6th wave is coming, says CHP

By The SUN

 

Officials are checking if an Omicron sub-variant had spread at McDonald's in Cityplaza 

The Centre for Health Protection has warned that it is only a matter of time before the sixth wave of Covid-19 infections hit Hong Kong.

CHP’s Dr Albert Au said there is no specific indicator of the sixth wave but authorities will continue to monitor the trend of the pandemic while keeping an eye on the number of new hospital admissions, patients in intensive care and deaths.

He advised everyone to get their next dose of a Covid vaccine as soon as possible as the antibodies will decline over time, and the virus will continue to mutate.

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Au reported 237 new Covid-19 cases, including three family members who had dined at a McDonald’s outlet in Cityplaza, Tai Koo Shing at about the same time as a newly-arrived 64-year-old woman who was found to carry the BA.2.12.1 sub-variant of Omicron.

He said the CHP was waiting for the results of DNA analysis and sequencing to find out if the three family members, a 41-year-old woman and two boys aged 8 and 9, who live in block C of Mount Parker Lodge in Quarry Bay, also have the subvariant.

"There was an overlap of more than 10 minutes between their visits... at the moment, we cannot confirm if these three infections are linked to the 64-year-old woman," said Au.

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The woman had flown in from the United States with her 65-year-old husband and stayed at the Lan Kwai Fong hotel. They tested negative while in quarantine but were found infected with the Omicron sub-variant when they went for their follow-up test on day 12 of their arrival.

Tests carried out by CHP showed the sub-variant found in the couple had the same genetic sequencing as that found in a man and his son who had flown in from Nepal and stayed in the same hotel at about the same time.

Of the newly reported cases, 25 involved patients who recently flew in from abroad. They included 13 who were detected at the airport after flying in from the U.S., Singapore, India, Canada, and German.

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Among the imported cases is a 46-year-old man who tested positive for Covid-19 at a community centre 12 days after arriving from Singapore. He had three jabs of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Au said the man had a relatively high viral load, but no other case was detected from the same hotel where he stayed during quarantine.

Officials are now trying to find out how he acquired the virus.

Among the new local cases, three more were traced to Benchmark training centre in Shueng Wan, raising the tally in the outbreak there to 24. The patients are two students and one male staff member.

A related cluster at the nearby Tam Jai Sam Gor Mixian on Queen's Road Central also added one more case involving another student at Benchmark. There are now nine patients in this cluster, and all except one are students at Benchmark.

Au said a student at Benchmark has told investigators they were allowed to take off their masks when talking in class.

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The overall tally from the fifth wave now stands at 1,197,765.

The related death toll is steady at 9,157 as no new Covid-related death was reported on Sunday.

But of the 512 patients being treated in public hospitals and various treatment facilities, nine are in critical condition and nine are in serious condition.

OFWs protest forced PhilHealth contribution, other mandatory fees

By Daisy CL Mandatory 

Palma (with mic) asks why the govt is slow to give help but quick to collect fees

Several groups of Filipino migrant workers staged a protest Sunday against a raft of fees that the Philippine government is set to levy on them, including mandatory insurance and contributions to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) and Pag-IBIG Fund.

The protest was held outside the United Centre building in Admiralty where the Philippine Consulate offices are located.

If the 5% premium on their monthly salary for Social Security System is collected at the same time, a Filipino domestic worker earning minimum wage would end up paying almost Php40,000 (more than HK6,000) for each year that they are working abroad.

Marites Palma, founder of Social Justice for Migrant Workers, said the planned collection of additional fees from all overseas Filipino worker is unconscionable and should be opposed.

“Wala ni isang kusing na ibinibigay sa atin ang gobyerno, tapos tayo pa ang may utang ngayon?” she asked. (The government does not give us any cent, but it now appears we are  indebted to it)

Palma’s group has been carrying out fund-raising efforts to support the needs of OFWs in Hong Kong, particularly those who are undergoing quarantine and those who are sick and jobless.

A few of those who contracted Covid-19 did manage to collect the US$200 financial assistance from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), she said, but this was only after a wait of up to three months.

“Bakit ganoon katagal ang suporta? Pero kung maningil, ang bilis,” she added. (Why does it take them a long time to give support? When they manage to act quickly when they want to collect money from us).

Recently, the national health care agency, PhilHealth, announced that it would start collecting its 4% share of workers’ salaries, including overseas Filipinos, from next month. That will result in OFWs in Hong Kong paying no less than Php14,400 each year.

Another burden is the mandatory insurance that the Department of Labor and Employment ordered imposed on all OFWs as early as March this year, ostensibly to help ensure their safety and well-being during the continuing pandemic.

The premium imposed by Philippine agencies for what is essentially a life insurance on the worker, currently amounts to US$144 (Php7,488) for each two-year contract.

