3 imported cases reported today, 2 of them fully vaccinated

By The SUN

 

All 3 infected travelers carried the mutant strain and 2 were fully vaccinated

Three returnees from various places were confirmed today, Jul 14, to have Covid-19, and all carried the L452R mutation.

Two of them are fully vaccinated, having had two shots of a coronavirus vaccine in March and April this year.

A statement issued by the Centre for Health Protection listed the new confirmed cases as a 53-year-old man who flew in from Namibia and a 47-year-old female who arrived from Cyprus, both on Jul 12 and tested positive at the airport; and a 37-year-old man who came from Ghana on Jul 9 and was found infected on his 3^rd day of hotel quarantine.

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According to a staff member of the CHP, the man from Namibia had received the BioNTech vaccine in Hong Kong. The first shot was on Mar 19, and the second, on Apr 9. He developed symptoms on Jul 10, prior to boarding his flight to Hong Kong.

The second patient, who had flown in from Cyprus and was asymptomatic, had been given Gamaleya's Sputnik V vaccine in Moscow, Russia. She had her first dose on Mar 31 and the second, on Apr 21.

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Their cases reinforces experts’ warning that vaccination does not fully protect one from coronavirus, especially those from the highly infections mutant strains like the L452R commonly found in the Delta variant.

However, experts agree that vaccines protect one from serious Covid-19 complications.

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A report from Israel’s Ministry of Health published on Jul 5 showed that the efficacy rate of the BioNTech vaccine has declined significantly with the spread of the Delta variant and the cancellation of gathering restrictions.

From 94.3% between May 2 and June 5 this year its efficacy rate fell to just 64% in early July after the government canceled all coronavirus restrictions.

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However, the protection rate against hospitalization and serious illness was higher than ever. Between May 2 and June 5, the protection cover rose to 98.% compared with 93% from Jun 6 to Jul 3.

In Canada, the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine was found to 87% effective in preventing the Delta variant, and 89% against the Alpha variant, first identified in the United Kingdom.

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Today’s three imported cases pushed Hong Kong’s total infection tally to 11,955 confirmed and one probable cause.

A total of 31 cases have been reported in the past two weeks, 29 of them imported.

One was a ground staff at Hong Kong airport whose infection was directly linked to a group of travelers from Indonesia.

The other, a porter at the airport, had the same genome as those found among travelers from Russia, but his genetic sequencing could not be linked directly to any of them. Health experts believe he may have been infected by an undiagnosed crew member of a Russian air cargo flight he had serviced.

 

Jailed Filipino resident fails in bid to get back to driving soon

By The SUN

Ramos failed to appeal on time against his driving disqualification

A move by a Filipino recidivist to appeal out of time his 12-month driving disqualification imposed after he admitted stealing a motorcycle, then drove it without a license and third-party insurance in July last year, has been rejected at the High Court.

In his grounds for appeal, applicant Fredjewell A. Ramos Jr asked the court to give back his license by September, his expected release from jail, so he could work as a driver to support his family.

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But Justice Andrew Macrae said in a written judgment today, Jul 13, that Ramos’ wish could not amount to a special reason that would justify cutting short his driving disqualification.

“There is no reasonably arguable ground of appeal that the applicant should not have been disqualified,” Macrae said, adding that District Judge Timothy H. Casewell “was obliged under the law to order disqualification for at least 12 months.”

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In sentencing, Casewell noted that Ramos had previously appeared before the courts on no less than 18 occasions and had several convictions for theft.

This included one in 2017 for driving away with a stolen vehicle, for which he drew a 26-month jail sentence in District Court.

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Ramos, 42, pleaded guilty on Feb 24 to a charge each of theft, driving without a valid license, and using a motor vehicle without third party insurance.

He admitted stealing the motorcycle parked by a Mr Leung near a lamppost in To Kwa Wan on Jun 13 last year, and drove it around until he was arrested by police on Jul 26 of the same year.

