Cathay to raffle off Airbus party on air for fully jabbed residents

 By The SUN 

The ultimate flycation aboard this aircraft awaits the grand winner of Cathay's lucky draw 

Property developers offering a $10.8 million flat as the grand prize in a lucky draw for vaccinated Hong Kong permanent residents say applicants can sign up from Jun 15.     

The lottery is one of several promotions on offer to boost Hong Kong’s vaccination rate for Covid-19, amid concerns over the low rate of inoculation in the city, which now hovers slightly above 20% of the total qualified population.

Banks, airlines, shopping malls and other companies have heeded the government’s call to offer incentives to entice more residents to go for the free jabs.

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The latest to join the jab lottery is Cathay Pacific, which is offering as top prize the chance to host a private party on board its new Airbus A321neo. The winner’s guests should likewise be fully vaccinated.

Ten other lucky winners will each receive one million miles from the airline, which they can redeem for flight, travel, lifestyle and entertainment. Another 100 winners will each receive 100,000 miles, which should be enough for one to travel first class on a long-haul flight.

To qualify, one must hold a HK identity card and must have been fully vaccinated by the end of August 2021. The mechanics of the lucky draw will be announced later.

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As for the flat draw, only permanent adult residents who have received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine by Sept 1 can register for the chance to win a one-bedrooom unit at the Grand Central development n Kwun Tong.

Sino Group's Ng Teng Fong Charitable Foundation and Chinese Estates Holdings say they will also pay the stamp duty, registration and legal fees for the 47th floor flat, as well as the management fee for the first year.

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People will be able to register for the lucky draw on a new website launched by the organizers, or do so in person at different malls across the city.

The $10.8 million flat on offer is located in Grand Central, Kwun Tong

The same group is also raffling off 20 pre-paid or credit cards each loaded with $100,000 to vaccinated people, both permanent and non-permanent residents.

The winners of both contests will be announced on September 8.

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Separately, the Association of Banks is organizing a lucky draw for fully vaccinated people who could win spending credits or vouchers worth $100,000 each.

Everyone with a HKID can join, but further details will be provided later.

Earlier, the Airport Authority also announced a plan to give away 50,000 free air tickets to residents and 10,000 to its staff, all of whom should be fully vaccinated, in another lucky draw. The details of the scheme are still being drawn up.

Several hotels are also offering heavily discounted room rates to vaccinated residents. These include Langham, Cordis and Eaton, which are all operated by Great Eagle Holdings Limited.

For the next three months, 1,000 rooms could be booked for a 50% discount by vaccinated residents, who could also enjoy 15% off their dining bills at any of the three hotels. 

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Children 12-15 years old can now receive BioNTech vaccine

By The SUN 

Studies show BioNTech vaccine can be safely given to kids as young as 12 (photo NPS)

Children aged 12 to 15 can now receive the BioNTech coronavirus jab, after the Hong Kong government lowered the age limit to protect adolescents from the virus and allow them to return to normal school and daily life.

Health Secretary Sophia Chan decided to lower the minimum age for the jab from 16, after taking into account the views of an expert panel on Covid vaccines, the government said in a statement.

The Advisory Panel on Covid-19 Vaccines studied the application for lowering the age limit, along with the relevant clinical trial data, before advising Chan to approve it.

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“Having regard to the advice of the Advisory Panel, and having considered the threat to public health posed by Covid-19, the SFH considered that the benefits of lowering the age limit for receiving the Comirnaty (BioNtech) vaccine outweigh the risks,” the statement read.

“Not only can it protect adolescents from Covid-19 infection, it can also enable them to resume normal school and daily life as soon as possible.”

The statement said relevant arrangements for giving the BioNTech vaccine to adolescents aged 12 to 15 will be announced early next week.

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A member of the expert panel, David Hui, had earlier quoted data from the manufacturer showing that the vaccine could offer 100% protection for those aged between 12 and 15.

He said children in this age range also had more antibodies than people in the 16-25 age group.

Hong Kong’s other Covid vaccine, Sinovac, is available only for those aged 18 and above.

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BioNTech is also recommended for pregnant and lactating women, but not Sinovac.

