDHs were found infected while in quarantine at various hotels

Three foreign domestic helpers, comprising two Filipinas with the highly infectious N501Y variant and one Indonesian woman, were among 11 coronavirus cases that were confirmed by Hong Kong health authorities today, Mar 5.

The new cases took the total tally of confirmed infections in Hong Kong to 11,067.

Pindutin para sa detalye

The first Filipina, aged 29, arrived from Manila on Feb 19 and tested negative upon arrival at the airport but developed symptoms four days later while in quarantine at Ramada Hong Kong Harbour View in Sai Ying Pun.

She was confirmed positive on Thursday after her second test, a spokesman for the Centre for Health Protection said.

Call now!

 

Another Filipina, 25, tested negative upon arrival in Hong Kong on Feb 20. She was asymptomatic but returned a positive result after her second test on the 12^th day of quarantine at Metropark Hotel Kowloon in Homantin.

The two brought to seven the number of new arrivals from the Philippines found to have the variant in the past 10 days.

The Indonesian helper, 45, arrived from Jakarta also on Feb 20 and was negative during the airport test. She stayed for her quarantine in Ramada Hong Kong Harbourview in North Point, where her second test was positive.

CLICK FOR DETAILS

Among the newly reported cases are four local with unknown sources while the remaining four were linked to previous infections.    

A 37-year-old Sri Lankan woman who was among 10 people reported as preliminary positive by Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan in the CHP’s press briefing yesterday was confirmed positive today.

Pindutin para sa detalye

She was working as a part-time domestic helper in a village house in Clearwater Bay. The case, however, was considered as a local case with no known source of infection, a CHP spokesman said.

The first case with unknown sources was a 47-year-old man from Discovery Park, Tsuen Wan, who developed fever on Mar 1. His sample collected on Mar 3 tested positive.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

The patient is a clerk of the Labour Department at the Cheung Sha Wan Government Offices. He last went to work on Wednesday, the CHP said.

The second case with unknown sources was an 18-year-old male student from Hiu Fai House, Hiu Lai Court, Sau Mau Ping. He developed a headache and fever on Feb 22.

Tunghayan ang isa na namang kwentong Dream Love

His sample was collected on Mar 1 and tested positive yesterday. He did not return to school when face-to-face classes resumed on Monday.

A 48-year-old man who developed fever on Mar 1 was the third case with unknown sources. Sample collected from him on that day was confirmed positive yesterday.

Health officials said he is a clerical staff who lived in Kui Yan Court, Sai Ying Pun and last went to work on Feb 26.

A total of 235 cases have been recorded in the past 14 days from Feb 19 to Mar 4. They included 197 local cases, of which 66 had unknown sources.
    
The CHP said its epidemiological investigations and relevant contact tracing on the confirmed cases are ongoing.

The CHP reminded those who had visited specified venues under the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation (Cap. 599J) to undergo nucleic acid testing as required in the compulsory testing notice. It urged the public to see a doctor if symptoms develop.

BASAHIN ANG DETALYE

PADALA NA!

Call us!