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Casewell sentenced Ramos on Feb 24 this year to 20 months in prison for theft, four weeks for driving without a license, and three months for driving a motor vehicle without third-party insurance. All sentences were to run concurrently.

In addition, Ramos was disqualified from driving for 12 months.

Ramos filed leave to appeal against his sentence out of time on Apr 21, but gave no explanation as to why he failed to make it to the deadline.

In a letter dated Jun 3, 2021, Ramos merely said he wanted the disqualification order reduced because he needed his driver’s license to work as he is the sole provider for his family.

His application was opposed by government lawyer Douglas Lau who said the court was obliged to impose the mandatory 12-month disqualification, and that there were no reasons that would justify making a different order.

Macrae told Ramos he may refile his appeal against sentence out of time with the Court of Appeal, but warned his time in custody may be prolonged if the higher court finds no justification for his application.

Ramos, who was educated up to Form 5 in Hong Kong and earned a hotel and restaurant management degree in the Philippines, worked as a fitness instructor and driver in Hong Kong, earning about $18,000 a month, at the time of his arrest. He has a 5‑year-old daughter for whom he was responsible.

 

 

2 Indon helpers jailed 4 and 2 months each for illegal dentistry

 By Vir B. Lumicao 

Photos posted online by a pseudo-dentist to advertise her brace installation service

Here’s a warning to foreign domestic helpers who perform illegal dental work in Hong Kong: You could be jailed.

The reminder comes after two Indonesian domestic workers were sentenced today, Jul 13, to four months and two months in prison, respectively, after being found guilty of breaching their condition of stay by practicing dentistry without a license.

The two, whose names were not disclosed in a statement issued by the Immigration Department, pleaded guilty to the charge before Shatin Magistrate Jason Wan.

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They got off relatively lightly, however, as the Dentists Ordinance imposes a maximum fine of $100,000 and up to three years’ imprisonment on those found to have willfully or falsely pretended to be a dentist.

The two were among four Indonesians who were arrested between Apr 15 and 16 by Immigration officers who received information that they were using a room in a guest house on Sundays and holidays to clean teeth and install dental braces on fellow domestic workers.

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Today’s statement did not mention what happened to the two other workers who were arrested at the same time.

Immigration said it conducted a series of investigation before arresting the helpers, aged between 31 to 35, at their respective contractual addresses. Their employers were unaware of their illicit dental practice.

Relevant exhibits, including business cards and an account book, were seized from the guest house concerned, the Immigration said.

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Since dental braces became a fad among young people a few years ago, a number of  Filipinos in Hong Kong have also begun offering brace installation services to their fellow domestic workers.

Others have become bolder recently, offering services such as dental filling and even extraction, as many FDWs stuck in Hong Kong due to the pandemic are unable to afford the expensive dental fees charged by local professionals.

The pseudo dentists operate in rented rooms in guesthouses in Jordan, Tsimshatsui, Mongkok and Shamshuipo in Kowloon, and some in Wanchai, according to workers whose friends have patronized their services.

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However, dental brace installation is also known to have been carried out by some in such public places as the footbridge connecting Chater Garden to United Centre in Admiralty,

One informant said her friend suffered a serious gum infection last year after having a set of braces installed by an unregistered OFW dentist. When the patient threatened to report to authorities, the illegal dentist returned her $800 payment, her friend said.

Obviously, the return of the money paid should not have been enough to cover the damage that was done under ordinary circumstances.

Swollen gums could result from faulty brace installation

Immigration warns that people who practice dentistry without registration seriously threaten the health and lives of Hong Kong citizens and are very likely to increase the risk of spreading the epidemic.

In addition, doing non-domestic work violates the conditions of their stay in Hong Kong.

An Immigration spokesman said the department has been working hard in going after FDWs engaged in any form of unlawful employment. The operation has continued even during the pandemic.

"A helper should only perform domestic duties for the employer specified in the contract. The helper should not take up any other employment, including part-time domestic duties, with any other person. The employer should not require or allow the helper to carry out any work for any other person,” said the Immigration statement.

