HK’s daily Covid-19 tally drops to 10,405

By The SUN

 

CE holds up a care pack with rapid test kits, masks and medicines to be given away to residents  

Health authorities have reported a total of 10,405 confirmed cases of Covid-19 Friday, the lowest in a month. Four of the cases were imported while the rest were all locally acquired.

Among them, 5,827 were confirmed from rapid test results submitted to a government platform while 4,578 were from PCR tests done by government and private laboratories.

The cases took Hong Kong’s coronavirus tally in the fifth wave to 1,098,998.

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The death toll continued to mount, with 192 cases being reported, including 162 that happened Friday and 30 that occurred earlier.

There are now a total of 6,749 deaths in the 5th wave, raising the death rate to 0.61%.

Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection said that a thorough analysis of the Covid-linked deaths will be made in future to see how many of them were actually caused by the infection.

The study will draw inference from studies made by the World Health Organization and other overseas institutions.

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Responding to a reporter’s questions, Au also confirmed that there was one apparent case of a false positive result from a RAT being reported to CHP. Police are already investigating the case.

He also said daily random sampling of the positive RAT results submitted showed only about 10% of the patients tested negative in confirmatory PCR tests. The patients were sent to Penny’s Bay for isolation and further tests.

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In these cases, he said the individuals concerned were asked for more details, like why the result was negative only a day after the report was made, what brand of testing kit they used, and their exposure to other infected persons.

Au gave several possible explanations for the negative test results like the submitted RAT was a false positive result or they gave a wrong sampling date so that they would have already recovered by the time the PCR test was conducted.

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He said those who want to report an infection that happened more than two days earlier should not use the online platform but send an email to ratp.gov.hk.

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Meanwhile Dr Larry Lee of the Hospital Authority said the newly reported fatalities were mostly aged 65 and above, and half of them resided in care homes.

But they also included younger patients like a 21-year-old man who was bedridden and had a chonic ailment. He was initially taken to Siu Lam Hospital where he tested positive for Covid-19.

On Mar 22 he had shortness of breath and was transferred to Tuen Mun Hospital where his condition turned serious. He died at 2am yesterday.

Lee said that a total of 10,654 patients are being treated in various public hospitals and infection control centers. Among them are 35 patients in critical condition (20 of them unvaccinated) while 48 are in serious condition, and 105 are in intensive care.

The care packs will have 20 rapid test kits and KN95 masks and Chinese medicines

Earlier, the government said it plans to start sending out anti-epidemic packs to all Hong Kong households at the start of next month, and the deliveries should be completed within a week.

The announcement was made by acting home affairs minister Jack Chan who joined Chief Executive Carrie Lam at her daily conference.

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The package will include 20 rapid test kits, 20 KN95 masks and Chinese medicines.

Chan said the packs will be distributed through the Housing Authority, building management firms, the Heung Yee Kuk and volunteer groups.

Residents who fail to get a pack for some reason will be able to obtain one from collection points to be set up later.

CE Lam said that by giving out the test kits, the government hopes people will be encouraged to check themselves for Covid more often so infections can be detected earlier.

She also hit out at a Chinese language daily that she said had published a misleading information about Sinovac.

Reports said she was referring to an article in Ming Pao that said a big majority of vaccinated people who died in the Omicron outbreak had received the Sinovac jab.

The CE said she was “very aggrieved and actually very angry” at the report as it sent the wrong message to the elderly people, their relatives and the whole community.

The CHP had earlier denied the report, saying both the Mainland-made Sinovac and German manufactured BioNTech vaccines are effective in lowering the mortality rate.

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Immigration allows extension of FDH contracts, home leave deferral

By The SUN

 

Filipino workers in end-of-month crush at WorldWide Plaza (File)

Hong Kong’s Immigration Department has allowed employment contracts of foreign domestic helper visas that are expiring on or before June 30 this year to be extended for a further six months as long as the worker and the employer agree.

It also announced that FDHs who are still unable to take their home leave despite being given a one-year visa extension previously may, with the employer’s concurrence, apply for a further extension of their limit of stay until the end of their two-year contract.

Both applications may be filed within eight weeks before the expiration of the contract or the current limit of stay of the FDH.

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In a statement issued earlier today, Immigration said the twin moves are meant to help FDHs and their employers to cope with the continuing Covid-19 pandemic.

