11 Filipina DHs held for gambling; fined for group gathering breach

By Vir B. Lumicao

The arrested Filipinas are loaded onto a police van for questioning

Eleven Filipina domestic helpers were arrested by police during an anti-illegal gambling operation on Murray Road near Charter Garden in Central this morning, Apr 25, the Hong Kong Police said.

As of 5pm today, the 11 were said to be still being held for questioning at the Central Police sub-station in Sheung Wan.

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The police also said the women were issued fixed penalty tickets of $5,000 each for breaching the group gathering rules under Regulation 599G, or the Prevention and Control of Diseases.

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The arrests took place at about 8:30 am today, when members of the Special Duty Squad, Task Force Sub-unit of the Central District, and the Police Tactical Unit, swooped down on the suspected illegal gamblers on Murray Road, a police spokeswoman said.

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Consul Paulo Saret, head of the Consulate’s assistance to nationals section, said they will again issue an advisory warning Filipino migrant workers that gambling in public is a criminal offense that could put their jobs in jeopardy.

He said the Consulate has been advising the community against illegal gambling but some people do not seem to heed the advice.

The Consulate's repeated advice against street gambling continues to be ignored (File) 

Just last month, about 12 domestic workers were also arrested for illegal gambling in Central, said Saret. They were investigated but were not charged due to insufficient evidence.

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In today’s operation, several exhibits, including playing cards and an undetermined amount of gambling money, were seized by the officers, the spokeswoman said. 

The Filipinas were reportedly being investigated for “gambling in a place other than a gambling establishment or on the street.”

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The police reminded the public that street gambling is illegal. Under the law, anyone who engages in illegal gambling on the street faces a maximum sentence of $30,000 fine and nine months in prison. 

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In addition, Regulation chapter 599G prohibits gatherings of more than four people in public. Offenders face a maximum penalty of $25,000 fine and imprisonment for six months.

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But they may choose to discharge liability for the offence by paying a fixed penalty of $5,000. 

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Filipina DH with variant sends residents of posh Mid-Levels block to quarantine

 By Daisy CL Mandap 

A govt statement says all residents of Kennedy Terrace will be quarantined

A 38-year-old Filipina domestic helper who was found to have the coronavirus variant five days after ending her hotel quarantine was officially listed today, Apr 24, as one of three confirmed infections, all of them locally acquired.

News of her infection no longer came as a surprise, as health expeirmed last night that the helper carried the highly infectious and resistant South African variant.

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Dr Yuen Pak-lung, who led the investigation team, said the helper appeared to have been infected with the N501Y variant by an Indian family who had stayed next door to her at the hotel during the quarantine, and were found infected earlier.

A government statement issued today said “compulsory quarantine for asymptomatic residents was arranged last night for units on all floors of the building resided (Kennedy Terrace, 8 Kennedy Road in Mid-Levels. So far, about 60 people were transferred to quarantine centers.”

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At the same time, the Centre for Health Protection has begun contacting people who stayed on the same floor of Ramada Sai Ying Pun as the Filipina from Apr 4 to 7 so they could be put under compulsory quarantine for 21 days.

Other people who had been to the hotel, including guests, staff and visitors, from Mar 27 to Apr 23, have been ordered to undergo testing by tomorrow, Apr 25.

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Earlier, the Immigration Department said it was closing the 8^th floor of Immigration Tower in Wanchai for three days starting today, after it was informed that the infected helper had been there to apply for HKID on Apr 19.

The entire floor will be cleaned and sterilized, while three immigration officers who had attended to the helper will be sent to quarantine.

Meanwhile, health expert, Prof. Ivan Hung of the University of Hong Kong, suggested at a radio talk show this morning that additional tests should be done on new arrivals after the 21-day quarantine period to ensure the mutated strain does not spread in the community.

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Hung, who is co-convenor of the experts panel that advises the government on adverse effects of the Covid-19 vaccination, also reiterated a call for Hong Kong to bar entry to travelers from places which have massive outbreaks.

Hung is calling for an entry ban for any country with massive Covid-19 outbreaks

His call came as India reported 346,786 Covid-19 cases in a single day, the highest ever recorded in any country.

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HKU public health professor, Leo Poon suggested quarantined guests should wear masks in the corridors, and keep windows closed to prevent airborne transmission of the virus.

Poon also said Hong Kong has done a good job trying to prevent the spread of the disease, but should remain alert because a lot of countries now have “this variant of concern.”

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The two other local cases include a 38-year-old man who was also reported preliminary positive yesterday. His case is causing some concern as he had been to a fitness centre in Tseung Kwan O at exactly the same time as a woman who was found infected earlier, leading to fears of another gym outbreak.

