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Filipina and Canadian travelers found with coronavirus variant

Posted on 21 March 2021 No comments

By The SUN 

Chuang says the Filipina's variant is still unclassified

Hong Kong reported today, Mar 21, a second consecutive day of eight Covid-19 patients, including a Filipina domestic helper and a Canadian resident who both carried the N501Y variant of the coronavirus.

The Filipina, 28, and the Canadian, 63, were among four imported cases which also included two 59-year-old men who arrived on Mar 19, one from Bangladesh and the other a cargo plane pilot from the United States, health officials said.

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The Filipina, who checked in at the Best Western Hotel in Causeway Bay, arrived on Mar 18 and developed symptoms on Mar 19, the Centre for Health Protection said.

“There is one case who arrived from the Philippines and that person is carrying an N501Y variant. We still have to categorize the case and see what sort of variant or the source of the variant,” Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the CHP said in today’s briefing.

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She was replying to a query from a reporter on whether the woman was carrying a new, more potent virus that reports said was newly discovered in the Philippines.

Chuang said the Canadian patient stayed with his family in the Ramada Hong Kong Grand Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui from Feb 16 to Mar 6 for their quarantine. A family member had earlier been confirmed positive, so he and the rest of his family were sent for testing.

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Today’s new patients comprised four men and four women aged 2 to 68 years old. They  raised the city’s total Covid-19 tally to 11,380.

The second day of single-digit cases elicited a question from the media on whether the wave of infections from Ursus Fitness was over, with just one patient from that cluster today.

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“Regarding the Ursus cluster, there are a few that were identified in the quarantine centers. Even for the preliminary positive cases, these had been identified in quarantine centers, so I believe the outbreak…has been contained,” Chuang said.

She said so far 142 people, including seven employees, 91 customers and 44 close contacts were found from the gym cluster.

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Of the more than 10 preliminary cases today, five were close contacts linked to Ursus.

But she said she was not sure where these people had been to or whether they had infected other people, so contact-tracing is now being done by about 500 CHP staff.

Chuang says it looks like the outbreak in Ursus has been contained (File) 
 

One local case with untraceable source is a 26-year-old Pakistani man who tested positive overnight. He was in hospital for injuries after his arrest during a gang fight on Lei Yue Mun sports ground on Thursday night.

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Sixteen other men, eight of them non-locals, were arrested but released on bail. They are now being traced as close contacts of the man in hospital, Chuang said.

She said about the same number of police officers who broke up the fight and arrested those involved were also considered as close contacts and were sent to testing centers.


“As far as I know, the arrested person is hospitalized. At that time, there were no test results yet, so the other arrested persons had been released on bail,” Chuang said.

She said the patient is uncooperative and would not give the identities and of his gang mates in the melee. If he remains tight-lipped, legal action may be taken against him, she said.

Another preliminary positive case was a day-shift taxi driver aged 71 who lives with his family in Siu Sai Wan. He was driving a taxi with a vehicle license No. LE7673. He last worked on Mar 17.  

Dr Lau Ka-yin, a chief manager at the Hospital Authority, said as of 9am today, 263 confirmed patients were being treated in 19 public hospitals and the treatment facility in North Lantau Hospital. Among them, 10 patients are in critical condition, 10 are serious and 243 stable.

Meanwhile, an expert who is looking into vaccine reactions has urged people waiting for their second Covid-19 jab to consider taking a rest, as they are likely to suffer more side effects.

Prof Ivan Hung, co-convenor of the Expert Committee on Clinical Events Assessment Following Covid-19 Immunisation, told a TV program today that based on experience abroad, people tend to develop more symptoms after their second shot than in the first.

“I’d advice them to take half a day or a day off from work after getting inoculated,” he said. His advice comes as the first batch of Sinovac recipients prepare for their second dose, or booster, later this week.

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Record 7,999 new Covid-19 cases in PHL as ban on non-OFWs lifted

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By The SUN 

Nearly 8k new Covid-19 cases were recorded, even before 6 labs could submit reports

The Philippines has set a new record high of 7,999 new coronavirus cases, just a day after reporting its biggest number of infections in a single day.

The record figure posted today, Mar 20, raised the country’s total active cases to 80,642, also the highest since the pandemic began. The total tally now stands at 656,056. 

