Surgery delays cancer patient's return home as donations snowball

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Elma on video call with family in the Philippines set up by a friend after her surgery

A cancer-stricken Filipina domestic worker who was set to go home last Sunday is likely to remain in Hong Kong for a few more weeks, after she decided to undergo brain surgery on Aug 27.

In the meantime, a number of those who have read about the plight of Elma P. dela Cruz, a single mother of two whose breast cancer has metastasized to her brain, have begun sending financial help.

One local employer has reportedly pledged to give $10,000, while a Filipina resident sent $1,000 to a fund set up by a workers support group for the patient.

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Dela Cruz, 39, will be moved shortly to the oncology department of the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital, where doctors operated on her last Friday, said Welfare Officer Virsie Tamayao of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

Tamayao said she spoke with the patient’s attending doctor on Saturday to find out if the hospital already has a discharge plan for her.

“Ang sabi ay ililipat siya sa department of oncology for further treatment and that it might take a long time and only the oncology doctor can tell kung kailan siya puwedeng i-discharge,” Tamayao said in a message.

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“They got my number to call me in case may discharge plan as I have explained the procedures and requirements for her repatriation,” the OWWA officer said.

Tamayao said she would try to find out more about the worker’s condition from her oncologist.

Mary Alejo, a childhood friend and townmate of Dela Cruz who visited her in Eastern Hospital last weekend said the patient appeared stronger than when she took her to the hospital on Aug 25.

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Yesterday, when she visited Dela Cruz again, the hospital staff allowed Alejo to set up a three-way video call with the patient’s parents and two children, and herself, although she had to launch it from outside the doorway because of Covid restrictions.

“She looked better with God’s help. Her condition had improved and she could speak to us better than previously, so her family was very glad,” said Alejo. She added that the patient recognized everyone in the video call. 

Alejo shared a composite photograph of the video call with Dela Cruz and her family, which contrasted with a photo she took right after the surgery, in which the patient looked visibly in pain.

Elma looking much more frail shortly after her surgery

Meanwhile, more kind-hearted people have been sending help to Dela Cruz.

On Friday, Filipino community leader Alann Cayosa Mas said a local employer wanted to give $10,000 for the patient’s needs.

The donor has been asked to deposit the money in an account set up for Dela Cruz by the group Social Justice for Migrant Workers.

Another donor, Filipina resident Evelyn Bernabe sent $1,000 cash for the patient, according to SJMW founder Marites Palma.

As of Sunday night, the group had already raised more than $17,000 for Dela Cruz through a crowd-funding initiative.

The patient who hails from Santiago City, Isabela, had initially decided to return home after the cancer left her blind in one eye, dashing her hope of getting employed again.

She had worked in Hong Kong for less than three years. She was signed up by a Chinese couple and came here to work on Nov 8, 2018. 

When her contract came up for renewal last year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her Chinese employers decided not to rehire her.

Luckily, a kind-hearted British couple signed her up, although they were about to leave Hong Kong for good. They told her to use the time remaining in their contract to get herself treated here.

Early last month, a Hong Kong couple also agreed to hire her even if they knew she had cancer. But an elderly family member disapproved on learning about Dela Cruz’s medical condition, and told the couple to fire her.

But again, the couple told the Filipina that they would continue sponsoring her visa so she could continue her treatment in Hong Kong.

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Indo DH who tested positive while in hospital is one of 2 Covid-19 cases

By The SUN 

The result of day 3 test on the Indonesian worker was 'indeterminate' so she was moved to a hospital

A newly arrived Indonesian migrant worker was listed as one of two imported cases of Covid-19 today, Sept 6. The other is a young male returnee from the United States.

According to staff at the Centre for Health Protection, the 23-year-old Indonesian worker was already in hospital when her infection was confirmed. She was taken there on Sept 1, after her third-day test while in quarantine had an “indeterminate” result.

The woman flew in aboard flight CX2780 from Jakarta on Aug 28, and tested negative on arrival. She remains asymptomatic.

The CHP staff member said her specimen sample is still being tested for the presence of a coronavirus variant.

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She received two jabs of the Sinovac vaccine in Hong Kong on Mar 7 and Apr 6.

The other patient is a 20-year-old male who arrived from the United States on Sept 2 via flight CX881.