It comes ahead of the lifting on Apr 1 of the flight ban on nine countries including the Philippines, where thousands of FDHs have been waiting for months to come into Hong Kong to take up or resume their jobs.

The lifting of the travel ban, along with the reduction of hotel quarantine to 7 instead of 14 days, has also raised hopes for Filipino DHs who have been unable to go back to the Philippines for up to four years to finally be able to take their home leaves.

But as has been the practice since the pandemic broke out, employers are no longer obliged to send their helper back to their home country after each contract.

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This avoids the tricky question of who should pay for the high cost of hotel quarantine on their return to Hong Kong, despite an undertaking by employers that they will pay for the hotel quarantine of a worker who goes on home leave.

Applicants for visa or contract extensions are urged to use Immigration's online portal

In its statement, Immigration said applications for further extension of contracts which had already been extended under previous flexibility arrangements will not be considered.

This means, employment contracts can only be extended once, for a maximum of six months.

As before, Immigration said the new rule is meant to allow employers to keep their current helper if a replacement worker cannot be arranged to come to Hong Kong within the six-month extension.

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If the new helper could still not come despite the six-month extension the employer is advised to consider applying to renew the contract of their existing FDH or let go.

On the other hand, the deferral of home leave for up to the entire two-year duration of the employment contract is meant to prevent workers getting stuck in their home country because of Hong Kong’s strict travel and quarantine restrictions.

However, Immigration advised employers to arrange for their FDHs to return to their place of origin within the extended limit of stay.

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The last time Immigration allowed a six-month extension of expiring FDH contracts and a further deferral of home leaves was on Sept 28 last year, for contracts or visas that were expiring on or before  the end of December. 

This was a month after the first travel ban on the Philippines which lasted for four months, was lifted.

Immigration urged both the workers and their employers to take note of the limit of stay of the FDHs and passport validity, and arrange for applications for visas and replacement of passports in advance.

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As a final reminder Immigration urged those concerned to submit visa and other employment applications for FDHs through the dedicated "Online Services for Foreign Domestic Helpers" webpage at www.immd.gov.hk/fdh.

This service is meant to reduce face-to-face interactions and cut down on the number of people in Immigration offices, apart from being convenient and time-saving for all.

Upon approval of their applications, the applicants may pay the visa fee through various means and download the "e-Visa" on their personal mobile devices or print the "e-Visa".

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The dedicated webpage may also be used to check on the status of their applications and submit supplementary documents or give notice of premature termination of an employment contract. Relevant details may be accessed through this press release: www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202112/22/P2021122200489.htm).

All enquiries on employment rights and benefits of FDHs may be directed to the Labor Department’s dedicated FDH hotline at 2157 9537 or by email to fdh-enquiry@labour.gov.hk.

The dedicated FDH Portal (www.fdh.labour.gov.hk) set up by the LD also provides information and useful links relating to the employment of FDHs.

For enquiries on FDH visa applications, contact Immigration’s enquiry hotline at 2824 6111 or send email to enquiry@immd.gov.hk.

The full statement from Immigration can be accessed here: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202203/25/P2022032500221.htm

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Police investigate suspected faking of positive rapid test result

By The SUN

People who falsely report a positive result on a rapid test can face prosecution

 

The Centre for Health Protection has called on the public to be truthful when declaring their positive results from rapid antigen tests to a government platform (www.chp.gov.hk/ratp/) as it reported one case of suspected fake reported result.

According to a statement issued by CHP on Thursday, the case was referred to police for follow-up and possible prosecution.

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Apart from this, 170 people who tested negative on random confirmatory PCR tests have been sent to Penny’s Bay Community Isolation Facility for further observation and testing.

The CHP said it conducted the tests on 11,992 randomly selected individuals who reported their RAT results on the platform.

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While no prosecution has been made of people who do not report their positive RAT results, health officials say those who do make a report should be truthful or they could be prosecuted for making false declarations.

As of Thursday, Mar 23, the CHP said it had received a total of 390,340 effective submissions to the platform.

 

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To complete the process, individuals who have completed the initial declaration must use a link provided in the SMS message to upload supporting documents, including a copy of their HK ID cards and a photo of their positive RAT results, within 24 hours.

They will then be issued by CHP with isolation or quarantine orders which they can download.

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The declaration platform was launched on Mar 7 for those who have tested positive on RAT so their cases could be followed up for treatment and isolation.

RAT results are also important in helping the government to get a more accurate picture of the extent of infection in the community.