The Indonesian DH tested positive on her third day of quarantine at Silka Hotel in Tsuen Wan

Meanwhile, an Indonesian domestic helper aged 37 who arrived on May 30 was confirmed today as Hong Kong’s only new Covid-19 patient.

Her case took the city’s tally to 11,850, and marked the 41^st straight day that no untraceable infection has been recorded.

A staff from the Centre for Health Protection said the woman flew in via Garuda flight GA786 and was asymptomatic.

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It was the same flight taken by three other Indonesian DHs who tested positive for a coronavirus variant on arrival in HK on May 30, prompting a two-week suspension to be imposed on Garuda starting on Jun 1.

The CHP staff said the woman in today's only recorded case has a low viral load, which makes it impossible to tell whether she also carried the mutated virus.

She stayed at Silka Far East Hotel in Tsuen Wan, where her third-day swab test returned a positive result.

The Hospital Authority said a total of 31 confirmed patients are being treated in 13 public hospitals and the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre.

Of these patients, one is in critical condition, another is serious and the remaining 29 are in stable condition.

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Alamin paano makakuha ng EXTRA 100 SPoints na AYUDA!

Patuloy ang pag celebrate ng 20 years ng Barkadahan sa SmarTone. 

At dahil ito rin ang Number 1 Most Used Network ng mga OFW sa Hong Kong, may bonggang regalo na naman para sa lahat ng Barkadahan users. May pa ayuda sila na EXTRA 100 Spoints para mas madami kayong ma-redeem na FREE gifts sa SPoints. 

Paano makakuha nitong ayudang 100 Spoints? Madali lang! 

Mag install ng My SIM Account App para masa madali niyong i-manage ang inyong SIM card. Kung wala pa kayong app, magdownload at install muna o i-press ang https://wap.smartone.com/bssapp/. 

Sa App na ito, easy ng mag check din ng SIM balance. 

Ngayon para makuha ang ayuda na 100 SPoints, dapat mong i-maintain o i-keep lagi na $100 o pataas ang iyong SIM balance araw-araw itong buwan ng June. Pag nagawa o nasunod mo ito, makukuha mo ang pa ayuda sa July. 

Tandaan na kapag may 1 araw ka lang na mintis o bumaba ng $100 ang SIM balance mo, disqualified ka na agad. Kapag na perfect attendance ang iyong $100 o pataas na daily balance, may ayuda ka na 100 SPoints. 

Ang qualified na mga customers ay makaka-receive ng SMS Text na may details ng ayuda na pumasok sa iyong SPoints account. 

Para ma-check ang SPoints balance, open My SIM Account app, press SmarTone Points, press Shop Now na, press Account.

Tandaan na para maka-avail ng ayuda 100 Spoints, dapat laging may $100 o pataas na SIM balance araw-araw. Kapag nag-mintis ka ng isang araw, hindi ka na pwede maka-avail ng ayuda. Kaya dapat mag load ka na sayong SIM at bantayan lagi na hindi bumaba ang iyong load. 

Gamitin ang MY SIM Account app sa pag-check ng balance at mag-stock ka na ng mga loads mo sa bahay o gamitin mga e-wallets gaya ng WeChat, Octopus, Credit Card o bili ng load sa 7-Eleven. 

Terms and conditions ay:

1. If SIM Balance is lower than $100 in ANY SINGLE DAY of June, this will be disqualified. 
2. Entitled customers can enjoy the 100 SPoints only once. 
3. In case of any dispute, SmarTone reserves the right of final decision. 

Kaya Sali na now! 

Para sa buong details ng Ayuda $100 SPoints, press https://bit.ly/3ySs4Lv . Para naman malaman iba pang mga offers sa Barkadahan, tingnan aming leaflets o press https://bit.ly/2Uy81zi.

Heto naman ang mga address ng Barkadahan shops: 

• World-Wide House Central: Shop 159, 1/F World Wide House, 19 Des Voeux Road Central, Central, Hong Kong​; 
• Lik Sang Plaza Tsuen Wan: Shop 07, G/F, Lik Sang Plaza, Tsuen Wan, New Territories. 

Mas bongga talaga sa Barkadahan, pramis! 

Barkadahan sa SmarTone for the OFW, with the OFW!

