OVR tally unlikely to reach 2019 levels despite recent surge, says consul

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Hundreds of OFWs have been lining up to register for the election the past few Sundays

With just a month and a half to go before overseas voting registration ends, the total number of registrants in Hong Kong is still a long way away from the figure set for the mid-term election in 2019.

Consul Robert Quintin, who oversees the overseas registration and voting, said he does not expect the number of final tally for next year’s presidential election, after the Commission on Elections' deactivation of those who didn't vote in two consecutive elections, to reach the overall tally of 87,441 from two years ago.

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For sure, it will never be as many as the 93,978 set a year before the last presidential election in 2016.

As Quintin spoke, scores of prospective voters queued up again in the Consulate’s public hall to register for the next general elections scheduled for May 9, 2022.

This has been the scenario for the past few Sundays at the Consulate, when hundreds of overseas Filipino workers spend their rest day lining up to register for the upcoming election.

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Quintin admitted the pro-democracy protests and the coronavirus crisis had disrupted activities at the Consulate, including the OVR, which began in December 2019.

There were Sundays when the Consulate's business hours were shortened as additional precaution due to the political disturbance, he said. 

"But we did not reduce our services. In fact, we maintaned our output for the year even with the reduced public transaction hours.

Many workers were also forbidden by their employers from going out on their rest days because of pandemic-related concerns, adding to the drop in the number of people showing up to register.

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While OVR may have picked up recently, the upsurge may still fall short of past tallies, said Quintin. “Turnout for the registration has been really very low,” he said.

Quintin said the upsurge made up for only a trickle of workers who went to the Consulate to register on weekdays.

He is not entirely pessimistic, though. “Who knows, when the registration is over, we may still hit that level,” he said.

Consul Quintin says the overall tally may not reach the number set in 2019, much less 2016

Asked about the possibility of doing mobile registration in remote districts as in the past to boost numbers, Quintin said that was not possible in most of 2020, when even churches where most of such activities used to be conducted, had been closed due to the pandemic.

"We are still looking at possible mobile registration but, with the limited time left and the number of registrants coming to the PCG on Sunday, it is proving to be difficult for us to mount such activities," he said.  

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Even after they reopened, they are still obliged to limit the number of worshippers in their venues, in compliance with social distancing rules.

One factor that helped boost past OVRs was the regular holding of post-arrival orientation seminars for newly arrived Filipino domestic workers, Quintin said.

In the past, workers who attended the PAOS took the opportunity to register for upcoming elections. But now that these seminars have been mostly put on hold, another helpful draw to OVR has been eliminated.

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He said it was a good thing that the Commission on Elections had opened an online system where those with exisitng voter's records can opt to go online and transact directly with the Comelec-Office for Overseas Voting regarding their concerns.

He said new registrants and those whose voter records are incomplete can use the online system, but have to go to the Consulate for the biometrics.

The process is a computerized system of taking body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics as a form of identification and access control.

 

 

FDH who flew in from US is one of 2 confirmed imported cases

By The SUN  

The FDH was confirmed to carry a mutant strain 7 days after ending her quarantine

Health experts are calling on the government to review its quarantine policy for vaccinated travelers after a foreign domestic helper who flew in from the United States and quarantined for only seven days, was confirmed to carry the L452R mutant strain after ending her isolation.

The 38-year-old FDH, who was fully vaccinated in Hong Kong, was confirmed as one of two new imported cases Saturday.  The other is a fully vaccinated 56-year-old man who also flew in from the United States.

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Infectious disease expert Prof David Hui from Chinese University said in a radio interview that the helper’s case showed that a seven-day quarantine is not enough, even for vaccinated travelers. It should be at least 14 days, with another week of self-monitoring.

He said an expert panel that advises the government on the pandemic of which he is a member, will discuss the case on Monday

Hui says an expert panel on the pandemic will discuss the case Monday (file)

Another expert, Leung Chi-chiu, agreed that the quarantine rules should be tightened immediately.

