CE says FDHs will be allowed to enter HK gradually

By The SUN 

CE Lam says FDHs will be allowed in on a controlled and gradual manner

Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said that Hong Kong will control the number of foreign domestic helpers entering the city so they will not “create pressure” on the government.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the Executive Council meeting earlier today, Lam said: "The number of foreign domestic helpers who could come back to Hong Kong through this special arrangement has to be rationed, has to be controlled.”

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She added, "We could not allow thousands of foreign domestic helpers to come in every week, otherwise, the chance of having more confirmed cases either discovered at the airport or during the quarantine periods will overload Hong Kong's public hospital system."

The top official said a designated quarantine hotel for FDHs has already been selected, and it can accommodate up to 400 guests. Another one will be picked out soon. Reports say the first hotel chosen is Silka Far East hotel in Tsuen Wan.

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Given that all FDHs coming in from high-risk countries such as the Philippines and Indonesia are required to spend 21 days in quarantine, only about 1,000 of them can come in each month, even if a second hotel is designated for their use.

The CE said officials should be able to give more details this week on the plan to start allowing helpers from the two countries to travel to Hong Kong for work.

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At least 3,000 FDHs with employment visas are reported to have been stranded in the Philippines alone since a flight ban on the country was imposed on Apr 20 after it was designated as “high risk” for Covid-19.

Indonesia was included in the list on Jun 25.

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The ban on passenger flights from all high-risk countries was officially lifted on Aug 9, but only for those with vaccination records recognized by Hong Kong, eliminating everyone, residents or FDHs, who had their vaccination in the Philippines or Indonesia.

CE Lam says details of scheme to allow FDHs to enter HK will be announced soon

CE Lam confirmed that talks have been ongoing with the consulates of the two countries on vaccination recognition, but did not mention any deal being struck, or whether a date has been set for the start for the workers’ return.

She appealed to employers waiting for helpers to join them in Hong Kong to be patient.

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“They (helpers) will have to come in phases, so I would like to ask employers to be more patient with the system because they will not be able to welcome their foreign domestic helpers within a short period,” she said.

In addition to the 21-day quarantine at a designated hotel, all FDHs flying in will have to present a recognized vaccination record and a negative result for a RT-PCR test done within 72 hours before departing for Hong Kong.

Reports say Silka Hotel in Tsuen Wan is the first designated quarantine place for FDHs

They will also have to undergo six more tests during compulsory quarantine, self-monitor for a further seven days, and do another test on the 26^th day after arrival at a community testing centre in Hong Kong.

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FDH section of Immigration closed again over mutant virus case

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Staff at the FDH section of Immigration Tower in Wanchai will get tested again today

In a surprise move, the Foreign Domestic Helpers Section of Immigration Tower in Wanchai will be closed down today, Aug 24, to allow staff working there to undergo Covid-19 testing. Services will resume the next day, Wednesday.

This is the second time the entire third floor of Immigration Tower has been closed down after an FDH who visited there between 8am and 11am on Aug 13 was found to carry the L452R strain of the coronavirus.

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The first time was on Aug 14, a Saturday, after the 38-year-old helper was confirmed as Covid positive. The FDH section was closed down for disinfection that day, and resumed operations on Aug 16.

The FDH arrived on Aug 1, and left her quarantine hotel after seven days. She moved into her employer’s home in Stanley and went to several places in Wanchai and Central before testing positive for the mutant strain on her 12^th day sample.

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Experts later found out that she had been infected by a couple from the United States who had flown on the same Cathay Pacific flight from Los Angeles, and stayed in a room opposite to hers at Dorsett Hotel in Wan Chai.

Health Department records show the FDH remains in hospital in stable condition.

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The helper had received two doses of the BioNTech vaccine in Hong Kong before leaving for the US. She also tested positive for antibodies on a test conducted by a local laboratory on Jul 27.

A compulsory testing order was first issued on Aug 14 for everyone who was at the FDH section of Immigration after her variant infection was confirmed.

