RAT positives push infection tally to 2,535

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Drs Chuang and Lau at the daily press briefing on the Covid situation

Health officials say there is no need to submit negative results for rapid antigen test (RAT) , as the first of three days of self-testing across the city has kept daily confirmed cases steady at 2,535.

For the first time, the confirmed cases from PCR went down to below three digits, at 897. However, the positive results from RATs went up to 1,638, which suggested that quite a number of people who complied with the government’s recommendation to self-test had been caught in the exercise.

According to Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Center for Health Protection, previous RAT results showed that about 65% of the cases were symptomatic. However, the trend was reversed yesterday, when 70% of the confirmed cases reported no symptoms.

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“This reflects quite a number of people who were asymptomatic had tested themselves and found themselves positive,” said Chuang. “So we have found some asymptomatic cases in the community.”

The CHP expert also told people that it was not necessary to report negative results, saying a number of such reports were made to the government platform, which is meant to receive only positive results so patients can be issued with isolation orders.

Of those who reported their positive results on RATs, she said about 10% were deemed to be high-risk cases, so the patients had to be sent to isolation facilities. The rest were allowed to undergo home isolation.

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The additional confirmed cases pushed Hong Kong’s total infection figure in the fifth wave to 1,188,262.

Among the new cases were 13 imported from overseas, including 11 who tested positive at the airport, and two during quarantine.

Five of those who were caught on arrival tests flew in aboard flight CX 798 from Jakarta on Apr 8, prompting a one-week suspension of that flight operated by Cathay Pacific.

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Chuang also said the death toll from the Omicron outbreak had gone up to 8,705, pushing the death rate to 0.72%.

The deaths included 8,433 recorded in public hospitals, 56 from public mortuaries and three from the privately-run Chinese University Medical Centre.

However, the daily death toll has dropped considerably to 62, including 53 which happened on Friday. The rest were not reported on time.

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Dr Lau Ka-hin of the Hospital Authority said two of the recent fatalities were both males aged below 60. One was 58 years old and had late-stage cancer while the other was 60 and was bedridden due to a neurological problem.

Both passed on in hospital after testing positive for Covid-19.

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Lau said 9,292 patients are being treated in public hospitals and infection control facilities. Among them three were in critical condition and were among 66 patients in intensive care, while 17 were in serious condition.

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Immigration warns of stricter penalties as 7 people arrested over illegal work

by The SUN 

4 of those arrested on suspicion of doing illegal work were women

Immigration officers have arrested a total of six suspected illegal workers and one suspected employer in a series of territory-wide swoop conducted between Apr 6 and 7. Their nationalities were not disclosed.

A statement released by Immigration Friday said 81 locations across the city were raided, including food and beverage areas, a food stall, premises under renovation and restaurants.

The suspected illegal workers comprised two men and four women aged 27 to 36. Among them, two men and one woman held recognizance forms, indicating they are torture claimants prohibited from taking up employment.

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A 62-year-old man suspected of employing the three workers was also arrested.

Immigration again warned that anyone who violates their condition of stay, including visitors  who take up illegal work, whether paid or unpaid, could be prosecuted and face a maximum fine of $50,000 and imprisonment for up to two years.

The penalty is more severe for illegal immigrants, persons who are subject to a removal or deportation order, overstayer or are refused permission to land. If they are found to have taken up employment, established or joined any business, they could be fined a maximum of $50,000 jailed for up to three years.

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But the heaviest penalty could be imposed on those who employ people who are not lawfully employable.

Under the Immigration Ordinance, the penalty for employing illegal immigrants, people subject to deportation or removal, overstayers and those refused permission to land, has been increased to $500,000 and 10 years’ imprisonment from the previous $300,000 fine and 3 years in jail.

Officers of a company such as directors, manager, secretary or partner may also be held criminally liable.

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In addition, the High Court has prescribed an immediate custodial sentence for the employer of an illegal worker.

According to the court decision, employers are required to take all practicable steps to determine whether a person is lawfully employable prior to employment. Apart from inspecting the worker’s HKID the employer must also make enquiries to determine the applicant’s lawful employability.

The court said it will not allow an employer’s failure to exercise due diligence in hiring an employee as a defence in cases of prosecution.

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Employers are also obliged to inspect the travel document of a job seeker who does not have a HK ID card. Failure to do this could result in the employer being prosecuted and sentenced to a maximum fine of $150,000 and imprisonment for up to a year.

Given the stricter laws, Immigration said no one should defy the law by employing illegal workers.

Immigration also said that under the existing mechanism it will screen vulnerable workers, illegal immigrants, sex workers and foreign domestic helpers who are arrested during an anti- illegal work operation to ascertain if they are victims of human trafficking.

If after this initial screening there is an indication that the worker is a trafficked person, Immigration will conduct a full debriefing and identification to see whether any trafficking elements are present, such as threats and coercion during recruitment and exploitation.