Leung also wondered why the US was classified as a medium-risk country when it has the same infection rate as the United Kingdom which is under the high-risk category, for which the quarantine period for vaccinated travelers is 21 days.

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“There’s absolutely no basis to classify the two countries differently,” he was reported as saying.

Meanwhile, some observers have expressed surprise that the helper who lives with her employers in Stanley, was able to quarantine for only seven days when only those found to have antibodies in tests conducted in Hong Kong, are given this privilege.

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CHP said the helper left for the US on Jun 18, long before Hong Kong announced in late July that residents can get themselves tested for antibodies before leaving for abroad in order to qualify for the shortened quarantine.

She was given two doses of the BioNTech vaccine in Hong Kong on Apr 7 and 28.

Before boarding her flight in Los Angeles, she tested negative for Covid-19, and again on arrival in Hong Kong.

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In line with health protocols she submitted a specimen for testing 12 days after arrival and it tested preliminary positive Friday for Covid-19. Further tests showed the presence of the L452R mutation.

As a result, several places that she had visited after leaving quarantine, including the FDH section of Immigration Tower in Wanchai, as well as Stanley Plaza, were put under compulsory testing notice.

Anyone who had been to these places were ordered to get tested before Aug 15.

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Health Department staff would not say, however, how many close contacts of the helper had been identified, and whether anyone had been moved to a quarantine center as a result.

“Our epidemiological investigation and contact tracing is continuing,” said the staff member.

The new infections raised Hong Kong’s Covid-19 tally to 12,032 cases.

 

 

 

 

Dismissed sick Filipina DH flies home with just $40 in pocket

By Daisy CL Mandap 

The Filipina who was still still in pain, was made to pack hurriedly less than 2 days before her flight

A Filipina domestic helper who was terminated on the spot left Hong Kong early on Friday with just $40 in her wallet, after deciding not to pursue an advice to stay on and file claims from both her employer and employment agency.

EJ Camacho, who is now in quarantine in a hotel in Quezon City, said she would not even have a single cent left with her had a fellow Filipina who she rode with on the way to Hong Kong International Airport not paid for her bus fare.

Another friend sent $60 to her GCash account so she could have money at least for some basic necessities such as soap and shampoo, in case she needed them during or after her quarantine, before she flies back to her hometown in Misamis Oriental.

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Camacho who first came to Hong Kong in August last year to work for her employer, KY Chow, in Kai Tak, Kowloon, encountered problems after she began experiencing abdominal pain.

She went to a private doctor who reportedly told her she has PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome. She was referred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kowloon where she was admitted for tests after being told the pain she was experiencing did not have anything to do with the diagnosis.

But after four days of various tests, doctors could not find anything that would explain her pain, and she was discharged.

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Despondent, Camacho asked her employer on Aug 9 to let her go home after a week because she still could not work well despite taking painkillers. However, Chow reportedly told her that was not possible, as a replacement for her needed to be found first.

But only two days later, Chow surprised the helper by saying she needed to leave that same day, and that a flight had already been booked for her at 2 am on Aug 13.

That same afternoon, the employer took Camacho to their employment agency in Mong Kok where she was made to sign a letter stating that she had resigned effective on Aug 9 although the letter itself was dated Aug 11.

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“Gawa po ito ni employer na pinapirmahan sa akin,” Camacho said (This was written by my employer which I was asked to sign).

The agency also made them sign a termination notice for Immigration, stating the reason that they had mutually agreed to end their contract “for personal reason”.

This was obviously meant to free the employer of having to pay a month’s salary in lieu of notice even if Camacho was made to leave on the spot.

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Camacho said that under the agency representative’s direction, the employer deducted $3,177  from what she was to get as termination payment, representing the balance of the $6,500 cash advance that she requested a month earlier.

After adding up her unpaid salary up to Aug 8 ($1,672); annual leave pay ($1,064) and $200 for food and travelling allowance, Camacho ended up still owing her employer $241.

The agency decided that to get even this from her, her employer should not pay for her fare for her connecting flight from Manila to her hometown. She was then booked for the cheapest flight to Manila with barely a day to spare.

