9 newly arrived Filipina DHs among 18 new coronavirus cases

By Daisy CL Mandap

6 of the Filipinas took Cebu Pacific Air, but on 2 separate dates

Nine Filipina domestic helpers are among 18 new cases of coronavirus infections recorded in Hong Kong today, Mar. 22. Six of them had the highly infectious N501Y variant.

According to the CHP’s Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, 11 of the new cases were imported, and nine were new arrivals from the Philippines, one from Indonesia and another from Pakistan.

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Six of the Filipinas arrived on Mar 20, three on board Philippine Airlines flight PR 300 and the other three, on Cebu Pacific flight 5J272. All tested positive at the airport.

Three others flew in on Mar 9 aboard flight 5J 272 and tested positive on their 12^th day in hotel quarantine.

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Chuang said the two other imported cases were an Indonesian domestic worker who also tested positive at HK Airport, and a returning resident from Pakistan who was found infected on his 19^th day in quarantine, and also carried the mutated virus.

She said there are about 10 preliminary positive cases today, and most of them are imported.

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Today’s imported case with their flight details and visa status are listed as follows:

 

Case Number	Arrival Date	Flight Number	Air crew/Sea w/Sea Crew /Domestic helper ?	Mmutated virus (N501Y) spotted
11381	20/3/2021	5J272	Domestic helper	Yes
11382	20/3/2021	5J272	Domestic helper	No
11383	20/3/2021	PR300	Domestic helper	Yes
11384	20/3/2021	PR300	Domestic helper	Yes
11385	20/3/2021	PR300	Domestic helper	Yes
11386	20/3/2021	SQ882	Domestic helper	No (Indo)
11392	20/3/2021	5J272	Domestic helper	Yes
11393	1/3/2021	EK384	No	Yes (Pak)
11395	9/3/2021	5J272	Domestic helper	Yes
11396	9/3/2021	5J272	Domestic helper	No
11397	9/3/2021	5J272	Domestic helper	No

 

Exactly a week ago, nine newly arrived Filipinas were also found to have Covid-19. Five all flew together from Manila aboard Cathay Pacific Airways, prompting Hong Kong authorities to suspend the airline for two weeks in line with anti pandemic protocols.

Meanwhile Chuang said that of the seven local cases, five were linked to the outbreak at Ursus Fitness in Sai Ying Pun, and were detected at the quarantine centers.

5 of the new local cases were detected in quarantine centers 

They brought the total number of cases from that cluster to 147, comprising 8 staff, 93 customers and 46 close contacts.

The two other cases had unknown sources, including a parttime taxi driver who plied the Hong Kong and Kowloon routes. Chuang said his passengers who used the LeaveHomeSafe app and have been notified should go for testing immediately.

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Another is a clerk at a Cha Kwo Ling construction site. More than 100 people who work at the site will be ordered to test for Covid-19 while 10 others who work in the same office as the patient will be sent to quarantine centers.

Of the preliminary cases, one involving an 88-year-old man is causing concern as he appears to have eaten in a Chinese restaurant in Lam Tin where two other customers were recently found infected. He also lives in a public housing building as one of the two earlier patients.

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The elderly man was taken to United Christian Hospital early this morning because of a fever and shortness of breath.

Chuang said the CHP is still investigating whether there’s any link between him and the two previous cases.

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Police looking at bank's CCTV in Filipina's $800k ATM theft case

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Garaza did not apply for bail when she appeared in court

Prosecutors are still awaiting CCTV footages and an analysis of ATM transactions made by a Filipina domestic helper who is accused of stealing $768,000 from her male employer’s bank account, the Eastern Court was told today, Mar 22.

The defendant, June Jennie Garaza, appeared briefly before Magistrate Peter Law for her second court appearance since her arrest on Jan 22 after allegedly skimming the amount over a period of 14 months.

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She did not apply for bail, and the magistrate ordered her remanded in custody until her next court appearance on May 17.

The prosecutor requested the magistrate to give the police eight weeks to further review the video footages of Garaza’s visits to ATM booths of the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp between Nov 26, 2019 and Jan 21 this year.

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Garaza, a 33-year-old mother of a 15-month-old boy, was accused of making more than 200 unauthorized ATM withdrawals during that period from the bank account of her French employer, Stephen Peepels.

Luga (right) telling news anchor Raffy Tulfo that his wife is innocent

The defendant glanced at the gallery when she appeared in the dock and on her way back to the holding area. Only a staff from the Consulate and a relative of Garaza were there to attend her hearing.

Absent from the hearing was defendant’s husband, Kevin Luga, who fed the case last month to “Raffy Tulfo in Action,” a highly popular TV show among Filipinos in a bid to gain support for his wife.

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Little has been said in court about the case. But Luga, who also works as a domestic helper at Peepels’ house, told show host Raffy Tulfo the case stemmed from a $17,850 hotel bill he and his son incurred for quarantine upon arrival from Manila on Jan 18.