He developed symptoms the next day, and tested positive for the L452R mutant strain of the coronavirus on the third day of his quarantine at Silka Far East Hotel in Tsuen Wan.

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He received two doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the US on Apr 13 and May 4.

The CHP staff said fewer than five preliminary positive cases are being investigated.

The two new confirmed cases took Hong Kong’s total Covid tally to 12,129. So far, 11,821 of the confirmed patients have been treated and discharged, according to data from the Hospital Authority. 

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As of 9am today, 53 confirmed patients are still confined in nine public hospitals and the infection control centre at North Lantau Hospital. All of the patients are stable except one, who is listed in serious condition.

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No scientific basis for separate quarantine for FDWs, protesters say

By Daisy CL Mandap 

Balladares and Sringatin say HK should let employers choose FDWs' quarantine hotels 

Protesters have hit out at the Hong Kong government for what they called its discriminatory policy of designating a quarantine hotel for newly arrived foreign domestic workers.

Leaders of the biggest umbrella organization  of FDWs took to Chater Road in Central today, Sept. 5, to stage a socially-distanced protest rally against the government’s decision to order that all incoming migrant workers must spend their quarantine at Silka Tsuen Wan hotel.

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One of the protesters, Sringatin, said there is no scientific basis for the order, which she said, also abets the wrong notion that FDWs are variant carriers.

“We understand the need for us to stay in quarantine, but there is no scientific basis for segregating foreign domestic workers,” said Sringatin, who is the Indonesian spokesperson of the Asian Migrants Coordinating Body.

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Further, she said the segregation only “creates unnecessary tension between locals and FDWs” as it reinforces discriminatory beliefs.

Another speaker, Dolores Balladares, said, “We at AMCB think that designating a hotel for FDWs is discriminatory. Why not allow employers to choose from among 36 quarantine hotels where they want their helpers to stay?”

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Balladares said the reason for requiring all FDWs to spend their quarantine in just one hotel should be made clear.

“The rationale should be clear and it should not violate the rights of employers and workers,” she said.

She also questioned the high cost of a 21-day quarantine at Silka Tsuen Wan, the only designated hotel for arriving FDWs who were vaccinated in either the Philippines or Indonesia.

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She said the $800-per-day charge at Silka is unreasonable, as it is double what the hotel used to charge before it was given the monopoly to quarantine incoming FDWs.

Further, she said the hotel, with just over 400 available rooms, cannot possibly take in the thousands of FDWs who have been waiting for months to come to Hong Kong.

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Even with the additional 800 rooms to be allocated to FDWs at Penny’s Bay quarantine centre, she said it would take months before the workers could all come in.

Police keep a close eye on the mini-protest

In the meantime, she said the workers continue to spend money while waiting to get the  green light to come to Hong Kong.

Those in the Philippines, she said, have been stuck in the country since Hong Kong imposed a ban on passenger flights from there on Apr 20.

Asked if she thought the two-week flight suspension on two Philippine carriers which recently brought in a number of infected travelers would further disrupt travel plans of FDWs, Balladares said it already has.

She said her group, United Filipinos in Hong Kong, staged a separate protest earlier in the day, calling on the Philippine government to give better protection to its stranded travelers.

The call includes tightening anti-pandemic measures to ensure the quality of Covid testing given to people, especially those who go abroad for work.

“We hope the testing is improved so next time there will no longer be workers who will test positive when they arrive in Hong Kong,” Balladares said.

Both AMCB leaders also called for setting up a complaint mechanism to ensure employers comply with their obligation to pay for their workers' hotel quarantine.

According to Balladares, at least one case has been reported to them of a migrant worker being made to repay her employer for the cost of the quarantine.

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3 Filipino domestic helpers among eight new Covid-19 patients

By The SUN

Two more passengers of the virus-plagued Cebu Pac flight have tested positive 

Eight imported cases were reported by the Centre for Health Protection today, Sept. 5, and three of them involve Filipino domestic workers.

All but one of the new patients carried the L452R variant of Covid-19, staff at the government information service said. The test result for one patient, a Cathay Pacific crew,  is said to be still pending.

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The CHP report shows the Filipino patients are two women, aged 35 and 30, and a man aged 23. All had been vaccinated in the Philippines, two with the Sinovac jabs, and the other with Pfizer/BioNTech. All are asymptomatic.

