1 Indonesian DH tests positive, another is preliminary case

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Chuang says the confirmed Indonesian DH was infected before she ended her quarantine

An Indonesian woman who had just moved in with her employer after completing her 21-day hotel quarantine has been detected to have Covid-19 in the second round of compulsory testing for foreign domestic helpers.

According to Dr Chuang Shuk-Kwan of the Centre for Health Protection, the Indonesian helper’s case is classified as “local so far” but it may be treated as imported later, depending on whether anyone in her employer’s household or any close contacts will also test positive.

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If her case is classified as imported, today would be the seventh straight day that no new local case has been reported.

However, another Indonesian domestic worker has tested preliminary positive, and Dr Chuang said that if confirmed, this case would definitely be a local case as the 39-year-old woman had been in Hong Kong for awhile. 

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The confirmed helper, who is 29 years old, arrived in Hong Kong on Apr 25 via flight GAA 766 direct from Indonesia.

She stayed in a hotel in Sai Ying Pun and after her quarantine ended on May 16, went straight to a medical clinic in Mong Kok for a check-up, then on to her employment agency in Sai Kung. All the Covid-19 tests she took until then all came out negative.

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The helper then went on to join her employer in Tower 5A in Cullinan West, Sham Shui Po. She mostly stayed at home, except when she had to take a dog out for a walk. 

On May 20 she took another coronavirus test at the Pak Tin testing center in compliance with the compulsory testing order for all FDHs, and was found preliminary positive. A confirmatory test processed at the CHP laboratory also came out positive.

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Chuang said the patient had a “very high CT value” of 38 in the initial test, and over 30 in the confirmatory test, suggesting an old infection.

Another test on her immunoglobulin or antibody levels reportedly showed she had been infected for at least 10 days previously.

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Thus, Chuang said it was not likely the helper acquired her infection after her quarantine. She could have been infected in Indonesia, on the plane, the airport, or her quarantine hotel. 

She said checks on the flight the patient had taken showed three other passengers who also tested positive after arriving in Hong Kong.

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“On the same plane, we found three other infected passengers but they were not seated next to each other,” said Chuang. 

Staff at the hotel where she had stayed for quarantine all tested negative on May 18.

Chuang said the only way the helper could have acquired the infection from within Hong Kong is if any of her 18 close contacts - including her employer’s family members, two other household staff, agency staff and two fellow FDHs – is found to also carry the virus.

Both infections were discovered during the 2nd round of compulsory testing for FDHs

She disclosed there were three to four preliminary cases found today, including the helper who arrived on Feb 20 on board flight GA 766 from Indonesia via Singapore.

After leaving her quarantine hotel the helper moved in with her new employer at Block B of Earl Garden in Kowloon Tong.

After about two months, she was apparently terminated, so she moved into an employment agency's shelter in Block B of Bell's House in Yau Ma Tei, where she stayed from May 19 to 22. 

On May 4 she got herself tested for Covid-19 during the first round of compulsory testing for all FDHs, and had a negative result.

Yesterday, in preparation for her return to Indonesia she had another test at the Pak Tin testing center in Sham Shui Po, and was found preliminary positive.

Chuang said the helper went to the Immigration Department offices on May 7 and 10.

“We are still ascertaining if there were other activities involved,” she said. “If confirmed, this will be a local infection.”

She also said the case would be classified as unlinked, the first since a week ago, when a four-year-old boy whose source of infection is still being investigated, was reported.

Chuang said achieving zero local infection is difficult because there had been quite a number of asymptomatic people in the past who could have spread the virus. 

She also said the virus is here to stay. 

“Now with the vaccine, vaccination is the only way,” she said. “Vaccine is available now, I don’t know what people are waiting for.”

Chuang also said Hong Kong has suspended quarantine-free entry for travelers from Guangdong due to a recently confirmed case in its Liwan district.