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He said his wife paid the bill using Peepels’ ATM card, but with the employer's consent. When a nephew of Peepels who live in the same household saw the receipt he reportedly accused the couple of cheating their boss.

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Peepels, said to be in his mid-50s, reportedly got furious and checked his account, leading to his discovery of the alleged theft. He reported the case, after which he fired Luga.

The Filipino has reportedly returned to the Philippines with his son since.

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Chief Executive gets second Sinovac jab, blasts vaccine bashers

CE takes her 2nd dose, then flashes the V sign

By The SUN

Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam has blasted at the spread of false information about Sinovac’s Covid-19 vaccine Monday, shortly after receiving her second dose.

Mrs Lam singled out medical professionals who she said have been smearing the Sinovac jab.

“I would condemn a very small minority of people who try to sabotage our efforts,” she said at a press briefing.  “They are spreading fake news, misinformation and rumors on social media and through other means especially when these people are health professionals.”

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She added she was “extremely disappointed” because if another major outbreak of the virus happens in Hong Kong again, the people who will suffer the most are healthcare professionals.

Those who took their second dose of the Sinovac jab at the same time were Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung and Health Secretary Sophia Chan.

Secretary Cheung does his part to promote vaccination

The city’s top officials took their first dose a month ago, in a show of support for the government’s vaccination program.

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Lam flashed a V-sign to reporters after her jab, and also showed a certificate indicating she is now fully vaccinated against the coronavirus that has killed 2.71 million across the globe since it emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019.

She said she did not feel any pain but had cleared her diary for the entire day even as she worked from the office, as experts have warned that the second dose could bring more side-effects than the first shot.

She also said around 350,000 people in Hong Kong have already taken the vaccine, representing 5.3% of all those aged 16 and above, who are qualified for the vaccination.

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The top leader also said health authorities are looking at procuring a fourth type of Covid-19 vaccine for Hong Kong, which would boost the city’s supply to 30 million doses.

She said the government will continue to encourage residents to get vaccinated.

Health Secretary Sophia Chan also gets her booster shot

Meanwhile, a government statement revealed that more people are choosing the BioNTech jab rather than the one from Sinovac.

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The statement said around 23,800 people had their first Covid jab Sunday, with about 62% opting to get BioNTech and 38% the Sinovac. The takeup rate was also higher for BioNTech, with 93% showing up for their appointments, and 82% for Sinovac.

But of a total of 354,400 people who have taken the shot, about 2/3 received Sinovac, and 1/3 BioNTech.

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A third vaccine from AstraZeneca/University of Oxford is due to arrive later this year.

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Mass gatherings banned in Metro Manila amid spike in Covid-19 cases

By The SUN 

Non-essential travel will be banned in Metro Manila & 4 provinces under GCQ

Stricter Covid-19 restrictions which include a ban on public gatherings and non-essential travel take effect today, Mar 22, in Metro Manila and four provinces in Calabarzon and Central Luzon, as the Philippines struggles to contain a surge in infections.

Sunday saw another 7,757 new Covid-19 cases being recorded, the country’s second highest daily tally since the pandemic began. This was just 42 cases fewer than the record 7,799 cases posted Saturday.

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In response to the record spike in cases, President Rodrigo Duterte signed a resolution by the coronavirus task force mandating the tighter restrictions that will last for two weeks, or from Mar 22 to Apr 4.

The order reverts Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal to General Community Quarantine status, and includes them in a "Subject Area" that also includes Metro Manila in a bid to prevent cases spreading to neighboring provinces.

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In a press briefing Sunday, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said only the following people will be allowed outside of their homes under the new rules:

·         Essential workers, who will need to show their work ID

·         Health and emergency frontline staff

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·         Government officials and frontline personnel

·         Duly-authorized humanitarian assistance workers

·         Persons traveling for medical or humanitarian reasons

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·         Persons going to the airport for travel abroad

·         Anyone crossing zones for work or business and going back home

·         New arrivals from overseas

All public masses will be suspended under the new rules

Roque also said that church services will stop, except for weddings, baptisms, and funeral services where only a maximum of 10 people can participate.

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Restaurants will also stop providing dine-in services, but outdoor dining and takeout orders will be allowed to continue.

Roque ruled out giving financial assistance to any sectors, saying business establishments remain open, unlike in the more stringent community quarantines where only a limited number of enterprises  can operate.

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The new infections raised the country’s Covid-19 tally to date to 663,794. Of these, 73,072 are active cases. The total death toll is 12,968.

Most of the new patients, or 95% of active cases, only experienced mild symptoms, while 2.3% were asymptomatic. Another 1.1% of the patients have severe symptoms while 1.0% are in critical condition.

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Despite the high numbers, two laboratories still failed to submit their data on time, according to the Department of Health.

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