The amount shown was deducted from what was left of her cash advance

After this, Chow was told by the agency to give the helper $200, which was meant to last until she could get on the flight home.

From that amount, Camacho was forced to spend $120 in taking a taxi home from the agency’s office to its shelter in Causeway Bay. She said it was getting late by then and her belongings were strewn about as she was not given enough time to pack properly before leaving her employer’s house.

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“Nung araw na dinala ako sa agency para sa pirmahan, bago akong nakapunta sa accommodation pinag swab pa ako sa Mong Kok kaya gabi na ako nakarating sa agency para kunin ang gamit ko,” she said. (When I was taken to the agency to sign documents, I was made to take a swab test for Covid-19 in Mong Kok before being told to go to their shelter in Causeway Bay.

With the $80 that was left her, Camacho went to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration office at United Centre in Admiralty on Thursday to get advice on how she could prepare for her flight early the next day and whether she could get any financial help.

After staff guided her on which apps to download for her quarantine and Covid tests in Manila, Camacho was given referral letters so she could avail of medical benefit worth up to P20,000 and a further P20,000 for livelihood assistance.

She received no cash, so Camacho had to shell out a further $40 before getting back to the agency’s shelter to hurriedly pack for her trip to the airport with only a few hours to spare.

On being told about the worker’s dire state, Welfare Officer Virsie Tamayao tried to call  Camacho on Friday, but was unsuccessful.

By then the worker had decided to just go home, and not take heed of an advice to postpone her departure for up to the 14 days she was entitled so she could consider pursuing claims against her employer and her agency.

Camacho said that despite having worked in Kuwait previously, her recruitment agency in the Philippines, Michelangelo, charged her more than P30,000 for all sorts of fees, ranging from training she did not need or get, and supposed payment for SSS, Pag-IBIG and PhilHealth.

She was told she could have filed a claim with the Philippine Overseas Labor Office to get back the money that her agency had illegally charged her.

She could have also asked her employer to pay her a month’s pay in lieu of notice as she was told to leave on the spot, and made to sign a document that falsely declared she had voluntarily resigned that same day.

Camacho said at first that she would think through the advice to stay on and file claim. By late afternoon, however, she could no longer be reached by phone, nor did she manage to get online again as she was busy packing and preparing to fly home.

The only bright spot she could look forward to now is the prospect of reuniting with her husband and three children who are eagerly awaiting her return.

(Donations to Camacho could be sent to her GCash account at 09519458840).

FDH found with mutant virus after ending 7-day hotel quarantine

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

The FDH flew in from LA via CX on Aug 1 and tested negative on arrival and during quarantine

Local Chinese media have reported that a 38-year-old foreign domestic helper who arrived from the United States on Aug.1 has tested preliminary positive for the L452R mutant strain of the coronavirus, five days after being released from her 7-day hotel quarantine.

The reports which were published early Saturday said the helper whose nationality was not disclosed, was vaccinated in Hong Kong with two doses of the BioNTech vaccine, on Apr 7 and 28.

She left for the US, apparently with her employer’s family, on Jun 18, and returned to Hong Kong via flight CX883 from Los Angeles on Aug.1. 

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She tested negative on arrival at the airport, and during her week-long hotel quarantine.

Under the updated health protocols which took effect on Aug 8, vaccinated arrivals from designated medium-risk places like the US can quarantine for 14 days, which can be shortened further to 7 days if they test positive for antibodies.

In line with the new guidelines, the helper submitted a specimen sample for testing on the 12^th day of her arrival, and it came back preliminary positive.

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She had moved to her employer’s detached house on Stanley Village Road in Stanley by then.

After her preliminary positive result, four places and two bus routes have been put under compulsory testing notices, including the FDH section of Immigration Tower in Wanchai.

Those who had gone to the third floor of Immigration Tower from 8am to 11am on Aug 13 are mandated to undergo a nucleic acid test.

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The whole floor will also be closed on Saturday for disinfection, and services will resume on Monday, Aug 16.