Added to this is the compulsory payment to the Pag-IBIG Fund, the government’s housing agency, which collects a minimum of Php1,200 per year for membership.

A Pag-IBIG executive said in a recent interview with The SUN that the announced agreement to tie up their collection of membeship fees from OFWs to the issuance of the overseas employment certificate is being done in stages, so it is currently still not being enforced in Hong Kong.

However, the agreement between Pag-IBIG and the soon-to-be-defunct Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) has already been signed and published, and it will just be a matter of time before it is fully implemented. 

Asuncion says PhilHealth is useless and just serves as additional burdern on OFWs 

Nida Asuncion, vice chairperson of the Filipino Migrant Workers Union, said the forced membership of HK OFWs in PhilHealth is useless, as they are already covered by a medical cum life insurance that their employers here are obliged to take out in their name.

Those with families back in the Philippines won’t benefit from PhilHealth either, she said, as the government there requires all those aged 18 years old and above, to be covered by insurance as well.

“So, saan napupunta ang koleksyon ng PhilHealth?” Asuncion asked. (So where does the money collected by PhilHealth go?).

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She recalled that PhilHealth was embroiled in a corruption scandal, in which its board members allegedly misused Php18 billion in members’ funds.

“Pera natin yun, pero walang nangyari,” she said  (That was our money, but nothing came out of that investigation).

Lei Besana, chairperson of Gabriela Hong Kong, also lamented why OFWs are being forced to pay for an insurance that is of no use to them.

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She called on fellow OFWs to challenge the incoming administration of presumptive president Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to do right by them and halt the collection of all the mandatory fees.

Dolores Balladares-Pelaez, chairperson of United Filipinos-Migrante Hong Kong said in a statement that OFWs are trapped into paying for the various fees because they are all tied to the issuance of the overseas employment certificate or OEC, which vacationing workers need to get back to their workplace.

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Particularly burdensome, she said, is the mandatory PhilHealth payment which will take a big chunk off an OFW’s already tight budget.

“What enrages us more is that we must pay the premiums annually even though we have no use for it,” she said.

Further, she said the anomalous transactions linked to at least two of the government agencies concerned make OFWs feel they have been turned into milking cows for corrupt officials.

“We cannot move past the PhilHealth scandal in the recent years, wherein 15Php billion was lost to corruption, or the anomalous SSS purchases. There was no resolution reached, and these scandals were swept under the rug. Can you blame us then for resisting these extortion schemes?,” she asked.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Pelaez said more mass actions are being planned to oppose the mandatory fees, not just in Hong Kong but in many key places abroad where there are a lot of OFWs.

Babae nahulog sa bintana habang nagsasampay; mga OFW pinag-iingat

 

Ipinagbawal ang paglilinis ng bintana ng domestic helper mula pa noong 2017.

Pinag-iingat ang mga OFW sa pagsasampay ng mga nilabhan sa labas ng kanilang bintana upang maiwasan ang nangyari sa isang residenteng nahulog mula sa kanilang bahay sa Ho Man Tin nitong Sabado.

Ayon sa anak nito, nagsasampay ang isang 66 taong gulang na babae ng mga nilabhan sa laundry rack sa kanilang bintana nang madulas ito at mahulog.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Natagpuan ng mga emergency worker ang babae na nakahandusay sa podium ng  Kwun Shing House, Kwun Tak Court, sa Ho Man Tin.

Patay na nang daldhin ito sa ospital.

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Ayon sa data mula sa Labout Department, ang pagkahulog ay isa sa mga pangkaraniwang aksidenteng nagsasanhi ng pagkamatay o pinsala sa katawan ng mga manggagawa sa Hong Kong.

Mayroong malawakang kampanya ang Occupational Safety and Health Council para sa mga kumpanya  na siguruhin na ang kanilang mga empleyado ay sumusunod sa mga patakaran upang maiwasan ang ganitong aksidente.

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Ito rin ang dahilan kung bakit nagkaroon ng patakaran mula pa noong January 2017 para sa mga domestic helper tungkol sa paglilinis ng labas ng mga bintanang mula first floor pataas.

Ayon sa patakaran, pwede lang utusan ng mga employer ang kanilang domestic helper na maglinis ng labas ng bintana kung mayroon silang balcony na pwedeng tungtungan, o kung wala ay dapat sumunod sa dalawang kondisyon:

·         Ang bintana ay may grille na naka-lock.

·         Walang parte ng katawan ng helper ang lalabas sa bintana kundi ang kanyang mga braso.

PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE

Kasama ang patakarang ito sa mga employment contract na pinirmahan ng mga domestic helper at kanilang employer.

Govt rules out relaxing border control as 228 new Covid cases reported

By The SUN

 

Chan says now is not the time to relax measures against importation of cases (File)

Those who are hoping for a further relaxation of border control measures such as doing away with hotel quarantine or flight suspensions may be in for a long wait.

Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan said on a TV program Sunday that the government must still stand by its policy of preventing the importation of cases amid worries about a possible sixth wave of infections.

“Many have been asking for canceling the flight suspension mechanism, but if flights from other regions transport too many cases into Hong Kong, the risk of Covid breaking out in local communities will increase as well,” Chan said.

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She instead called for closer monitoring amid reports that several Omicron sub-variants have been brought in by people who arrived from overseas.

Chan also warned people to remain vigilant despite the recent relaxation of more anti-Covid measures, including the reopening of bars and karaokes.

Meanwhile, the Centre for Health Protected reported 228 new Covid-19 cases, including several from outbreaks in a primary school, training center and a restaurant.

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CHP’s Dr Albert Au said 16 of the new cases were imported, including five detected at the airport and the rest during hotel quarantine.

Those who were found infected on arrival had flown in from the United States, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia.

Au also said three cases involved students who attended the same classes in a secondary school in the Southern district. One was confirmed earlier, while the two other students last attended school on Wednesday and tested positive on Friday.

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The Benchmark training center in Sheung Wan was hit by four more cases Saturday, raising the total infection from that cluster to 21 so far.

The four patients who attended classes at Benchmark went to the Tam Jai Sam Gor Mixian on Queen's Road Central (where a separate cluster has emerged) on May 13 and tested positive on Thursday.

The restaurant cluster now has eight cases, seven of them students at Benchmark.

Fears that more cases could emerge from the Lan Kwai Fong Hotel where an Omicron sub-variant appears to have been transmitted between guests have prompted the CHP to order tests for all residents and staff of the hotel.

According to Au, one of the 15 environmental samples taken from the hotel tested positive for Covid while another had an indeterminate result.

A day earlier, CHP revealed that the Omicron BA.2.12.1 sub-variant detected in two hotel guests from Nepal had been passed on to a couple who also spent their quarantine there.

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The couple who had flown in from the US tested positive on day 12 of their arrival, or five days after they had left quarantine, during which they had visited 11 places in the Eastern district, including several restaurants.

From the latest genomic sequencing, CHP identified 10 more patients carrying the BA.2.12.1 sub-variant, comprising five men and five women aged between 22 and 44, who arrived in Hong Kong between May 11 and 18.

Hong Kong has so far detected 56 such cases.

The BA.4 sub-variant was also found in two more cases, raising the total number of such cases to 11. The recent patients were both men who arrived from the U.S. and Mexico.

Dr Lau Ka-hin of the Hospital Authority reported no new Covid-related deaths.

He said 533 patients are now confined in various public hospitals and treatment facilities. Amng them, 10 are in critical condition and 10 are in serious condition.

In the past 24 hours, 84 patients recovered from Covid, and 68 of them have been discharged. 

4th Covid jab now available for those aged 18 and above

By The SUN

 

The 4th dose is available to practically anyone aged 18 and above who wishes to get it

The government announced today, May 21, that individuals aged 18 to 59 who have not been infected with Covid-19 may receive a fourth vaccine dose if they are at higher risk of infection, or for personal reasons.

People aged 60 and above have been encouraged to take the fourth jab since April as they are deemed to be at high risk of suffering severe symptoms, or even death.

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The government statement said the second booster jab is available to anyone, whether they had Sinovac or BioNTech for their previous doses.

But the public is reminded that according to expert advice, a fourth dose for those aged 18 to 59 is best taken at least six months from their third dose.

Pindutin para sa detalye

For those previously infected with Covid-19, they can now they can receive their third dose six months after they have received their second dose or after recovery, whichever is later.

From today until May 25, those who wish to take the fourth dose may go directly to any community vaccination centers, except those located at private or public hospitals and the CVC at Leighton Centre to get a same-day ticket for vaccination.

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Afterwards, or starting at 8 am on May 26, they will have to make an appointment for vaccination through the designated website of the Covid-19 Vaccination Programme (www.covidvaccine.gov.hk).

According to the statement, experts believe that a fourth dose of a Covid-19 vaccine among younger people could provide “transient additional protection against infection and symptomatic diseases.”

Those who may want a second booster are those who need it for studies abroad, or fulfill the requirement for overseas travel.

But it is specially recommended for those with a higher risk of contracting the coronavirus, such as those who work in healthcare settings such as residential care homes or take part in anti-epidemic related work.

Apart from the 26 CVCs and 13 hospital vaccination stations, free vaccination is provided at 43 designated public out-patient clinics, over 1,000 private doctors and clinics providing the Sinovac vaccine, and 75 venues operated by private healthcare institutions providing BioNTech.

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The decision to allow younger people to take the second booster shot is part of the interim recommendations by a committee of experts advising the government on its Covid response.