Anyone found guilty of doing illegal work face a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for up to two years. Aiders and abettors are also liable to prosecution.

The spokesman urges members of the public to report immigration-related crimes by calling the 24-hour Immigration Offences Hotline 2824 1551, sending fax via 2824 1166, sending email to anti_crime@immd.gov.hk.

They may also visit the Immigration website www.immd.gov.hk and complete the Online Immigration Offences Report Form.

 

Russia link found in airport porter infected with Delta variant

By The SUN

The porter is suspected to have been infected by an undiagnosed Russian cabin crew

Genetic sequencing has revealed that the Delta mutant strain carried by a porter at Hong Kong International Airport had the same genome or genetic makeup as four cases from Russia, according to a statement issued by the Centre for Health Protection today, Jul 13.

However, the immediate source of his infection is still being investigation.

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The statement was issued as an additional confirmed case was reported today, involving a 27-year-old woman who flew in from Cambodia and was found infected while in quarantine at Hotel Jen in Shek Tong Sui. She was asymptomatic.

According to the CHP, the porter (Case 11952) , whose infection was confirmed last Sunday, Jul 11, had served flight RL 9933 where an air crew (11947) was found infected after arriving from Moscow on Jul 6.

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While the two did not have direct contact, the porter reportedly stayed and worked on the plane for several hours. Some turnaround crew members on this flight also stayed inside the cabin the whole time.

“Case 11952 might have been infected from some undiagnosed cabin crew in this flight from Russia,” said the statement. “The CHP is following up the case with the overseas health authority and further investigation is still ongoing.”

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Three other previously reported infections from Russia were also linked to the porter through genetic sequencing. One, case 11887, was a cargo flight crew from Russia who arrived on Jun 16. The two others were a couple from Russia who arrived in Hong Kong on Jun 29.

The porter’s case was found not to be genetically linked to another airport worker, a ground crew staff found infected with the mutant virus two weeks ago.

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Case 11909, which pertains to the ground crew, was earlier linked to three Indonesian women who were all found to carry the variant.

In the past 14 days, a total of 31 cases have been reported, only two of which were not imported. The two others are the airport workers, which based on the latest reports, are now both linked to imported cases.

Hong Kong’s total Covid-19 tally is made up of 11,592 confirmed and one probable case.

 

FDHs reject agency claims that they've become choosy, want more pay

By Vir B. Lumicao 

HKUEA chair Thomas Chan says they've been urging for the lifting of the ban for months

Foreign domestic workers have ridiculed Hong Kong agencies’ claims that local families who need helpers are suffering amid a ban on flights from the Philippines and Indonesia, as those who are already here have become choosy, or are demanding up to $7,000 in salary.

They were reacting to the Hong Kong Union of Employment Agencies’ clamor, announced during a press conference yesterday, to lift the ban and allow vaccinated helpers stranded in the two countries to come here.

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The workers said it is they who continue to suffer and not the employers who may have difficulty retaining helpers because they are abusive. They said domestic workers would not quit their job on a mere whim, knowing that Immigration has been cracking down on so-called “job hoppers.”

They scoffed at the union’s claim that some employers have become so desperate they have begun wooing helpers on the streets or online with pay that is much higher than the required minimum of $4,630. At least one union officer said many helpers who are in Hong Kong no longer want to work with families who have babies.

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Dolores Balladares, chair of United Filipinos in Hong Kong-Migrante, said workers like the agencies, also want the ban lifted as it has left thousands of people  jobless for months and buried in debt, especially due to usurious money lenders.

Balladares says FDWs can't be choosy because of the 'job hopping' threat

“Pero hindi ako sang-ayon sa sinasabi ng agency na nagiging mapili ang mga OFWs at nagdedemand ng higher salary dahil sinasamantala ang sitwasyon na may ban,” said Balladares. (But I don’t buy the agencies’ claim that OFWs have become choosy and are demanding a higher salary to take advantage of the flight ban.)