Filipina resident admits recruiting 26 people for bogus jobs

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Defendant Mila B. Fernandez admitted 9 counts relating to the illegal recruitment in Eastern Court

A 45-year-old Filipina resident pleaded guilty Wednesday, June 2, in Eastern Court to nine charges relating to her recruitment of 26 people for non-existent jobs and failing to refund the money they paid her.

Mila B. Fernandez admitted the charges in her first court appearance since her separate arrests on Dec 13 last year and Feb 26 this year. Magistrate Paul Yip ordered her remanded in custody before sentencing her on Jun 16.

Yip has asked for a probation officer’s report, a community service report and a background report before sentencing Fernandez. He also said he will deal with a call for a compensation order on that day.

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The defendant begged to be given a chance but the magistrate said her case involved serious charges.

“Defendant, while on paper there seem to be only two victims, in fact there are many more. Your sentence is still open,” Yip said.

The charges involved two counts of offering non-existent jobs, two counts of misrepresenting herself as employee of two different employment agencies, and five counts of offering but failing to give a full refund of payments made by applicants.

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The offenses took place between Jan 20, 2019 and Aug 31, 2020.

Customs and Excise prosecutors lumped all the charges under one heading, “Applying a false trade description to a service supplied or offered to be supplied to a consumer.”

Court records show that in December 2018, Fernandez met foreign domestic worker Charito Delfino who had gone to ACJ Recruitment Services to meet with her employer. Fernandez said she was a secretary of the company who handled documents for Immigration processing.

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In late January 2019, Delfino heard from a friend that the defendant was finding applicants for job vacancies at a monthly salary of $5,000 and food allowance of $1,100.

Fernandez told Delfino there were jobs for yacht cleaners, dog walkers, and babysitters with processing to take 4 to 6 months. In all, 14 of Delfino’s kin were interested.

Fernandez said the placement fee was $3,500 upfront and $500 after the hired worker gets his first salary. On Feb 5, 2019, Delfino gave the defendant $3,000 as down payment for two applicants. The defendant told Delfino the payment would be refunded.

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On Feb 10, Delfino, escorted by two friends, gave Fernandez $15,000 as down payment for 10 applicants. On Feb 17, they gave Fernandez a further $10,500 as down payment for one applicant and the outstanding payment for six others. No receipts were issued.

In all, Delfino gave the defendant $28,500 and Php10,000 as full payment for six applicants and down payment for 8 applicants.

Later, Fernandez collected documents from the 14 jobseekers, but they discovered four months later that she had been dismissed by ACJ and that the company did not handle the applications.

Fernandez contacted Delfino later, and said she had moved to another employment agency, World Wide Company, and transferred all the applications there.

Delfino demanded a refund of the money she paid but Fernandez said she could only pay back in $1,500 installments, but she didn’t. On Oct 27, Delfino complained to the Consulate and a meeting was set for Sept 1 but the defendant didn’t appear.

As none of the 14 applications succeeded, Delfino filed a complaint at Customs & Excise and Fernandez was arrested on Feb 26 this year.

The duped jobseekers were male relatives of 2 Filipina DHs

Another victim, helper Arlene Alday, reported that she met Fernandez after a friend told her about Fernandez recruiting applicants for the same jobs that she offered Delfino.

The defendant told Alday she had worked for World Wide Consultancy Agency for 16 years and sent her the address of the company. She later called Alday and told her an employer in Shek O was looking for a houseboy at $5,000 a month and food allowance of $1,000.

lday subsequently referred to the defendant 12 of her relatives and friends. Nine of the 12 paid the defendant through Western Union, and then sent the remittance receipts to her. Alday paid for the fees of her brother and two brothers-in-law.

The 12 applicants paid Fernandez a total of $36,220.35. When their applications were fruitless after 3 to 5 months, Alday withdrew them and asked a full refund. Fernandez returned $3,214 to three applicants in the sums of $731.30, $1,483.50 and $1,000.

Alday filed a complaint against the defendant at the Consulate and a meeting was set but Fernandez did not show up. The victim filed a complaint at the Customs on Jul 6 last year and on Dec 13, the defendant was arrested but released on bail.

Immigration confirmed no visa applications were filed for the applicants. The Labour Department said Fernandez was not WWC staff and was not licensed to recruit. The owner of WWCA, which shut in 2015, said she never worked for the company.  