3rd floor of Immigration Tower will be closed Saturday for disinfection

Also covered by mandatory testing are people who had been to the following places on the indicated dates and times:  

·         3hreesixty at Stanley Plaza, 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. on August 9 or 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. on August 11;

·         Hong Kong Tennis Centre in Happy Valley, 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Aug 12;

·         Bafang Dumpling in Wan Chai, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on August 8, 2021

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The bus routes are No 260, from Stanley Village to Exchange Square in Central; and green minibus no 40 from Stanley to Causeway Bay.

Those who took bus 260 from 8am to 9:30am on Aug 8; and bus 40, between 3:30-5:00pm and 6:30pm to 8pm on the same day, should undergo testing no later than Aug 15.

As the case involves a mutant strain, even those fully vaccinated must comply with the testing order.

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Meanwhile, compulsory testing was also ordered for people who had visited designated stalls between Aug 10-13 in four public markets in Yuen Long, Sham Shui Po, Wan Chai and Lamtin, following the discovery of Covid-19 in samples of imported pomfret from Indonesia.

Details of the compulsory testing notices can be found here:  https://gia.info.gov.hk/general/202108/13/P2021081300814_374492_1_1628863097489.pdf

 

Nearly 1M doses of BioNTech vaccine arrive in HK

By The SUN  

The BioNTech vaccines should last until end of Oct, when the CVCs close (File)

About 937,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from BioNTech arrived in Hong Kong today, Aug. 13, from the company’s plant in Baxter, Germany. Mainland firm, Fosun Pharma, arranged the shipment.

From the airport, the vaccines were subjected to stringent checking and inspection before they were stored in ultra-low temperature freezers as required by the manufacturer.

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The BioNTech vaccines called Comirnaty are highly favored in Hong Kong compared with Coronavac which is manufactured by mainland company Sinovac, because of their higher efficacy and greater acceptability in countries around the world.

As of the latest figures, a total of 6,447,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in Hong Kong. Those who have had at least one dose totaled 3,634,800, representing about 53.5% of those qualified to get inoculated.

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Among those who had their first jab, 61% or 2.24M opted for BioNTech, while the rest, or 1.39M, chose Sinovac.

The fresh supply of BioNTech vaccines will help ensure that all qualified Hong Kong residents will get to have their two jabs by the time the 26 community vaccination centres across the city are closed by end of October.

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Originally, the CVCs were meant to be closed by end of September, but a recent surge in the application for vaccination, as well as the popularity of the walk-in arrangement for those aged 60 and above, prompted the government to extend the deadline.

“In view of the demand for vaccination and the vaccination progress, the Government has decided to extend the operation of CVCs until October 31," said a statement issued by the government on Aug 6.

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The press statement said the CVCs will continue to provide vaccination services for the first dose in September and the second dose in October.

From last Saturday, the government started releasing the appointment quotas for the CVCs starting on Sept 1 so residents who are still unvaccinated could start booking their first dose.

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The government said it is confident that the so-called herd immunity provided by a 70% inoculation rate in the community could be achieved by the end of next month.

“The demand for COVID-19 vaccination has increased recently. Should the vaccination progress be maintained at the current pace or increase, it is likely that 70 per cent of the eligible population will at least have had their first dose of a vaccine by the end of September,” said the statement.

The government appealed to everyone qualified for the Covid-19 shots to seize the opportunity to get vaccinated and help restore normality to Hong Kong.

When the CVC close, getting the vaccine would be more difficult, as it will be given only at public hospitals and some designated private clinics. BioNTech may not also be freely available then, because it needs to be stored at extremely low temperatures.

The CVC at Central Library will be moved to Java Road Sports Centre starting Oct 1

A few changes were announced in the statement, including the relocation of the CVC at Hong Kong Central Library in Causeway Bay to the Java Road Sports Centre starting Oct 1. Sinovac will continue to be given to people who make their appointments with the venue.

Because of the low patronage of the CVCs at Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wan Chai and at the Hong Kong International Airport, both will be closed at the end of September. Vaccination applicants will be given their first dose in August and their second dose within September.