One of the women tested positive on arrival at Hong Kong airport on Sept 3 via Cathay Pacific flight CX 906.

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The other two tested positive on their third day of quarantine at Silka Tsuen Wan hotel.

They both arrived on Sept 1 via Cebu Pacific flight 5J272 which Hong Kong has banned since four of its passengers that day tested positive for the coronavirus with the L452R mutant strain on landing at Hong Kong airport.

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Today’s cases also included two local residents with the L452R mutant strain who were in Hong Kong for part of their infectious period. As a result, the places where they lived and worked were put under compulsory testing notice last night.

The patients are a man aged 60 who lives at Valiant Park, 52 Conduit Road, Mid-Levels, and a woman aged 43, who resides on Block 6, Peak One, 63 Mei Tin Road, Tai Wai.

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They both tested negative in Hong Kong on Aug 20, when they flew out to Kyrgyzstan. But when they returned to Hong Kong on Sept 3 via flight CX654, they tested positive for the variant on arrival test.

Both are asymptomatic and received two doses each of BioNTech on Apr 19 and May 10 in Hong Kong. The man’s blood sample tested positive for antibodies on Jul 9.

The man mainly worked from home during the incubation period while the woman had worked at Flat 1, 2/F, Casey Bldg, 38 Lok Ku Road, Sheung Wan.

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The three other patients are two men, aged 18 and 26, who flew in from the United Kingdom on Sept 1 via flights BA031 from London and LX138 from Zurich.

Both men tested positive on their third day of quarantine – the younger man at Dorsett Mongkok Hong Kong, and the older one at Best Western Plus Hong Kong in Sai Ying Pun.

The lone patient whose variant test result is still pending is a 40-year-old Cathay Pacific male flight crew who arrived from the United States via CX654 on Sept 1, the information staff said.

He was transferred to hospital after testing positive for Covid-19 with the mutant strain on his third day of stay at Headland Hotel in Cathay Pacifc City  

A total of 66 cases have been reported in the past 14 days ending Sept 4, and all of them are imported cases. Hong Kong’s total Covid-19 tally now stands at 12,127.

The Hospital Authority says a total of 52 confirmed patients are being treated in 10 public hospitals and the infection control center in North Lantau Hospital.

One patient, who has been confined since Jan 5, (case 9907) is in serious condition while the remaining 51 patients are in stable condition.

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Filipina DH is lone Covid-19 case today

By The SUN

 

The Filipina arrived in HK on Sept 2, the day before the Cebu Pacific flight was suspended 

A Filipina domestic helper who arrived in Hong Kong aboard a Cebu Pacific Airline flight from Manila is the lone confirmed case of Covid-19 today, Sept. 4.

According to staff at the Department of Health, the 45-year-old Filipina arrived on Sept. 2, a day before Cebu Pacific was suspended from flying from Manila for two weeks after four of its passengers tested positive on arrival in Hong Kong.

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The latest confirmed case was also found to carry the L452R variant of the coronavirus, like the four previous passengers from Manila.

She was fully jabbed with the Sinovac vaccine in the Philippines on Jul 5 and Aug 2.

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A total of 68 cases have been reported in the past 14 days until Sept 3, and all of them are imported cases.

Hong Kong’s total Covid-19 tally now stands at 12,119.

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Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific has advised its passengers booked on flights from Hong Kong to Manila that there will be no flight cancellations, despite the suspension of its inbound flights.

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One FDH worried about her flight to Manila this Sunday, Sept 5, was told this in an advisory. Cebu Pac said its HK to Manila "will proceed as scheduled."

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Death of kin amid pandemic makes OFW give up dream, others hold on

By Vir B. Lumicao 

Maris decided to go home to look after her kids after Covid-19 claimed her mother's life

When word reached Maris Stella S. Candole that her 60-year-old mother succumbed to coronavirus infection on Aug 20, the Cebuana mother of two fell into grief and confusion as she realized the tragedy would derail her plans.

Maris, an energetic hiker and good cook at 33, was upbeat about the future as she was about to begin her third contract as domestic helper in Hong Kong.

She said her employers had asked her to sign a new contract with a salary offer much higher than the minimum just to keep her. The offer would help her pursue her dreams for her two children.