She said residents coming back to Hong Kong from Guangdong starting tomorrow will have to undergo the 14-day hotel quarantine required of all vaccinated travelers coming from a place designated as "medium risk."

Those who haven't been fully vaccinated will have to quarantine for 21 days.

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Govt advises ex-Covid-19 patients to get a jab, but recovered Pinay not keen

By Daisy CL Mandap

An isolation ward for Covid-19 patients at Eastern Hospital

Health officials have announced that people who have been infected with Covid-19 could get a vaccine without an appointment following the recommended interval after recovery.

According to a government advisory issued Friday, the recovered patients will soon be sent SMS messages informing them how they could avail of the vaccine at any time to get further protection.

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Recovered patients are encouraged to take the vaccine dose which will entitle them to a certificate showing they are fully vaccinated. Others who did not get infected previously must have two jabs to get the same certificate.

Two Filipina domestic helpers who are recovered Covid-19 patients gave varied takes on the government advice.

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Liza, who caught the virus while staying in a boarding house in March after finishing her contract with her first employer, was hesitant at first. However, her new employer advised her to go for it.

When she did, however, she was disappointed when the nurse who administered the vaccine told her that she need not go for a second dose.

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Her spirits only lifted when told that she could already get a certificate showing she’s already fully vaccinated and protected from Covid-19, which had given her so much problems previously.

Another Covid survivor, Lyn, is not convinced that she should have the jab, perhaps because she is still traumatized by having tested positive on her arrival in Hong Kong, and being told shortly afterwards that her employer would terminate their contract as soon as she recovered.

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“Nahihilo kasi ako lagi pag tulong sa tulog,” she said. (I often get dizzy when I don’t get enough sleep).

But on being told that she could get medical advice first if she’s unsure, Lyn, who has since found a new employer, said: “Pag-iisipan ko na lang po”. (I’ll think about it first).

Recovered patients need to wait 90-180 days after discharge to get the jab

More than 100 Filipinos in Hong Kong have been found positive for Covid-19. Most of them had just arrived from the Philippines and were asymptomatic, but a big number were musicians and food servers who got infected when the virus swept through bars in early 2020. 

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According to the government announcement issued Friday, all recovered patients can receive a dose of a Covid-19 vaccine at any Community Vaccination Centre (CVC) or private clinic enrolled in the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme.

The Hospital Authority will also provide them with a customised factsheet on how and when they can get the vaccine.

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According to the Expert Committee that advises the government on its vaccination program, recovered patients can get the first dose from BioNTech 90 days after discharge from hospital. If they wish to get Sinovac they must wait 180 days after recovery and discharge.

After receiving the factsheet they can go directly to a vaccination centre after the recommended interval. No prior online booking is required.

According to the statement, recovered persons who get one dose of the vaccine and waited for 14 days after can take advantage of the relaxed social distancing measures under the “vaccine bubble” extended to all fully inoculated residents.

Meanwhile, recovered persons who were given a booking for a second dose need not go as the government will cancel this appointment for them. They can then go to their vaccine provider to ask for the updated paper record of vaccination. 

The list of CVCs and designated private clinics are available here: www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/pdf/List_of_CVC_Venues.pdf and 

www.covidvaccine.gov.hk/en/VSS respectively.

 

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A preliminary case could end HK’s 5-day streak of no local infection

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The person who tested preliminary positive lives in Cullinan West

Hong Kong health authorities issued a compulsory testing notice on two residential blocks in Sham Shui Po tonight, May 21, saying a resident there was found preliminary positive for Covid-19.

The infection at Towers 5A and 5B, Cullinan West, could end five days of no infection being detected within Hong Kong.

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A sole imported case was reported for the third straight day today, involving a 29-year-old Indonesian domestic helper who tested positive on her 12^th day in quarantine at Metropark Hotel in Kowloon.

Staff at the Centre for Health Protection said the worker arrived on May 7 on board Cathay Pacific flight CX 708.