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The figure was set even before six laboratories could submit their data for the day.

On Friday, the Department of Health reported 7,103 new Covid-19 cases, which replaced the old record of just under 7,000 posted in August last year.

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Of the total active cases, 94.4% (about 76,126) are mild, 3.1 percent are asymptomatic (2,500), 1 percent are severe (807) and 0.9 (726) are in critical condition.

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On the same day 597 patients were listed as recovered, bringing the total number so far to 562,484. An additional 30 people succumbed to the disease, pushing up the death toll to 12,930.

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Meanwhile, the Inter-Agency Task Force on managing Covid-19 reversed an order issued just two days earlier which barred Filipinos overseas from entering the country.

All Filipinos will now be able to fly home, but with a cap of 1,500 daily arrivals

Under Resolution 103 approved Thursday, all Filipino citizens abroad are allowed to go back home. “All Filipino citizens, whether returning overseas Filipino or overseas Filipino worker (OFW), shall be allowed to return to the Philippines,” the latest resolution read.

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The latest directive came after a memorandum circular issued on Tuesday barred non-OFWs from entering the country from today until Apr 19 due to the surge in new Covid-19 cases nationwide.

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The latest order also allows certain categories of foreign nationals, including the spouses and children of Filipino citizens, diplomats and members of international organizations, foreigners involved in medical repatriation, foreign seafarers under the “green lanes” program, and other emergency humanitarian cases approved by the National Task Force against Covid-19.


All foreigners not belonging to any of these categories will not be allowed entry.

The directive, however, clarifies that passenger entry at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport will still be subject to the 1,500 daily limit set by the Department of Transportation.

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Infected cases down to 8 as officials hint of more vaccine incentives

Posted on 20 March 2021 No comments

By The SUN 

Dr Chan says vaccinated people may be allowed hospital visits

Hong Kong’s Covid-19 tally dropped to eight today, Mar 20, the first time in over a week that it fell to single-digits. They brought the city’s infection count to 11,371.

Only one of the cases was imported, and involved a Filipina domestic worker who arrived in Hong Kong on Mar 7 on board Cebu Pacific flight 5J 272, and tested positive on her 12th day in hotel quarantine. She was found to carry the more infectious N501Y strain of the coronavirus.

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Of the seven local cases, one was from an unknown source, involving a 42-year-old carpenter who lives in Caroline Hill Court in Causeway Bay.

The six others were linked to previous infections, including one who lives on Tai Hang Road in Causeway Bay, another in Wah Mansions in Mid Levels, a third in Ping Tin Estate in Lam Tin, and the fourth in Wah Sum Estate in Fan Ling. No addresses were listed for the two others.

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Meanwhile, Health Secretary Sophia Chan has said that the government will consider introducing some incentives to encourage people to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

These may include allowing those who have received a vaccine to enter certain premises, to visit care homes and hospitals, or to be exempt from other social distancing measures.

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Dr Chan also said during a radio program that travel benefits could also be offered, but destination places might be willing to relax restrictions with Hong Kong only if it had a higher vaccination rate.

Dr Hui says many gathering rules may be relaxed if vaccination rate goes up to 50% 

Infectious disease expert David Hui, who was also on the show, said Hong Kong's vaccination rate was only around 4 percent. He said if this went up to 50 percent, many of the social distancing measures could be relaxed.

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Dr Hui also played down concerns over the death yesterday of a 66-year-old man, three days after he received a BioNtech shot, saying it was unlikely that the patient’s death was linked to his vaccination.

He said it was more likely that the man had died because of a cardiovascular disease, but added that the experts panel advising the government on its vaccination program is still doing further investigation. 

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The case was the first to be reported in Hong Kong of a patient dying after taking the German-made vaccine.

After the show, Chan said the Hong Kong government is monitoring reports of potential side-effects in a small number of people who have received the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine.

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The vaccine is the third to be procured by Hong Kong after Sinovac and BioNTech, and is due to arrive in the city in the second half of the year.

Some European countries had suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine earlier this month after reports of blood clots among a number of people who had taken it.


But vaccinations have since resumed after both the European Medicines Agency and the World Health Organization said it was safe.