The third case involves a 3-year-old boy who is linked to a previous infection in Kwai Chung Estate.

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Meanwhile, an overnight lockdown of Block 10 of South Horizons in Aberdeen, during which 950 residents were tested, did not yield any new coronavirus case.

The unannounced lockdown was carried out after a 23-year-old female resident tested positive on Apr 22. The source of her infection is unknown.

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17 people arrested in Immigration's anti-illegal work swoop

By The SUN 

Photo taken from the latest anti-illegal work crackdown (GIS photo)

Twelve suspected illegal workers and five suspected employers were arrested in a series of anti-illegal worker operations codenamed “Twilight” from Apr 19 to 22 across Hong Kong, the Immigration Department reported.

Raided were 45 targets including a commercial block, a container yard, food processing factories, a garbage collection depot, a manicure shop, a massage parlor, premises under renovation, recycling yards and residential buildings.

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Also raided were restaurants, a wet market and a vegetable stall, a government press release said. The nationalities of the arrested persons were not disclosed.

The arrested workers comprised seven men and five women aged 27 to 59. Four of the men were holders of recognizance forms, which prohibit them from taking any employment.

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One man was suspected of using and having a forged Hong Kong ID card, while three men and two women aged 44 to 60 were suspected of employing the illegal workers.

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“Any person who contravenes a condition of stay in force in respect of him shall be guilty of an offence. Also, visitors are not allowed to take employment in Hong Kong, whether paid or unpaid, without the permission of the Director of Immigration,” the Immigration statement said.

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It said offenders are liable to prosecution and face a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to two years’ imprisonment upon conviction. “Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution and penalties.”

The statement said that illegal immigrants or people who are the subject of a removal or deportation order are prohibited from taking any employment, whether paid or unpaid, or establishing or joining in any business.

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Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $50,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment upon conviction. A Court of Appeal guideline calls for a sentence of 15 months’ in jail for doing illegal work.

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It is an offence to use or possess a forged Hong Kong identity card or one that is issued to another person. Offenders are liable to prosecution and a maximum penalty of a $100,000 fine and up to 10 years' imprisonment.

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The spokesman also reiterated that it is a serious offense to employ people who are not lawfully employable. The maximum penalty is three years in jail and a $350,000 fine.

He said employers must take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable before hiring him.

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Immigration Tower's 8th floor shut for 3 days after visit by infected FDH

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The 8th floor of Immigration Tower will be closed for disinfection until Monday

The Immigration Department has issued a statement Friday night that it will close its Registration of Persons Office on the 8^th flooor of the Immigration Tower in Wanchai for three days starting tomorrow until Monday, after a person carrying the mutated coronavirus had visited the premises briefly.

The infected person was identified earlier by the Centre for Health Protection as a Filipina domestic helper who was found to carry the highly infectious N501Y variant five days after finishing her 21-day quarantine.

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She was reported to have visited the Immigration Tower, a clinic in Melbourne Plaza, and an employment agency office on Queens’ Road Central on Apr 19, two days after being ending her quarantine at Ramada Harbour View Hotel in Sai Ying Pun.

According to an infectious disease expert who inspected the hotel Friday night, the Filipina was apparently infected by two people in the adjacent rooms on the same floor who were diagnosed with the variant earlier.

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The two earlier patients who were reportedly part of a family of three who had flown in from India, developed symptoms between Apr 4 and 7, while the Filipina helper was spending her quarantine in the hotel.

Prof. Yuen Kwok-yung from the Department of Microbiology of the University of Hong Kong, pointed out that the hotel corridor is narrow, and a person who opens the door without wearing a mask could easily be infected.

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He said he has proposed that the hotel reduce the number of guests or install air purifier in the corridors.

Yuen says the hotel corridors are so narrow the virus could easily spread among guests on same floor

Meanwhile, the Immigration statement said the infected helper went to the eighth floor office to apply for a HKID card and stayed there for only about 10 minutes.

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Nevertheless, three immigration officers on the floor were classified as close contacts and will be moved to a quarantine center. The entire office will be sealed for cleaning and disinfection and will reopen on Tuesday, Apr 27.

A separate report posted online by Dimsum Daily said that at about 9:30 pm Friday, the 8 Kennedy Terrace residential block at no 8 Kennedy Road in Mid-Levels was sealed, while about 36 residents in 12 flats were being moved to evacuation centers.

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The infected FDH is said to have moved into her employer’s flat in the building on Apr 17, after finishing her quarantine at Ramada Hotel in Sai Ying Pun, during which all her test results had come out negative.