"May ban o wala, pag na-terminate ang mga OFW, problemang malaki, lalo ngayon na may paghihigpit at pag-aakusa pa na mga job hopper ang mga nate-terminate na OFW. Kaya we appeal sa HK government na i-lift na ang ban dahil wala din namang kasalanan ang mga OFW,” said Balladares.

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(Ban or no ban, it’s a big problem when OFWs get terminated, especially now that the government is tightening (visa issuance) and accusing fired OFWs of job hopping. That’s why we appeal to the HK government to lift the ban, as it’s not OFWs’ fault anyway.)

She said it’s the Philippine government that should be blamed as it is its sluggishness, negligence and failure to curb the rate of infection that prompted Hong Kong to impose the ban.

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The negative feedback was evident in the posts made by Filipino workers on The SUN's Facebook page where a story about the agencies' claims was posted.

Carmelita Tan commented that the agencies’ claim that helpers are demanding salaries of up to $7,000 salary is unbelievable because most employers won’t even give food allowance.

"Nagtrabaho ka nang bonggang-bongga, minsan ikaw pa bibili ng pagkain mo sa sarili mong pera... Mahirap din ang kalagayan namin dito, lalo kung yung amo nasa bahay. May camera na, may human camera pa na security guard namin dito. Walang pahinga,” Tan said.

(You work very hard, yet sometimes it’s you who buy your own food out of your pocket. Our situation here is difficult, especially if the employer is at home. We have a human camera in addition to the camera here that is our security guard. We have no rest.)

She wished the flight ban would be lifted soon as she sympathized with the job applicants who are waiting to come here because they have already spent so much borrowed money while on standby in Manila.

Cindy Bahian, also commenting in the report, said the authorities should closely monitor employers who hire helpers. They should check employers’ homes to find out if there is a proper sleep and rest area for their helper, she said.

Bed in toilet: Many helpers are still not provided decent rest area, many say

“Kasi yung katulong po ay tao, hindi hayop na basta-basta na lang ilagay sa sulok para patulugin at pakainin,” Bahian said. (That’s because the helper is a human, not an animal that can simply be given a nook to sleep and eat.)

Many other workers commented that they are worse off during the pandemic because they are made to work for 16 to 18 hours a day, and given little food.

Terry Melchor said it was just fair for helpers to receive a salary as high as $7,000.

"Very reasonable lang naman po ang ($7,000) sahod na yan. Ang hirap din kaya ang sitwasyon nating mga DH dito. Mas kami ang nahihirapan, hindi ang mga amo o ang mga agency man,” Melchor said.

(That salary is very reasonable. Our situation as DHs here is not easy. It’s us who are suffering, not the employers of the agencies.)

“We deserve to be paid higher than the minimum wage. We want a salary increase, please,” she said.

No new case reported as Russia re-classified as ‘very high risk’ place

By The SUN 

It's the first time in 26 days that HK reported zero infection

No new confirmed case of Covid-19 was reported in Hong Kong today, Jul. 12, despite extensive tests being carried out in connection with two workers at the airport who were recently found to carry the L452R mutant strain of the coronavirus.

Thus, the number of confirmed cases in the city remains at 11,951. 

This is the first time in nearly a month that no new case was reported in Hong Kong. The last time this happened was on Jun 17.

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Separately, the Centre for Health Protection moved Russia to category A2 or “very high risk,” status starting Jul 16. This means that people traveling from the country will have to quarantine in Hong Kong for 21 days, even if they are fully vaccinated.

In addition, anyone who has stayed in a Group A2 specified place on the day of boarding or 21 days before that, must submit proof of a negative result for PCR-based nucleic acid test taken within 72 hours before the scheduled time of departure, and a confirmed reservation for 21 days in a quarantine-designated hotel.

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Further tests will be conducted on arrival at Hong Kong airport, four times during quarantine, and on the 26^th day after arrival, at any community testing center.

The CHP statement said the tightening of restrictions for arrivals from Russia was due to the recent rebound of the epidemic situation in the country, and the number of travelers from there who were detected to have the L452R virus strain on arrival in Hong Kong.