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"In order to facilitate the CHP to grasp the epidemic situation more accurately as well as to provide more appropriate and timely support for patients with higher risks, it is of paramount importance that individuals truthfully report positive cases via the Declaration System without delay,” said the statement.

The information submitted to CHP can also serve as a formal record of one’s infection and recovery which will be necessary in scheduling vaccination, sick leave arrangements and certification for traveling, said the statement.

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For example, recovered persons may present relevant records issued by the Declaration System to be exempted from the Vaccine Pass within the validity period, or to get the required number of doses to complete their vaccination.

In future recovered persons will be given individual QR codes which they can download online, and add to their vaccination records.

For Filipino migrant workers, documents from the Declaration System can also serve as proof of their Covid-19 infection in claiming a USD200 financial assistance from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

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Indonesian DH dies of Covid-19

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

The Indonesian helper who had no previous illness died at Kwong Wah Hospital

Health authorities have reported that an Indonesian domestic helper with no prior health issues  was among the 152 patients with Covid-19 who passed away in public hospitals yesterday.

An additional 42 patients died earlier but their cases were not reported on time, while seven other cases that happened outside public hospitals were added, for a cumulative figure of 201 deaths for the day.

According to Dr Larry Lee of the Hospital Authority, the 45-year-old Indonesian woman had two doses of the BioNTech vaccine.

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On Mar 21 she had a fever, chills, and lost her appetite. The next day she was unable to get up and was rushed to Kwong Wah Hospital. She became unconscious along the way and when tested, was found infected with Covid-19. 

Her condition deteriorated and she died at 1:48 am yesterday. Her case has been referred to the coroner for further investigation.

Another FDH, a Filipina, also died on Mar 6 after testing positive for Covid-19 at Caritas Medical Centre in Sham Shui Po, and may well be the first migrant worker to succumb to the disease in Hong Kong.

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However, the death of 53-year-old Magelyn Distor Handoy was not included in the daily report of Covid-19 fatalities. Her relatives say they have yet to be told of the official cause of death.

Among today’s fatalities were seven aged below 65 years old, including a 24-year-old man with late-stage cancer who tested positive for Covid-19 after being taken to Tuen Mun Hospital on Mar 18.

His condition deteriorated and despite being given a number of oral medicines, he died at 4am yesterday.

Another case involved an unvaccinated 48-year-old man with brain tumor who was taken to United Christian Hospital on Dec 27, and was subsequently moved to Haven of Hope Hospital. He contracted Covid on Mar 3, and died after his condition worsened.

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The additional cases reported today pushed Hong Kong’s total Covid-19 related deaths in the fifth wave of the infection to 6,557, amounting to a death rate of 0.6%.

Dr Lee reiterated that the figures merely reflect the number of people who died and were tested positive for the coronavirus before or after death. He said there could have been factors other than the virus that caused their death, and a further analysis of all the cases is needed.

Dr Au says further analysis is needed to determine if all the recorded fatalities died of Covid-19

Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection echoed the statement, saying, “We have to conduct an in-depth analysis with HA on the cause of death in relation to Covid, or if they just happened to have Covid.”

Au also said that the death rate, said to be the highest in the world, remains high because the epidemic situation in Hong Kong is still severe and the vaccination rate among the elderly remains low.

The mortality rate among those aged 80 years old and above is said to be 11.45% for those who weren’t unvaccinated or just had one dose of a vaccine, but is just 3.38% for those who had at least two jabs, or three to four times more.

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Overall, Au said those who are unvaccinated or have incomplete vaccination are likely to die from Covid,16 times more than those who had two doses.

Au also reported that a total of 13,074 confirmed infections were recorded yesterday, reflecting a slight increase from yesterday’s figure of just over 12,000.

The number of reported results from rapid antigen tests was 7,342 while those from PCR was 5,732. One imported case was recorded.

They raised the cumulative number of cases in the fight wave to 1,085,953.

A total of 11,193 patients are being treated in public hospitals and the community isolation facility at AsiaWorld-Expo.

Among these are 40 who are in critical condition (18 of them unvaccinated) and 64 in serious condition. The number of critical patients who are in intensive care total 108.

Over the past 24 hours, 1,385 patients have been discharged from hospitals.

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Two priests warn OFWs against scammers recruiting for Dubai

 

Not all departures are for the better, as one OFW found out when she went to Dubai.