The WHO said in a statement released on Wednesday that reports of potential side effects merely showed that the surveillance system was working, but did not necessarily mean that the events are linked to vaccination. The global health group said people developed blood clots all the time.

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Health experts look into man’s death after BioNTech jab

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By The SUN 

It's the first serious clinical event linked to the BioNTech vaccine

Health experts are investigating the death on Friday, Mar 19, of a 66-year-old man with chronic illnesses who had a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine three days earlier.

It was the first fatality linked to the German-made vaccine, but the cause was not immediately known.

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A statement issued by the Department of Health said the man was found collapsed in a car in the morning, and was admitted to Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital where attempts to revive him failed.

The man was said to have a history of diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia (or high levels of fats in the blood).

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The DH statement said the deceased had the BioNTech jab at a vaccination centre in Sheung Shui on Mar 16, and did not complain of feeling unwell during the 15-minute observation period afterwards.

In line with standard procedure, the DH immediately notified the Hospital Authority so it could conduct an investigation and assessment. The case will then be forwarded to a panel of experts tasked with assessing clinical events following Covid-19 immunisation, which will determine if  there is a connection between the man’s death and his vaccination.

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The experts panel had previously assessed seven cases of people who died after getting the China-made Sinovac vaccine, and determined that there was no direct link to the inoculations.

However, the incidents have led to mounting public concern over the safety of the Sinovac jab.

Information materials given to those who opt for the BioNTech jab

Shortly after the adverse reports, the take-up rate for the Sinovac vaccine fell to just over 60%, before gradually going back up to about 80%. For the German-made BioNTech vaccine, the turn-up rate has been well over 90%.

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The government responded to the decline in interest in the vaccines by extending the priority list for those who could get inoculated to residents aged 30 years old and above, and all foreign domestic workers.

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Previously, those who were given first dips at the vaccine were people aged 60 and above, along with medical and health care personnel; then followed by workers in high-risk jobs such as teachers, market vendors, drivers of public transport, and restaurant and construction workers.

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Still, more than 20,000 people have been receiving the jabs on a daily basis since. On Thursday, 11,800 people received the Sinovac vaccine and about 10,800 went for the BioNTech one.


Around 276,600 people have now been vaccinated against Covid-19 in Hong Kong, with about 201,500 receiving their first dose of the Sinovac jab, and about 75,100 taking the  Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. 

The latest incident could very well take some of the shine off the BioNTech jab.


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Phl posts all-time daily high of 7,103 new Covid-19 cases

Posted on 19 March 2021 No comments

By The SUN 

Friday's tally surpasses the record posted on Aug 10 last year

The Philippines has recorded an unprecedented daily tally of 7,103 cases of Covid-19 today, Mar 19, raising the total number of active cases to another record high of 73,264.

The last record was posted on Aug 10, 2020, with 6,958 infections.

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In its latest report, the Department of Health said the total number of confirmed cases in the country now stands at 648,066, with 12,900 related deaths which is 1.99 of the case tally.

Meanwhile, 390 patients were declared free of the virus, pushing the number of recoveries to 561,902 or 86.7% overall.

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According to the DOH, at least 93.9% of the active cases have mild symptoms, 3.3% are asymptomatic. Of those with moderate to severe symptoms, 1% are  in critical condition, 1.1% are serious while 59% are moderately ill.

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At the same time, the DOH posted a positivity rate of 15%, which refers to the percentage of those found infected out of all the people tested for the day. According to experts, this indicates that there are more people likely to have the virus who have not been tested yet.

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Of the 35,508 people tested, 5,327 were found infected. The figure does not reflect a complete tally as the DOH is still awaiting figures from five laboratories.

Since Mar 16, the positivity rate has gone up significantly, from 13.8%, on Tuesday, to 14.5% on Wednesday, and 15% on Thursday, the highest since April last year.


The surge in cases has led to the imposition of a 10pm to 5am curfew across Metro Manila, and new restrictions being put in place for all arriving passengers at Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

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From tomorrow until Apr 19, the number of passengers allowed to land at the airport will be capped at 1,500, while only returning overseas Filipino workers will be allowed in. 

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All foreigners and Filipinos overseas who are non-OFWs will not be allowed to board flights bound for Manila.

 

 

 

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