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According to the latest government press release, staff as well as visitors who were at the FDH section at the relevant date and times will need to undergo a second round of testing.

The same compulsory testing order was issued for people who were at two other places that the FDH had visited during the infectious period.

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These are the Hong Kong Tennis Centre on Wong Nai Chung Gap Road in Happy Valley, at any time between 7pm to 10pm on Aug 12; and everyone who took buses running on route number 260 from Stanley Village to Central (Exchange Square), from 8am to 9:30am on Aug 13.

Everyone covered by the CTNs must get tested no later than Aug 25.

 

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PH posts record 18,333 Covid-19 cases in a day

By The SUN 

The record rise in Covid infections was logged as restrictions were relaxed in Metro Manila (File)

The Philippines reported 18,332 new coronavirus cases today, Aug 23, the highest number reported since the first coronavirus case was detected in the country in January last year.

The new cases took the Philippines’ total tally to 1,857,646, according to Department of Health figures.

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Of these, 130,350 cases or 7% of the total, are active, meaning the patients are receiving treatment.

The record number was posted as the national capital region, where the highest number of positive cases have been reported, moved to less stringent anti-Covid restrictions under the modified enhanced community quarantine.

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Researchers said the implementation of stricter regulations for the past two weeks slowed down Covid-19 infections in Metro Manila, but efforts should be sustained in the next four weeks to build on the gain. 

Also today, the DOH reported 151 new deaths from the disease, raising the toll to 31,961.

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A total of 13,794 patients recovered from the disease, pushing the total recoveries to 1,695,335.

Despite the surge in cases, nearly all involve patients who are either asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms, according to Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega.

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“We’re seeing roughly about almost 98 percent mild, moderate and asymptomatics for these Covid cases,” said Vega.

About 1.86 percent of the cases are said to be severe or critical.

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“This is kinda different from what we saw in April and last year when it was hovering about three percent for the severe and the critical,” he said.

Despite this, the bed capacity at intensive care units of hospitals across Metro Manila is said to be at a critical or high-risk level of 73%.

Filipinos crammed a Manila mall to get vaccinated before the lockdown (Interaksyon photo)

Vega encouraged more Filipinos to get vaccinated, saying this would prevent hospitalizations and severe cases.

As at Aug 22, the Philippines has reportedly vaccinated 13.13 million people, or 18.5 percent of the 70.85 million adult individuals qualified to take jabs.

About 17.26 million others have received their first dose, or 24.36 percent of those qualified.

Experts say a place should have a vaccination rate of at least 70% to provide herd immunity to its population.

Earlier today, the DOH also reported signs of silent community transmissions of the Delta variant in Metro Manila and the neighboring region of Calabarzon, meaning there is a clustering of unlinked cases in both places.

A total of 446 new Delta cases were reported today, bringing the country’s total tally to 1,273.

However, there are fears that the actual number may be far higher, as the Philippine Genome Center is able to handle only a small number of the positive cases.

Of the new cases, 442 are local transmissions, 14 involved returning overseas Filipinos, while 10 are still being verified.

Among the new Covid-19 patients is Armed Forces chief of staff, Lt Gen Jose Faustino Jr, who confirmed today that he tested positive for Covid-19. He is fully vaccinated. ela.

Faustino said he was in high spirits and continued to do his job even while quarantined.

Bello also got Covid-19 but is said to be asymptomatic

His infection comes a week after Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III announced he was tested positive on Aug 14 for the virus in his home in Ilagan, Isabela.

A statement later issued by the Department of Labor and Employment said Bello was asymptomatic and remained in top health. He continued doing his job while in quarantine.

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Returning Indo DH among 5 new imported Covid-19 cases

By Daisy CL Mandap 

It's the second consecutive day that a vaccinated Indonesian DH tested positive on arrival in HK 

Five newly confirmed Covid-19 cases were reported in Hong Kong today, Aug. 23. Three had been fully inoculated with BioNTech jabs, while one received the Sinovac vaccine. The fifth is a nine-year-old girl who is unvaccinated.