Their interim consensus may be viewed in the following press release: www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202205/20/P2022052000284.htm

Tram fare increase nears approval after getting lawmakers’ support

Trams are a common sight on Hong Kong island

An  increase in tram fares neared approval today after it won support from members of the Legislative Council’s Panel on Transport.

The Legco panel is the last obstacle before the proposal of Hong Kong Tramways to raise fares -- from HK$2.60 to HK$3 for adults, from HK$1.30 to HK$1.50 for those under 12 and from HK$1.2 to HK$1.30 for elderly people -- is brought to the Executive Council for final approval.

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Among the lawmakers who have voiced support for the fare increase were lawmakers Chan Siu-hung and Perry Yiu who said the tram is more than just a mode of public transport and is popular with locals and tourists alike.

A paper presented during the meeting showed that Tramways had seen its profits dwindling from 2018, when the fares were last adjusted, to end as a loss last year.

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It made a profit of $47.5 million  in 2018, $28.9 million in 2019, and $10.3 million in 2020, before plunging to a loss of $3 million in 2021.

 This was due to a decline in the number of passengers taking the trams due to the expansion of the rail network, a reduction of people going out during the pandemic and increased costs.

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In the Legco panel meeting, Tramways managing director Cyril Aubin said that despite the fare increase, the tram is still the cheapest mode of public transport.

"At HK$3, our low fare positioning in the public transport ecosystem will be unchanged. Still, we will be almost 30 percent cheaper than the cheapest bus," he said.

He said the fare increases would enable Tramways to earn an additional HK$13 million to HK$14 million in revenue each year.

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Passenger fares account for 40% of Tramways' revenues, which advertising accounts for 50%; other sources of revenues include tram rental for private parties. 

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Cross-infection in quarantine hotel, Covid outbreak in training school reported

By Daisy CL Mandap

The couple from the US is believed to have been infected during quarantine at Lan Kwai Fong hotel

At least 17 people who have taken lessons at a training school in Sheung Wan have tested positive for Covid-19, while a couple who arrived from the United States is suspected to have caught an Omicron sub-variant during quarantine at the Lan Kwai Fong hotel.

These were revealed at today’s press conference on the Covid-19 situation, during which health officials also reported 291 new infections, 26 of them imported.

According to Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection, the couple who arrived from San Francisco, USA on May 3 on flight CX851, had both tested negative throughout their seven-day quarantine at Lan Kwai Fong@ UFong hotel.

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However, the 64-year-old woman developed symptoms and tested positive on day 12 of their arrival during the required follow-up testing. Her 65-year-old husband was asymptomatic but also tested positive with a low Ct value, suggesting a new infection.

Further tests showed the couple who were both triple-jabbed, carried the Omicron BA.2.12.1 sub-variant.

Genomic sequencing showed the mutant virus they carried was identical to that found in a father-and-son duo, aged 62 and 27, respectively, who arrived from Nepal on May 7 and tested positive on days 4 and 6 of their stay in the same hotel.

Pindutin para sa detalye

Government adviser on infectious diseases, Dr Yuen Kwok-yung, has been asked to check out the hotel to find out how the cross-infection might have occurred.

Meanwhile, the Benchmark training school in Sheung Wan has been found to be at the centre of a new Covid-19 outbreak.

According to Au, 17 cases involving 15 students and two staff at Benchmark have been found infected after the training school was linked to another outbreak at the nearby TamJai SamGor Mixian restaurant.

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Four of the five infected people who had eaten at the restaurant at about the same time on May 13 had taken classes at Benchmark.

Au said no new cases had emerged from TamJai, but there were two additional infections linked to the Imperial Kitchen in Kwun Tong, raising the total tally there to 30 so far.

Environmental samples have been taken from Benchmark but the test results have yet to be released.

A Benchmark training session in progress (Facebook photo)

As for the schools, he said 18 additional cases were reported by 17 schools, involving 13 students and five teachers and staff. 

Of the 26 imported cases, 17 were detected at the airport, and eight in quarantine hotels.

The patients had flown in from Canada, Taiwan, Singapore, US, India, France, United Arab Emirates, Spain and Australia.

The additional cases took Hong Kong’s total tally from the fifth wave of infections to more than 1,197,000.

The corresponding death toll also climbed to 9,157 after four more Covid-related deaths were reported yesterday.

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Hospital Authority's Dr Lau Ka-hin said the new deaths involved a man and three women aged between 64 and 95. One had received the booster jab but the other three had no vaccination record. 

As of the latest bulletin, 553 patients were confined at public hospitals and treatment facilities. One patient is in critical condition, another in a serious condition. They are among 10 who are now receiving treatment at the intensive care unit.

In the past 24 hours, 91 patients have recovered from Covid-19 and 69 of them have been discharged. 

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