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All those identified as trafficked victims will be given assistance in the form of urgent intervention, medical services, counselling, shelter and other support services.

Immigration calls on trafficking victims to report to the relevant departments immediately.

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Pinay facing ill treatment of child and drug charges denied bail

The case was heard at Eastern Court

A Filipina detained for ill-treatment or neglect of two children and possessing drug paraphernalia in a rented room in Wanchai where she was arrested, was denied bail when she appeared Friday, Apr 8, at the Eastern Magistracy.

Mari Manrique, 38, had offered through her lawyer to post a bail of $700 for her temporary release, with the promise that she would enter a drug detox program registered with the Welfare Department, report to police daily and not leave Hong Kong until the case is resolved.

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But the prosecutor objected to Manrique’s request, citing the serious nature of the charges and the risks that her release would entail.

Police had filed three charges against her:

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• Ill treatment or neglect of child aged three years on Sept. 29, 2021.
• Ill treatment or neglect of baby aged 40 days on Feb. 9, 2022.
• Possession of a glass bottle with two openings, one of which was connected to a plastic tube containing traces of methampethamine, and a plastic straw containing traces of methampethamine on Oct 8. 2021.

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The prosecutor, for example, cited Manrique’s drug problem which had affected the baby, who tested positive for methampethamine. 

Manrique’s lawyer replied that she was taking a detox program from Dec. 21 2021 to Feb. 22, 2022 when she was arrested by police for the ill-treatment of the baby

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The baby’s contamination could have been due to Manrique’s body not being fully free of drugs by then, the lawyer explained.

Manrique also jumped bail when she was facing another case between 2018 and 2019.

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The prosecutor also had a previous conviction in a case not similar to the case she now faces. 

“Bail is refused,” Magistrate Jason Wan siu-ming decided, citing the seriousness of the offense and that the case against Manrique is strong.

He adjourned the case to May 5.

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Rapid test results could push up infection figure, says CHP

By The SUN 

People who test positive are being encouraged to report it to the government platform

Health authorities reported Friday that confirmed Covid-19 cases dropped slightly to 2,492 but said that the number could go up by tomorrow as the voluntary three-day rapid tests by residents began.

Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection said that when he checked just before the press briefing, the number of positive cases from rapid tests that were reported on the government platform had gone up compared to previous days.

But he said the true picture from the exercise may not emerge until after later because people are given two days to report their positive test results.

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Au also said that while the reporting is voluntary, those who test positive could benefit from letting the government know about it so they can skip getting  a booster shot for Covid-19, for example, or for those with symptoms or at high-risk to get immediately treated in hospital.

In addition, the government will get a “snapshot” of the real infection situation in Hong Kong, he said.

He made his statement after being told that a survey conducted by a local newspaper showed 2/3 of respondents said they would not cooperate with the exercise, either because they didn't think it was useful, or they were afraid of being forcibly sent to isolation facilities.

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Au said that 1,227 of the new cases were confirmed via PCR tests while 1,265 were reported by people who tested positive in rapid tests.

Eight of the cases were imported, including three who tested positive on arrival in Hong Kong. Two came in from Canada, and the other from Korea. The rest were caught on the 3^rd, 4^th and 7^th day in quarantine, involving travelers from Ireland, Germany, Australia and Singapore.

So far, more than 1.17 million people have been confirmed with Covid-19 in the Omicron outbreak, while 8,430 have died, for a fatality rate of 0.72 percent.

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A total of 86 deaths were reported for the day, including 70 who died in public hospitals on Thursday. A further 16 patients passed away earlier but their deaths were not reported on time.

Two relatively younger patients were among the fatalities.

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One was 45 years old and had cirrhosis of the liver and hepatitis because of habitual drinking. He was admitted to hospital on Mar 14 because he had difficulty breathing. He tested positive on admission, and his condition deteriorated until he died Thursday. He had two vaccine doses.

Another was 60 years old who suffered from lung cancer that had spread to his chest and bones. He was taken to the accident and emergency department of a hospital complaining of shortness of breath. He tested positive on admission, and died shortly after.

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Lau said 9,503 patients were receiving treatment at public hospitals and infection control centres. Among them, nine were in critical condition and 11 in serious condition.

A total of 1, 010 have recovered and discharged.

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Pilipina, kulong ng 2 linggo dahil sa pangungupit ng $500 sa amo

 

Nasentensyahan ang Pilipina sa Eastern Magistracy

Maliit lang kung tutuusin ang $500 na ninakaw ng isang Pilipina kamakailan pero para sa kay Magistrate Jason Wang ng Eastern Court, seryoso ang kaso dahil kasama nito ang paglabag sa tiwala, o breach of trust, at hindi dapat palampasin nang walang kulong.