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Currently, only Ireland is in the A2 category.

Those in the higher category, A1, for “extremely high-risk” places, are covered by a total ban on passenger flights. They include Brazil, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa and United Kingdom.

In the past 14 days, a total of 34 cases were detected, all but two of them imported.

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The remaining two both involve workers at Hong Kong International Airport who were both found to carry the highly infectious virus strain.

One was linked to three arrivals from Indonesia who were found to carry the L452R mutant strain on arrival, while the source of infection of the other one confirmed yesterday is unknown.

Those on home quarantine must still comply with compulsory testing orders

Meanwhile, the CHP has warned of stiff penalties for recent arrivals who fail to comply with compulsory testing schedules, particularly those on home quarantine.

“Any person who fails to comply with the testing notice commits an offence and may be fined a fixed penalty of $5,000,” said the CHP statement.

In addition, the person will be issued with a compulsory testing order requiring him/her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. If the order is not complied with, the offender will face a maximum fine of $25,000 and jailed for up to six months.

“Besides facing prosecution, persons under compulsory quarantine at home who fail to conduct testing according to compulsory testing requirements may be required to complete the rest of the quarantine period at a designated quarantine centre,” said the statement.

The only people allowed to undergo home quarantine at the moment are vaccinated travelers from the Mainland and Macau.

CHP also announced that people who had been to the following specified premises at designated times are also reminded to undergo compulsory testing tomorrow (July 13):
          - Port Centre, Aberdeen
          - Chung Mei Building, 149-157 Tai Kok Tsui Road, Tai Kok Tsui
          - 1-3 Kam Fung Street, Wong Tai Sin

The CHP also reminded all HK Airport staff, including part-time or relief staff, who had worked from June 20 to July 10, 2021 at Terminal 1, Apron or Midfield Concourse of the airport, to undergo testing by tomorrow.

Congen says HK plans to lift ban on vaccinated travelers

By Daisy CL Mandap

Under the plan, only vaccinated travelers from the Philippines will be allowed entry to HK

Nearly three months since the Philippines was included in the list of “extremely high-risk places” for Covid-19 from where no passengers would be allowed to fly into Hong Kong, there is finally light at the end of the tunnel.

At least, for those who have completed their vaccine jabs.

Consul General Raly Tejada has revealed that Hong Kong plans to open its border for vaccinated residents and workers from all countries affected by its flight ban, although the details have yet to be finalized and no date has been fixed.

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That should include thousands of people in the Philippines who have been itching to come here since Hong Kong imposed a ban on all passenger flights from the country starting April 20 this year.

ConGen Tejada made the disclosure in reply to a query from The SUN on whether his long-standing plan to discuss the flight ban with Hong Kong officials through their technical working group consultations had pushed through.

Congen said the return of Filipino residents and workers to Hong Kong from the Philippines was among the items discussed in the TWG meeting held last week.

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“We asked them to reexamine out classification as A1, with the view to removing us from the extremely high-risk category,” he said.

“We also asked them to allow our residents and workers to come back given their need to work as well as the demand for their services.”

In response, the Hong Kong officials said they recognized the importance of the issue and agreed that residents and workers need to come back.

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“They added that Hong Kong initially plans to open the border for vaccinated residents and workers from all countries under the ban,” said Congen. However, they have not yet finalized the details of the scheme.

Congen Tejada had long wanted to ask for the lifting of the ban on the Philippines

If the plan does go ahead, those who will qualify to enter Hong Kong are Filipino residents or those with employment or student visas who have completed two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine at least 14 days before their scheduled departure.

Other requirements, including a negative test result prior to boarding and upon arrival, as well as the duration of the quarantine period, should be among those that will have to be determined by Hong Kong authorities.

Apart from the Philippines, those in the A1 or extremely high-risk category are India, Pakistan, Nepal, South Africa, Brazil, Indonesia and United Kingdom.