If her infection is confirmed after a second test tomorrow, the Kennedy Road block will be listed for compulsory testing in line with government regulations to combat the spread of  the virus.

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Earlier, CHP’s Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said the employer’s family members as well as two other FDHs would be taken to a quarantine center. Those who attended to the helper at the employment agency will also be quarantined.

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The Filipina helper was found preliminary positive after getting herself tested at the Leighton Hill Community Testing Centre in Wanchai on Thursday, Apr 22.

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She was the fourth person found with the variant in the community. Two others, an Indian resident and an Indonesian domestic helper, were found to carry the South African variant after being released from their hotel quarantine. The third local case was the Hong Kong-based girlfriend of the Indian man.

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Experts endorse BioNTech jabs for pregnant women

By Vir B. Lumicao 

BioNTech jabs give better protection for both mother & baby, studies show

BioNTech inoculation is not only safe for pregnant women and nursing mothers, it also provides protection for their babies, experts advising the Hong Kong government said.

Speaking at a press conference held Thursday evening, Prof David Hui of the Chinese University in Hong Kong said the expert committee has recommended the use of mRNA vaccines such as BioNTech for pregnant women as there are no known risks associated with their use.

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“For pregnancy and the vaccination, there are now more than 90,000 women (worldwide) who have received the mRNA vaccines and the safety profile has been very good-no arnormalities detected,” he said.

What’s more, researchers have reportedly found that expectant women are able to better protect their babies because they acquire higher antibody levels after vaccination.

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“The antibody level acquired through the vaccination is even higher than those who underwent natural infection during pregnancy,” Hui said.

“Researchers have also found a good antibody level in the (umbilical) cord blood and also in the breast milk, so that would confer protection of the baby.”

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Hui said mothers who have qualms about the vaccine’s possible impact on their babies can choose to be vaccinated 12 weeks into their pregnancy.

He added that no similar recommendation has yet been made for the Sinovac jab because its manufacturers on the mainland have yet to remove a contra-indication warning for use of the vaccine by pregnant women.

Without the jab, pregnant women & their newborn are exposed to severe medical risks

Meanwhile a study by British scientists released Friday night showed pregnant women who get infected with Covid-19 face higher risks of complications, along with their newborn children.

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Babies born of infected mothers have been found to have a three-fold risk of having severe medical complications, the study conducted by scientists at Oxford University showed.

Pregnant women, on the other hand, are 50% more likely to face serious complications such as premature birth, high blood pressure with organ failure risk, need for intensive care, and possible death.

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On Apr 14, Hong Kong recorded two cases of miscarriage by women who received BioNTech jabs. But the expert panel has ruled out any connection between the miscarriage and the jabs that the women had received.

Separately, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US said there is evidence Covid-19 vaccination is safe for pregnant women. The new evidence was published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Reports said the results were based on feedback from more than 35,000 American women who received either BioNTech or Moderna vaccines (the only ones using mRNA technology) during their pregnancy.

Post-vaccination rates of miscarriage, premature births and other complications the women reported were comparable to those noted in pregnant mothers before the Covid-19 pandemic, reports said.

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Meanwhile, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine on Tuesday also endorsed vaccination in pregnancy based on evidence it has been evaluating for more than a year. It said in a statement that the vaccines are safe and effective.

Their study included information on 35,691 pregnant US women who participated in a voluntary smartphone-based vaccination surveillance system and who BioNtech or Moderna vaccines between mid-December 2020 and late February.

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The study included reports on pregnancy complications from nearly 4,000 women enrolled in a US vaccine safety registry. Of these, 86% or 712 resulted in a live birth, mostly among those given the jab in the third trimester.

In the vaccine registry, about 13% of pregnant women reported miscarriages, less than 1% stillbirths, 9% premature births and 2% birth defects, all within the same range observed in reports in pregnant women before the pandemic.

A representative of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said the CDC report is promising but longer-term follow-up is needed.

Back in Hong Kong, the Department of Health has just announced the death from cardiac arrest of a 43-year-old man five days after getting a BioNTech jab.

The man, who was reported to be obese with a history of hyperlipidemia, received the vaccine at the Tsuen King Circuit community vaccination centre in Tsuen Wan on Apr  18. There was no record of him complaining of feeling unwell after the jab.

He had a sudden heart attack at home and was rushed to Yan Chai Hospital in Tsuen Wan, but efforts to resuscitate him failed.

The DH says that so far, there is no clinical evidence to show that his death was caused by the vaccine.

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