Among the new cases is a 37-year-old Indonesian domestic helper who flew in from Jakarta on Saturday. 

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She is the second Indonesian worker in a row to test positive on arrival at Hong Kong International Airport since a flight ban on countries categorized as high risk for the coronavirus was lifted starting on Aug 9.

Like the first case yesterday, the worker obtained her two doses of the BioNTech vaccine in Hong Kong, on May 12 and Jun 2, before flying home. A flight ban imposed by Hong Kong on Indonesia on Jun 25 would have prevented her from returning sooner.

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Both helpers were asymptomatic but were found to carry the L452R mutant strain of the coronavirus commonly linked to the Delta variant.

Three other patients reported as confirmed today also carried the L452R strain, while the test result of one, a 19-year-old male patient who came from the United States, is still pending. All are asymptomatic.

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Among those found with the variant is the young girl who came from Nigeria on Aug 15 and tested positive on her fifth day of quarantine at Ramada Harbour View in North Point.

The two others were found infected on their third day of hotel quarantine. They included a 22-year-old man from Turkey who was also staying at Ramada North Point and the returnee from the US who was quarantined at Ovolo Southside hotel.

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Hong Kong’s total Covid-19 tally now stands at 12,062 confirmed cases.

No new infection was found after testing residents in the Tsuen Wan block  

Meanwhile, an overnight lockdown of a housing block in Tsuen Wan ended this morning with no one among the 275 people tested being found to have the coronavirus.

One tenant was found to have ignored the compulsory testing notice and was fined $5,000. He was also ordered to get tested on or before a designated date, or face further sanctions.

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The ambush lockdown was ordered Sunday night after a 56-year-old man who had stayed in block 1 of Bo Shek Mansion in Tsuen Wan was found to carry the L452R strain, three days after arriving from the United Arab Emirates on Aug 18.

According to CHP, the patient identified as case number 12057 traveled to Dubai on Aug 15, and returned to Hong Kong three days later via flight EK384. His pre-departure and arrival tests at Hong Kong airport had negative results.

But his sample collected on Aug 20 while he was quarantined at Dorset Hotel in Wanchai tested positive for Covid-19. A confirmatory test showed he had the mutant strain although he was asymptomatic.

CHP’s investigation showed he received two doses of the Sinovac vaccine in Hong Kong on Mar 20 and May 1. A blood test conducted on Jul 12 also showed he had antibodies.

As he had stayed in Hong Kong 21 days before testing positive, the government ordered all people in his residential block to get tested overnight, and also on days 3, 7 and 12 from when his case was announced.

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Expert discloses positive results of vaccine mixing, urges elderly to get jabs

By The SUN 

Hung says mixxed vaccination could benefit some people

A government health expert said Sunday that Hong Kong’s zero infection strategy cannot be for the long term, as he disclosed the results of a study that showed it is safe for people to receive a mixture of Covid vaccines. 

Professor Ivan Hung, co-convenor of an expert committee looking at adverse events after Covid-19 vaccinations, said in a television interview that initial findings showed positive results for people who had received mixed vaccines.

He said those who had a BioNTech shot and then a Sinovac jab were found to have lower antibody levels than those who had been given two BioNTech jabs, but they experienced milder side-effects.

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This means people who develop a serious allergic reaction to BioNTech could choose Sinovac for the second dose, Hung said.

He also said taking a different vaccine for a booster shot could benefit those with weakened immune systems.

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“People who have received organ transplants or chemotherapy, as well as chronic disease patients taking biological agents, have generally low level of antibodies after taking two BioNTech or Sinovac jabs. They need to take a booster shot,” Hung said.

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However, he said the HKU research team is still investigating how much protection combining vaccines would offer against the more infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

Hung says the vaccination rate among the elderly is low

The expert also called on more elderly people to get vaccinated, saying this would help move Hong Kong to greater normalcy. 