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Hopes that Hong Kong would notch a 27-day streak of no unlinked local cases being detected was dashed yesterday, when a 5-year-old boy was finally declared as a true positive case.

Experts had initially thought that an error had been made in declaring him infected after repeated tests taken on him at the hospital where he was taken all yielded negative results. He also did not have antibodies.

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But microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung finally put the doubts to rest Thursday when he said tests done by the University of Hong Kong confirmed the boy’s infection.

Yuen said the boy could have caught the virus way back in January from his neighbors in Pak Tin Estate in Shek Kip Mei, but did not show symptoms. He said about 20 percent of patients who didn’t display symptoms also would not develop antibodies.

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Meanwhile, also included in the compulsory testing notice today was Hong Kong Cosco Inn on Praya Road, Kennedy Town where an 18-year-old woman who traveled to Shenzhen on May 5 and was confirmed positive there on Wednesday, had stayed.

Initially, she was reported to have lived in Block 1 of The Belcher’s on Pokfulam Road, so that was the only place linked to her that was initially put under compulsory testing notice.

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Her case has been classified as imported, however.

Everyone who stayed at least two hours at Cosco Inn from Apr 29 to May 21 must undergo a Covid-19 test.

The same order is issued for all those who had been present for the same length of time at Towers 5A&5B of Cullinan West from May 8 to 21.

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All fully vaccinated residents, or those who had two doses of the vaccine at least 14 days before the indicated period are exempted from compulsory testing. 

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Filipina DH held in connection with $320K scam

By Vir B. Lumicao

The helper has said she was taken to this HSBC branch to open an ATM-linked account

Police say they have arrested a Filipina domestic helper for her suspected involvement in a deception case in which a 47-year-old woman lost close to $320,000 in March.

The suspect, aged 45, was detained on Thursday in Kwun Tong for “obtaining property by deception”, but was released after one day of questioning on the same $500 bail imposed on her during an earlier investigation. 

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According to the spokesperson, police received a report from the alleged victim on Mar 10 that she had been conned of $317,737. No other details were given by the police. However, a police source said the case was “sort of a romance scam”.

This indicates that the alleged victim was wooed by an unknown person who then used the helper’s ATM bank account as repository for the illegally obtained money.

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The detained helper had initially sought help from the police and the Consulate in early February, claiming to have lost her ATM card in a part-time job scam.

She claimed then that she was hooked into the ploy by someone who posted an offer for parttime jobs on Facebook. 

When she responded, another Filipina helper who met up with her took her to an HSBC branch in Tuen Mun to open  an ATM linked account for her, then took the card away.

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Her ATM card was then used to funnel money earned from illegal means, which now appears, included the $320,000 taken from the unnamed victim in the most recent case.

The accused helper was arrested on April 22 and dismissed by her employer the next day. After being allowed to post police bail, she said she was being investigated in connection with a deception case.

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An investigation into the alleged scam began late last year, when about 10 Filipinas were arrested by police looking into the use of their bank accounts in laundering money earned through illicit means, including the so-called love scam.

Some of those arrested told police their ATM cards were taken from them by another Filipina domestic worker they named as Gemmalyn Reyes.

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The rise in deception cases involving Filipina helpers prompted the HK Police Anti-Deception Coordinating Centre and the Consulate to jointly hold a webinar to warn the community about various scams that have deprived victims of millions of dollars.

One of the most common is the “romance scam” in which a foreign man meets a local woman on a dating site, courts her and, after gaining her friendship, sends her a purportedly expensive parcel. People posing as freight company staff then call up the woman and tell her she has a package waiting to be delivered but she has to pay a huge sum for customs duties and transport fee.

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They then advise the victim to deposit the money in a bank account that turns out to be owned by a foreign domestic helper who herself was duped by the same conmen into lending or surrendering to them her ATM card for their criminal deeds.