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Initially she vacillated due to the allure of a promised job in Eastern Europe for which she had already paid $16,000 in illicit placement fee.

“My Sir promised me he’d refund the $16,000 I paid the agent and pay me $7,000 starting this September. It’s a very good offer that’s hard to refuse, as they’re good employers and they trust me,” she said in a conversation in mid-July.

A month later, she changed her Facebook profile with a lit candle and poured out her grief over the demise of her Nanay Maria Luisa, whose death from coronavirus was as shocking as it was sudden.

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For a few days, Maris was at a loss choosing between sticking with her job and going back to San Fernando, Cebu, to care for her son Xander, 4, and daughter Doday, 10, now that her mother was gone.

The decision was particularly difficult as she also had to worry about a Php2.3 million house for which she had already paid Php17,300 monthly amortization for the past two years.

But after weighing all her options, Maris decided her two kids needed her more. With regrets, her employers let her go.

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On her way to the airport for her flight home on Aug.30, Maris said her Ma’am hugged her tight for some time and told her she would take her back any time. Her two young wards were also sad.

“Mga amo ko, nag-aantay pa rin sa pagbabalik ko. Kahit after 2 years daw pag maisipan kong bumalik, kontakin ko raw sila at willing silang tanggapin ako ulit. Kasi daw yung trust nila sa akin, yun daw importante,” Maris said.  

(My employers are still waiting for my return. They say even after 2 years, if I decide to return, I’ll just contact them and they will accept me again. They say they trust me and that’s what important to them.)

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But she said coming back would be difficult because her children need her beside them now that their Lola is gone.

“Mahirapan ako kung iba ang mag-aalaga sa mga bata. Tanging sa Nanay lang ako nagtiwala,” Maris said. (It would be hard for me to let other people look after them. It’s only my Mom whom I could trust.)

Maris with her mother, whose sudden death made her decide to forego her HK dreams

She said she’d go back into small business to earn a living for her family.

But for several other Hong Kong-based domestic workers, a death in the family is sadly, not enough reason for them to risk going home amid the raging pandemic and the travel restrictions it entails.

One of them is Nerissa Bioco, who laments the loss of her eldest son Kenny, 19, to asthma on Aug 17. The last time she was with him was in June 2019. She said she was due to take her annual leave again this year but could not, so she mourns quietly.

Mikay Siao is still mourning her father’s death on June 19 due to Covid-19, so does Jing Jing Ortiz, whose mother succumbed to the virus on Apr 2. But they are also stuck in Hong Kong, knowing that they could lose their jobs if they insisted on going home.

Another worker, Louise Jean, said her son died Apr 20, but she could only grieve.

For Loreta Perez, the pain left by her mother’s demise on Jan 29 due to the virus was compounded by her brother’s death on Aug 12. But she could not go home, either. 

As the Covid-19 crisis spreads unchecked in the country, death circles the families of Filipino workers while they toil in various parts of the world to provide a better life to those they left behind.

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Experts confirm Mu variant of Covid-19 already in HK

By The SUN 

WHO says Mu can evade immunity from vaccines and antibodies (File) 

The Department of Health has confirmed that the Mu variant of Covid-19 has been detected in three people who arrived in Hong Kong from Colombia and the United States in June and July.

Mu (also known to scientists as B.1.621) was designated as a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization on Aug 30 because of preliminary evidence that it can evade antibodies.

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According to the DH, the Mu variant was found in a 19-year-old man and 22-year-old woman who had flown into Hong Kong from Colombia in early June.

A 26-year-old woman who came from the United States in late July and was fully inoculated with the BioNTech vaccine was also found to carry it.

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Microbiologist Ho Pak-leung from the University of Hong Kong said Mu was first identified in Colombia in January, and now accounts for over 4,500 cases worldwide.

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Ho called on the government to make cases of the Mu variant public to raise awareness, but added it is not yet known if it is more infectious than Delta, which is now being blamed for the rapid spread of the coronavirus in many parts of the world.

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WHO says the variant has the potential to evade immunity provided by vaccines and antibodies, but little is known about how transmissible it is or whether it could make patients seriously ill.

While the variant makes up less than 0.1% of Covid infections all over the world, it has spread rapidly in Colombia, where it has been identified in 39% of cases. 

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