He noted the low vaccination rate among the elderly, saying only about 30% of residents aged 70-79 have received jabs, and only a tenth of those in the 80-plus bracket.

Hung said the vaccination rate should go up to at least 80% of the Hong Kong population so gathering restrictions can be relaxed further.

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He said while people with coronary heart disease can suffer more from side-effects, most elderly people including those with diabetes or with high blood pressure that is not fully controlled, should not worry about the inoculation as this is safe even for them.

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He also warned those over 75 who get Covid-19 are much more likely to die than younger patients.

 

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Vaccinated Filipino seaman, Indonesian DH among 5 new imported cases

By Vir B. Lumicao

The Filipino seaman had his vaccination certificate from the Phl recognized in HK (File)

A Filipino seaman who arrived from Manila and an Indonesian domestic who returned from Jakarta last Friday are among five new coronavirus cases reported today, Aug 22, all of them imported.

Four of the five patients were found to carry the L452R mutant strain of the coronavirus while the result for the fifth is still pending. They are all asymptomatic.

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The Filipino seaman may be among the first to fly in direct from Manila since Hong Kong lifted its travel ban from all high-risk countries including the Philippines, starting Aug 9.

The seafarer appears to be also among the first travelers to get his vaccination record from the Philippines recognized in Hong Kong.

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The Centre for Health Protection said in a press release that the Filipino seaman, aged 25, flew in direct from Manila via Philippine Airlines flight PR300. He received the full, single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in the Philippines on Aug. 13.

Previously, all sea crew from high-risk countries had to fly to a third country first before boarding a flight for Hong Kong, even if they are classified here as quarantine-exempt.

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Meanwhile, the 31-year-old Indonesian helper is on record as being the first to test positive for Covid-19 after flying in from Jakarta since the flight ban on Indonesia was lifted.

The Indonesian took a Cathay Pacific flight CX798 from Jakarta. She would not have had any problem getting her Sinovac jabs accepted for boarding as she got them in Hong Kong on Mar 23 and Apr 20 before going home for a break.

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She and the Filipino tested positive for Covid-19 on their arrival tests.

The three other cases involved a 9-month-old baby boy and two men, aged 56 and 19, who all arrived on Aug 18 from Dubai via Emirates flight EK 384.

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Staff at the Department of Health said the baby arrived with his father, mother and grandfather, and tested positive on his third day of quarantine at Ramada Grand hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The older man, who had two Sinovac jabs in Hong Kong on Mar 20 and May 1, was confirmed positive on Day 3 of his quarantine at Dorsett Tsuen Wan Hotel. His blood sample tested positive for antibodies on Jul 12 in Hong Kong.

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The young man received two doses of BioNTech in the United Arab Emirates on Jul 7 and Jul 31. He tested positive also on Day 3 at Regal Airport Hotel in Chek Lap Kok.

The newly confirmed cases took Hong Kong’s total tally to 12,058.

Vaccine fragments contaminated a man's blood sample, causing it to test positive

CHP also said in its statement that it has classified the case of a 32-year-old man who had tested preliminary positive as a non-Covid 19 infection as it appeared his specimen sample had been contaminated by fragments of an inactivated vaccine.

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On Aug 16, a man left a specimen with a private doctor in Aberdeen and it tested preliminary positive, but with a low viral load. After he was taken to a hospital, his test results showed he was negative for Covid-19 and positive for antibodies.

The CHP found that the doctor who took the man’s specimen had earlier provided Sinovac inoculation to four people in his clinic, which could have resulted in some residue contaminating the sample.

Genetic analysis of the patient’s specimen conducted by the University of Hong Kong Department of Microbiology also showed his sample was compatible with a Covid-19 vaccine.

The Hospital Authority said a total of 39 confirmed patients are now confined in nine public hospitals and the Infection Control Centre in North Lantau. One patient is in serious condition while the 38 others are stable.

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