The prosecution said the defendant, a Hong Kong resident for 27 years, has no criminal record. Her husband, who is jobless, is looking after her two sons aged 14 and 9 years in the Philippines.

Fernandez, who wasn’t represented by a lawyer, said in mitigation she was willing to pay back the victims by installment, but her salary now as a secretary in a Tsim Sha Tsui firm was only $10,500 a month and she sends home Php10,000 each month to her two young sons.

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Police officer declared ‘false positive’ for Covid-19

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The police officer was turned away at the vaccination centre because he had a cold 

A 35-year-old police constable who was reported as positive for Covid-19 yesterday has been taken off the list of confirmed cases today, with officials saying his was a case of vaccine strain contamination.

A statement issued by the Centre for Health Protection today, Jun 2, says genetic analysis by both the Department of Health and the University of Hong Kong showed the specimen taken from the officer was compatible with a vaccine strain, and not the coronavirus.

“After examining the clinical, epidemiological and laboratory findings, this case is compatible with vaccine strain contamination and hence will not be classified as a case of Covid-19 infection and has been deleted,” said the statement.

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“The exact source of the contamination will require further investigation. His close contacts will be released from the quarantine center if they obtain a negative test result.”

His being taken off the list of confirmed Covid-19 case has restored Hong Kong’s 39-day record of not having any untraceable infection.

At a press briefing yesterday, CHP’s Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said the officer, who is assigned to the Wan Chai district headquarters, was scheduled to get a Sinovac jab at the vaccination center in Central Library last Friday. But he was turned away because he had symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection.

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He got himself tested for Covid-19 the next day, and the result was positive with a low CT value, indicating he had a heavy viral load. However, subsequent tests at a hospital where he was taken all came back negative, and showed he did not have antibodies.

Chuang said no one among his family members was found to be infected.

Infectious disease expert Yuen Kwok-yung visited the vaccination centre earlier today as well as other places where the man had been to, to find out where he might have picked up the deactivated virus which is the key ingredient of the Sinovac virus.

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Late last month, a 61-year-old nurse who helps out in a vaccination centre in Jordan that administers Sinovac jabs also tested positive for Covid-19 initially. But her case was eventually not confirmed after tests showed she had the inactivated virus contained in the vaccine.

Only one imported case was reported today, involving a 58-year-old man who flew in from the United Arab Emirates and was asymptomatic. He was found infected while in quarantine at MetroPark Hotel in Homantin.

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According to the CHP’s statement, this latest infection would take the number 11846, which was what had been given to the police officer who is now off the confirmed list.

Thus, Hong Kong’s total infection tally remains at 11,849.

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Free Covid-19 tests for FDHs to continue this month

By The SUN

 

FDHs will continue to be offered the tests for free, right where they hang out on Sundays

The Hong Kong Labour Department says it will continue providing free Covid-19 tests to foreign domestic helpers at its mobile testing stations to be set up at their favorite haunts through all Sundays in June, and during the Tuen Ng Festival holiday on Jun 14.

No appointment is needed, and the testing will be on a voluntary basis. Last month, two rounds of compulsory testing of all FDHs were held, with the warning that anyone who did not comply with the order would be ordered to pay a fixed penalty of $5,000. 

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At the same time, the Department said in a statement released earlier today, Jun 2, that FDHs should get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect themselves and the people around them.

All fully vaccinated people, meaning those who had two doses of a coronavirus vaccine 14 days prior, are exempted from any compulsory testing order like the two notices issued to FDHs earlier. 

The four mobile specimen collection stations will be set up at:  

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                               ·       Chater Garden in Central (near Exit J2 of MTR Central Station) \

·       Hing Fat Street entrance of Victoria Park in Causeway Bay (near Exit A2 of MTR Tin Hau Station)

·       Lai Chi Kok Park entrance (near Exit D of MTR Mei Foo Station) and

·       Tai Ho Road entrance of Tsuen Wan Park (near Exit D of MTR Tsuen Wan West Station).  

The mobile testing stations are open exclusively to FDHs on all Sundays in June (June 6, 13, 20 and 27) and at the Tuen Ng Festival (June 14), from 10am to 5pm.

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An FDH should bring along his/her Hong Kong identity card or passport, and register his/her personal information on the spot at the government website (www.tgptest.gov.hk) in order to receive an SMS notification of the test result.