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Indonesian DH dies, Filipina back in critical condition after vaccination

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Gemalyn Gabon is back in intensive care at Princess Margaret Hospital

A 31-year-old Filipina domestic helper is in critical condition again at Princess Margaret Hospital, a week after being rushed there when she started having convulsions shortly after taking her second dose of the BioNTech vaccine.

The news comes as the Department of Health reported the death of a 44-year-old Indonesian domestic helper today, May 21, nine days after she received her second BioNTech jab.

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In both cases, the DH has initially ruled out vaccination as the cause.

A staff at the Hospital Authority said Filipina Gemalyn L. Gabon was moved back to intensive care yesterday when her condition deteriorated.

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Welfare Officer Virsie Tamayao of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration confirmed the report, saying Gabon’s employer had informed her that the worker suffered another seizure attack after being moved to a regular ward.

The Filipina had collapsed at the Lai Chi Kok Park CVC on May 13 within minutes of getting her second jab. A video taken of the incident showed her shaking on a hospital bed as she was wheeled away to an ambulance.

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The single mother’s condition was initially listed as critical, but this was downgraded to serious three days later when she managed to speak to relatives, both face-to-face and online.

Medical inquiries revealed she had a recent history of hypertension and epileptic-like seizures when she was young.

The Indonesian helper was declared dead at Kwong Wah Hospital

In the case of the Indonesian helper, the DH said in a statement that was “no clinical evidence” to show that the woman’s death was caused by her having received the vaccine.

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The statement said the patient did not report feeling unwell after receiving her second jab at a community vaccination centre on May 5.

But the DH said it will contact the Hospital Authority for more information, and pass the case on to the Expert Committee which will further assess the cause of death.

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The Coroner will also look into the case.

According to media reports the Indonesian DH fell unconscious in a flat at the Cascades Block 2 in Ho Man Tin. She was rushed to Kwong Wah Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.

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The woman reportedly felt unwell yesterday, but it is not known whether she had a pre-existing medical condition.

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HK-bound Filipino workers stuck in Manila as no end in sight to flight ban

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Many Filipino workers bound for overseas have been stranded since late last year

While more than 400 Filipinos are stranded in Hong Kong since early this year due mainly to Philippine Airlines’ frequent flight cancellations, possibly a larger number of workers are in desperate situations in Manila waiting to fly here.

The Hong Kong-bound workers, some waiting for a flight as early as half a year ago after being hit by intermittent lockdowns in the Philippine capital, say it’s not just them who are suffering. Also hit by the backlash are the families they left behind in the provinces.

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Their dire situation got worse when Hong Kong imposed a ban on all flights coming from the Philippines starting on Apr 20, citing the worsening coronavirus situation in the country.

Banned alongside the Philippines were India and Pakistan, which were all categorized as “extremely high-risk” places due to the surge in the number of their Covid-19 infections.

Originally meant to last for only two weeks, the flight ban has now been extended indefinitely, as Hong Kong tries to ward off the spread of the more infectious coronavirus variants found in the designated countries which of late, also included Nepal.

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According to Consul Paulo Saret, the Consulate was told this by Hong Kong Labour Secretary Law Chi-kwong during a recent meeting held to discuss the SAR’s mandatory Covid-19 testing for foreign domestic workers and a planned compulsory vaccination.

Speaking in a Facebook Live interview with The SUN, Consul Saret said this was reiterated by Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung in a more recent meeting with consular heads.  

Consul Saret says Hong Kong's flight ban on the Philippines is imposed indefinitely 

Hong Kong's no 2 official also reportedly said that the lifting of the flight ban will depend on the number of recorded infections in the affected country, and how its government is managing the spread of the virus.

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Using this as gauge, it is not likely that the ban on the Philippines would end soon, as the country continues to be plagued by an average of 5,000 new coronavirus cases each day, with the problem being compounded by the discovery of new variants spreading within the country.

Deepening the woes of the marooned workers are debts they’ve incurred to pay for three medical examinations required by the agencies, at least two Covid-19 tests including one that should be given within 72 hours prior to boarding, and other prerequisites.