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The last two were added only recently - Indonesia on Jun 25 and the UK on Jul 1 -  after a number of their travelers tested positive on arrival for the highly infectious L452R strain of the coronavirus.

Under the strictest travel restriction currently enforced, anyone who had stayed in any of these countries for at least two hours within 21 days prior to their intended departure date, will not be allowed to board a flight to Hong Kong.

If they get relegated to the second highest category, which is A2 for “very high-risk” places, travelers will have to present a negative result for a PCR-based nucleic acid test prior to boarding and quarantine for 21 days, whether or not they are vaccinated.

In addition, they will have to get tested on arrival, four times during quarantine,and on the 26^th day after arrival at any community testing centre.

The only country in this category now is Ireland.

For more information on Hong Kong's boarding and quarantine restrictions, visit: https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/inbound-travel.html#quarantinemeasures2

‘Silent transmission’ fears trigger compulsory testing of all airport workers

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Everyone who works at HK Airport will have to get tested for Covid-19 because of the 2 staff infections

A compulsory testing of all people working at Hong Kong International Airport was ordered today, Jul 11, by health officials amid fears of a “silent transmission” after a male porter tested positive for L452R, a mutant strain of the coronavirus.

“We will subject all airport staff who worked from June 26 to July 10 to compulsory testing as these number in tens of thousands,” said Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection in a press briefing.

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Chuang said the porter was required to undergo compulsory testing after an airline ground staff was found infected with the mutated virus two weeks ago. He was asymptomatic but the sample he submitted on Friday tested positive.  

All 98 people identified as close contacts of the 50-year-old patient had been sent to three-day quarantine, she said.

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These included people who lived with him, those who dined with him, other tenants of subdivided flats in his building, those who worked with him in the same area at the airport, and his father who he visited on Friday in a care home.

The CHP official, however, said authorities are worried about a possible “silent transmission” in the airport as he is the second airport worker infected with L452R, a mutant strain of Covid-19, in recent days.

Chuang says airport workers are at high risk of getting the virus from imported cases

“This was the second case of transmission involving the airport that’s why we suspect transmission had taken place at the airport, since most of those in the airport had come into contact with passengers,” said Chuang.

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She said sanitation in the terminal, particularly escalator handrails and objects that passengers held, need to be improved.  

Also to be subject to compulsory testing are those who were at the nine places the patient had visited, including a shopping center, restaurants, the elderly home, and Ocean Park.

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Chuang said the government declared the block where the man lives a “restricted area” from 7:30pm Saturday. All people living within the area were required to stay in their premises and undergo compulsory testing.

As at 12am today, 28 residents had undergone testing but no confirmed cases were found, Chuang said.

She said the case involves L452R and that genomic sequencing was being conducted to find out whether the infection came from the previously identified case, a 27-year-old man who received cargo flight crews at the airport.

That man, who lives in Wan Hang House, Wan Tau Tong Estate in Taipo, was a staff of Hong Kong Airlines who worked in a section of the airport where three newly arrived Indonesian women who were subsequently found to carry the Delta variant, had stayed.

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Chuang said the latest case received the first dose of BioNTech vaccine on July 1. 

As a porter, he would normally not come into contact with flight crew or passengers, and authorities are still trying to ascertain the source of his infection, she said.

“For all workers in the airport, they are considered high-risk because they may get into contact directly or indirectly with imported cases,” Chuang said.

“Of course, we urge all of them to get vaccinated as soon as possible, but in the meantime they should still get tested,” she said.

All 28 residents of the Wong Tai Sin block where the patient lives tested negative

The latest case took the number of cases in Hong Kong to 11,952. So far, there are no preliminary positive cases, the CHP said.

A total of 39 cases have been reported in the past 14 days until July 10, including 37 imported cases and two import-related cases, according to the CHP.

Dr Larry Lee, a chief manager at the Hospital Authority, said a total of 50 confirmed patients are being treated in 11 public hospitals and the infection control centre in North Lantau Hospital. One patient is in serious condition and the remaining 49 patients are in stable condition. 

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