The 26 CVCs that will continue to provide first-dose vaccination services in September are as follows:

 Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine 

Wan Chai	Hong Kong Central Library*
Yau Tsim Mong	Kwun Chung Sports Centre
Kwun Tong	Kowloon Bay Sports Centre
Sha Tin	Yuen Wo Road Sports Centre
Yuen Long	Tin Fai Road Sports Centre

* The CVC at the Hong Kong Central Library will be relocated to Java Road Sports Centre on October 1. It will be renamed as the CVC at Java Road Sports Centre to provide second-dose Sinovac CoronaVac vaccination service.
 
BioNTech Comirnaty vaccine 

Central and Western	Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park Sports Centre
Wan Chai	Hong Kong Sanatorium & Hospital St Paul's Hospital
Eastern	Sai Wan Ho Sports Centre HKSH Eastern Medical Centre
Southern	Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong
Yau Tsim Mong	Boundary Street Sports Centre (No. 1 and No. 2)
Sham Shui Po	Lai Chi Kok Park Sports Centre
Kwun Tong	Hiu Kwong Street Sports Centre
Wong Tai Sin	Choi Hung Road Badminton Centre
Kowloon City	Education Bureau Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre Ho Man Tin Sports Centre
North	Lung Sum Avenue Sports Centre
Sha Tin	CUHK Medical Centre
Tai Po	Tai Po Hui Sports Centre
Sai Kung	Tseung Kwan O Sports Centre
Tsuen Wan	Tsuen King Circuit Sports Centre
Kwai Tsing	Osman Ramju Sadick Memorial Sports Centre
Tuen Mun	Yau Oi Sports Centre
Yuen Long	Yuen Long Sports Centre
Islands	Tung Chung Community Hall

HK reports first case of Covid-19 being found in frozen or chilled food

By Daisy CL Mandap 

This is the first time the virus was found in frozen or chilled food products (File photo)

A batch of imported fish and its outer packaging have tested positive for Covid-19, according to a government statement released late on Thursday.

As a result, anyone who had come into contact or handled the fish sold at stall no 4 (Wah Kee) on the first floor of Tok Wa Wan Market on Mau Tau Wai Road between Aug 10 and 12 must get themselves tested by tomorrow, Aug 14.

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The compulsory testing order applies even to those who are fully vaccinated.

Reports later said the tainted fish was pomfret imported from Indonesia  

The contamination was the first to be discovered from the sampling  of different types of frozen or chilled foods and their packaging by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department since testing began in mid-2020, said the statement.

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Meanwhile, the Centre for Health Protection reported five new imported cases of Covid-19 today, Aug 13, including two foreign domestic helpers.

The first case involves a 52-year-old female helper from Sri Lanka who arrived on Jul 25 and was found to have the N501Y mutant strain yesterday, days after ending her quarantine at Ramada Grand Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui.

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According to a staff member at the Health Department, the patient was taken to hospital for further testing after her test result prior to ending her 14-day quarantine raised concerns.

The Sri Lankan helper was found infected in hospital, days after ending her hotel quarantine at Ramada in TST

The other FDH is a 33-year-old man who came from Bangladesh on Aug 9, and was detected to have the L452R mutant strain on his 3^rd day sample while under quarantine at Regal Oriental Hotel in Kowloon.

Another confirmed patient is a 16-year-old female who came from Switzerland on Aug 8 via flight LX138 and was confirmed to have Covid-19 while under quarantine at Sheraton Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui.

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Two of her relatives who flew in with her and were staying in the same hotel were found infected earlier.

The result of her test for the presence of a mutant virus is still pending.

Also confirmed as Covid positive is a 24-year-old returnee from Tanzania who was found infected on her arrival at Hong Kong International Airport on Aug 11 via flight QR818 from Doha. She carried the L452R mutation.

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The last patient is a 69-year-old woman who completed two doses of the Sinovac vaccine in Hong Kong on Apr 7 and May 5.

She flew in from the United States on Aug 8 and tested positive on her 3^rd day sample while in quarantine at Regal Airport Hotel in Chek Lap Kok.

The result of her variant test is still pending.