Two Catholic priests who have been offering temporary shelter to Filipino migrant workers thrown out of their accommodations by their employers and boarding house-mates after testing positive for Covid-19, have warned against employment recruiters in Hong Kong who are offering jobs in Dubai.

They may end up being forced into prostitution, according to Fr. John Witherspoon and Fr. Jun Jacobe, both Oblates who help distressed foreign domestic helpers through the Mercy Foundation, which operates a number of hostels to shelter them.

The two stumbled upon the racket after rescuing an OFW who had tested positive for Covid-19, and was left behind by a flight bound for Dubai.

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“One of the women in our care,” Fr. John related, “was about to go to Dubai. But she tested positive and could not go. And she got word from a friend who had gone ahead of her that the job she applied for was bogus, a scam and she was caught up in sex work.”

“(Being left behind because of Covid-19 was) a sad thing but it turned out into a blessing for her to stop her from going to that chap in Dubai,” added Fr. John.

“They were bound for Dubai. I don’t know where they got the contact. But I think from the internet, from Facebook,” Fr. Jun said.

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They were offered free accommodation and free ticket going to Dubai. “So the offering was still domestic helper and when they arrived at (Hong Kong) airport, they both tested positive,” he said.

For some unexplained reason, one managed to board the plane. However, when she arrived in Dubai, she told her friend who had remained in Hong Kong that she was taken right away to a sex den.

Fr Jun added, "And the one who became victim continued to communicate to the one left behind that she is now inside a jail."

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This kind of recruitment, which is illegal under Philippine laws, is not new.

In September 2019, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration said it has received reports that overseas Filipino workers in Hong Kong, Singapore and Cyprus have been lured into transferring to another country like Dubai, Mongolia, Turkey and Russia.

Despite paying huge placement fees, they later found out the conditions of employment were not what they had in mind; or worse, the offered jobs were non-existent.

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 “They were able to travel to third countries using tourist visas and even without assurance of employers waiting for them. Those who found employment later were sometimes abused by the employers, and for lack of proper work documents, the hapless workers were arrested and deported by immigration authorities,” POEA said.

The POEA reiterated its warning to Filipino workers employed overseas to be more careful about accepting offers of employment in another country.

 

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Covid-19 cases drop to 12,240

By The SUN 

Dr Tsui holds up a graph showing the steady decline in Covid cases

Hong Kong has recorded 12,240 newly confirmed Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, the lowest daily tally in three weeks.

Among these cases, 7,990 were rapid test results reported to a government platform while 4,250 were confirmed through PCR tests in laboratories.

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The additional cases took Hong Kong’s total tally in the fifth wave of the infection to 1,075,519

At today’s press conference, Dr Edwin Tsui, controller of the Centre for Health Protection, used a graph in explaining that after the cases peaked in early March there has been a downward trend in infections, but warned of further fluctuations.

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He said what is crucial at this stage is to get more people vaccinated, especially the elderly. He said only about 55% of residents in care homes have been vaccinated because many of them recently came down with the virus and will have to wait a few months to get jabbed.

Tsui said the CHP’s objective is to inoculate as many care home residents as possible so the vaccination rate could go up to 90% by the end of April.

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Elsewhere in the city, only 70% of those aged 70 years old and above have been vaccinated, meaning about 280,000 others have yet to get a jab.

A total of 205 new Covid-related deaths were reported, including 170 that happened on Tuesday. The fatalities included a 29-year-old man who was fully vaccinated but suffered from a serious thyroid disorder.

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Dr Larry Lee from the Hospital Authority said the man was first taken to Tuen Mun Hospital in late February with fever and shortness of breath. His condition continued to fluctuate and on Mar 3 tested positive for Covid-19.

His condition deteriorated sharply yesterday and he became unconscious before he died. His case has been referred to the coroner for further investigation.

Apart from him there were three other patients aged below 60 years old. All had underlying medical problems.

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An additional 35 deaths that happened earlier were reported, involving patients aged 51 to 102.

A total of 6,356 people have died in the fifth wave, pushing the death rate to 0.59 percent.

The HA said 11,485 people are being treated in various public hospitals and the community isolation facility at AsiaWorld-Expo.

They include 38 who are in critical condition, 23 of whom are unvaccinated; and 73 who are in serious condition. There are a total of 103 patients in intensive care.

In the past 24 hours 1,058 patients had recovered and were discharged.

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