Sinentensyahan niya kanina ng dalawang linggong pagkakakulong ang Pilipinang si M.C. Liboon, na umamin sa kasalanan sa unang pagdalo niya sa korte.

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Nagsimula ang kaso nang mapansin ng amo ni Liboon na nawawalan siya ng pera sa bahay nila sa Quarry Bay, kaya isa-isa niyang inilista ang mga numero ng pera sa kanyang pitaka.

Noong Apr 6, 2022 ay napansin niya na kulang ng isang pirasong $500 ang laman ng kanyang pitaka. Tiningnan niya ang CCTV sa bahay at nakita si Liboon na kinuha ang kanyang pitaka bago lumabas ng silid. Nang bumalik ito sa silid ay ibinalik ang pitaka.

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Agad na tumawag ng pulis ang amo at nakita sa bulsa ng pantalon ni Liboon ang nawawalang $500.

Bilang paghingi ng awa ng hukom, sinabi ng abugada ni Liboon na dumating ito sa Hong Kong bilang domestic helper noong 2017 upang suportahan ang kanyang inang may sakit sa bato at tatlo niyang ate na pawang walang trabaho. 

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Si Liboon ay dalaga at may nakababatang kapatid na nagtatrabaho naman sa Middle East, dagdag ng abugada.

Namatay ang kanyang ina sa Covid-19 noong 2021 at hindi siya nakauwi.

Nang magkasakit ang anak ng isa sa kanyang ate, sa kanya ito humingi ng tulong.

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At dahil malinis ang rekord ni Liboon at maliit lang naman daw ang halagang ninakaw, humingi ang abugada ng pag-unawa at hiniling na bigyan ng isa pang pagkakataon si Liboon.

Pero ayon sa mahistrado ay dapat na tatlong linggong pagkakakulong ang sentensya ng akusado, pero dahil umamin sya sa kanyang pagkakasala at nagpakita ng pagsisisi, bukod pa sa nabawi ang pera sa kanya, binawasan niya ito ng isang linggo.

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Ayon pa kay Wang, pwede sanang patawan na lang ng parusang community service, o pagsisilbi sa komunidad, si Liboon kung siya sana ay residente.

Pero dahil domestic helper siya na walang sariling tirahan, kailangang sa kulungan niya dapat pagsilbihan ang sentensya sa kanya.

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Smart ID card renewal centers reopen, new skeds set

By The SUN

 

All Smart ID card replacement centres are fully operational from today

From today, all Smart Identity Card Replacement Services have resumed full services, and all residents affected by the service suspension due to the Omicron outbreak may soon be able to have their old HKIDs replaced.

But to ensure that the replacement process is done in an orderly manner the Immigration Department has revised the call-up for persons born in 1954 or before, 1983 to 1984 and 1987 to 2000.

Those who can have their old HKIDs changed from today are those born in 1989, 1990 and 1991, as well as those born in 1954 or earlier.

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Those who were told to start applying for a replacement card starting on Jan 19 this year have been given until Jul 23 to do this. These are the residents who were in 1983,1984, 1987 or 1988.

Those born between 1992 and 1995 can start applying from Jul 25 while those born from 1996 to 2000 can get theirs replaced from Oct 7.

The details of the revised schedules are as follows:

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Those born in 1983, 1984, 1987 or 1988 - January 19 - July 23, 2022

Those born in 1989, 1990 or 1991 - April 8 - July 23, 2022

Those born in 1992, 1993, 1994 or 1995  - July 25 - October 6, 2022

Those born in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 or 2000 - October 7 - December 10, 2022

Those born in 1954 or before - April 8, 2022 - January 14, 2023 

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This amendment order will be tabled for approval by the Legislative Council on Apr 27 but should be implemented retroactively for those who are already allowed to get a replacement ID starting today, or those whose call-up period has been extended.

The previous call-up dates had to be suspended after the Smart ID replacement centers were closed from Feb 4 to Mar 31 this year amid the surge in coronavirus cases.

To avoid crowd gatherings, applicants are urged to make appointments via the Immigration mobile application, online at www.gov.hk/newicbooking or the 24-hour telephone booking hotline, 2121 1234.

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The locations of the Smart ID replacement centers are here: https://gia.info.gov.hk/general/202204/07/P2022040700532_390581_1_1649329314153.pdf 

Residents may also scan the QR codes here: https://gia.info.gov.hk/general/202204/07/P2022040700532_390582_1_1649329314162.pdf to download the Immigration mobile app or to make an online booking.

Immigration also urges applicants to pre-fill the application form when making appointments through the mobile application or the Internet for faster identity card replacement service.

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Applicants are required to bring along their old form of smart identity cards when they proceed to the SIDCCs.

For details of the replacement exercise, check the website www.smartid.gov.hk or call the enquiry hotline at 2824 6111.

 

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