The workers said these pre-departure exams and tests that they had to undergo and pay for have gone to naught due to their cancelled flights.

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Anne Frias, who came from the province, said she had spent Php47,000 on pre-departure requirements and other fees charged by her employment agent, not to mention her fares.

“Di po biro ang gastos namin. May mga dagdag pang rapid test na kamahal-mahal ang agency. Akala nila nagpupulot kami ng pera. Yung medical, pre-medical at final medical, Php10,800, tapos dalawang rapid test, Php3,600 yun,” Frias said.

(Our expenses are just too much. The agency even added a rapid test, which is very expensive. The medical, pre-medical and final medical cost Php10,800, then two rapid tests for Php3,600.)

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“Ngayon 3x nang cancelled flight. Na-rebook ang ticket ko para sa June 1, hopefully makaaalis na,” she said.

(My flight has been cancelled three times. I’ve rebooked my ticket for June 1, hopefully I’ll be leaving soon.)

If she gets lucky, she would just be in time for the easing of travel restrictions on the Philippines. Hong Kong just finished its bi-monthly review of its inbound restrictions for travelers on May 18, which means the next assessment will be on or before June 1. 

Many OFWs have been stuck after HK imposed 21-day hotel quarantine on all new arrivals

Cristine Santos Permosil said she had been waiting for six months and each time her departure date neared, her flight would be cancelled because of tightened restrictions. She said she had to undergo a medical exam three times, only to be overtaken by her visa lapsing.

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Ien Navarra said her flight to Hong Kong was set for Apr 29, but this was overtaken by the flight ban on the Philippines.

“Laking hirap po, laki ng nagastos. Sana po ma-lift na po ang ban. Nag-alala din po ako baka mag-back out na ang employer ko, pero nakaka-chat ko naman po sila sa Whatsapp,” Navarra said. 

(Such a big problem, I’ve already spent much. I hope the ban will be lifted soon. I’m worried that my employer would back out, but I keep in touch with them on Whatsapp.) 

She said there are times when she thinks she should just apply for a job in the Middle East because her family needs her support badly. Her mother and her daughter rely on her solely for support as her elder sister has just undergone surgery to remove a myoma and is unable to work.

Another worker, Myah Arduo Labuena Atinon posted on The SUN’s Facebook how distraught she felt when she learned about the flight ban as she was supposed to leave for Hong Kong on Apr 20, the very day it took effect.

She rebooked her flight for May 11, then May 19, and is now at a loss on when she can actually leave as Hong Kong has yet to indicate when it intends to review its travel ban on the Philippines.

Maria Flor, who is also Hong Kong-bound, said she did not want to be vaccinated, but in her intense desire to take up the job, she had taken the jab, and will be getting her second dose on May 29.

She said her flight on May 4 was cancelled, then her May 20 booking as well. She hopes that the flight ban will be lifted soon because the cost plus the stress of waiting in Manila has been very taxing.

A fellow worker echoed Maria Flor’s and the other stranded domestic helpers’ woes. Mhai Rah said her flight for Apr 22 had been rebooked for May 6 and then May 20. But she was still stuck in Manila on Thursday.

Gedine Balberde said she and several other workers who went home for a vacation are now stranded in the country. Through group chat, they exchange news about their flight.

“Sobrang hirap din kasi nagbakasyon ka lang din dito tapos mahirap makabalik dyan, lalo na may mga naiwan kang utang, at sa mga amo mo din, sa paghihintay nila…Naaaburido na din kami, yung iba nag-back out na at nag-a-apply na lang sa ibang bansa,” she said.

(It’s very hard because you come home for your vacation and then it’s difficult to go back there, especially since you have debt to repay, and to your employers, too, who kept waiting.)

For now, all they can do is hope and pray that the country manages to put the coronavirus infection under control, and convince Hong Kong to open its doors to Filipino travelers  again.

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