Duty officers will be at the site to assist any FDH who might need help with the registration.  

A combined nasal and throat swab will be administered to FDHs receiving the test, and the specimens will be taken to a laboratory for testing. 

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A negative test result will be sent via SMS to the participant while positive cases will be referred for the Centre for Health Protection for follow-up and treatment.

Enquiries may be coursed through the dedicated FDH hotline at 2157 9537 (manned by 1823) or by email to fdh-enquiry@labour.gov.hk.

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Filipina who suffered convulsions after vaccination now out of hospital

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Gemalyn is back on her feet, after being taken to hospital minutes after taking her 2nd jab

In a development that is nothing short of a miracle, a 31-year-old Filipina domestic helper who became critically ill minutes after getting a second dose of a coronavirus vaccine, has fully recovered and is now out of the hospital.

Gemalyn L. Gabon was discharged from Princess Margaret Hospital at about 7pm on Monday night, and was brought directly to her employer’s house.

This is according to welfare officer Virsie Tamayao of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, who was among those who had closely monitored Gabon’s condition since she was taken to hospital on May 13, suffering from convulsions.

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“She (Gabon) is already fine and has no more fever for the past few days. Also, hindi na rin siya nag seizure (she hasn’t had any seizure) since she was transferred to a general ward,” said Tamayao in a text message.

“We visited her this morning and had a meeting with the medical social worker,” said Tamayao.

The doctor in charge of Gabon's case was not around at the time. But a medical report issued on her discharge listed the principal diagnosis as “convulsion, pneumonia and intractable epilepsy,” which means her seizures can’t be controlled by medicines. 

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The Filipina helper, who had a history of epileptic seizures, was shown on videos widely uploaded on Facebook on May 13, being wheeled out of the community vaccination centre in Lai Chi Kok Park shortly after collapsing, with her body shaking uncontrollably.

Her companions said she had just taken her second dose of the BioNTech vaccine when she started having convulsions, then slumped on the floor.

Gabon was listed in critical condition at the hospital, but recovered well enough after three days to speak to her family and friends via online and face-to-face chats.

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However, she suffered a relapse on May 20 after another seizure, and was again transferred to intensive care where her condition was listed as critical.

Tamayao said the helper’s condition continued to deteriorate the next day. “The employer called and informed me that patient Gemalyn is quite in serious condition after three episodes of seizure at the ICU,” said Tamayao at the time. 

Gabon was put on a ventilator and was fed through NGT (nastro gastric tube) for a time. However, she bounced back again four days later, and was moved back to a regular ward.

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During her confinement, Gabon had reportedly disclosed to the doctor that she had an epileptic seizure in 2019. That same year she was also confined at Princess Elizabeth Hospital, suffering from hypertension. 

Although her latest bout with epileptic seizures started within minutes after her second dose of the vaccine, the doctor who examined Gabon at the hospital reportedly told Tamayao and the employer that she did not find any link between her convulsions and the jab.

The experts who examine adverse events after vaccination (File)

Meanwhile, a panel of experts that examines adverse effects of the vaccines has again ruled out vaccination as the cause of death post-vaccination of another patient, a 44-year-old Indonesian domestic helper.

The Indonesian who passed away on May 21, nine days after receiving her second BioNTech jab, was said to have died of a heart disease. 

A statement released by the Health Department late last night said: “Based on the clinical information and the preliminary autopsy findings of ischaemic heart disease, the Expert Committee preliminary considered that the case was not associated with vaccination. 

The statement also said that of around 1.359 million people who had received at least one dose of a vaccine in Hong Kong as of May 30, a total of 3,289 reports of adverse events (0.14 percent) had been recorded, including 21 deaths that happened within 14 days after vaccination. 

“So far, there is no case identified as having causal relationship with the Covid-19 vaccination,” said the experts.

By way of reference, the statement said that between Apr 26 and May 23 of 2021, the ratio of death among unvaccinated people was 54 cases for every 100,000 people. For those who have had at least one jab, the ratio was just 2.9 cases for every 100,000 people.

“The overall death rate is similar to that recorded in the past three years. Based on the statistical analysis of the above figures, there is no evidence that vaccination increases the risk of death for recipients,” said the statement.

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