22 COVID-19 cases identified

January 12, 2022

Centre for Health Protection Communicable Disease Branch Head Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan:

For the (preliminary positive) 19-year-old (male patient), who is studying in secondary school, living in Yau Tong, actually we are investigating the possible source of infection.

He is actually a relative of a confirmed (COVID-19) case, case number 12913. 

We are suspecting whether there is any linkage among the relatives. We will put all those symptomatic close contacts to test and quarantine those asymptomatic relatives and they will be also tested. So, to find out whether there is any other silent transmission in the family. 

For the (case involving) a security guard at the Penny's Bay (Quarantine Centre), she was wearing full personal protective equipment, including mask and face shield, everything, during work, and she has no direct contact with any of those residents (at the quarantine centre). 

She was only responsible for patrolling, distributing some of the resources, and also carrying some luggage to the door of those (units where) people are under quarantine. 

So, it is considered that the risk for her to transmit the illness to other residents at the quarantine centre is very low. 

But of course, she has some colleagues who stayed with her during meals in a container and worked with her. 

So, those colleagues are considered at higher risk (of infection) and we will quarantine (them).

(To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today said it is scrutinising 22 additional COVID-19 cases, of which 17 are imported, four are epidemiologically linked with imported cases, and one is possibly import-related.

Among these cases, 19 involve mutant strains, two are pending mutation test results, while the viral load of the remaining one is insufficient for a mutation test.

A 51-year-old woman living in Tuen Mun who was announced as preliminary positive yesterday, became a confirmed case today. The patient is a security guard at the Penny’s Bay Quarantine Centre.

Elaborating on the cases at a press briefing this afternoon, the CHP’s Communicable Disease Branch Head Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said: “She was wearing full personal protective equipment, including a mask and face shield, everything, during work, and she has no direct contact with any of those residents at the quarantine centre.

“So it is considered that the risk for her to transmit the illness to other residents at the quarantine centre is very low.”

In view of recent virus cases in Tuen Mun, the Government has decided to extend the service dates and hours of testing service points in the district.

Meanwhile, having identified two preliminary positive cases in the B units on two different floors at Maple Gardens Phase III in North Point, the CHP conducted a site inspection with relevant government departments and experts at the residence to investigate whether environmental factors had played a role in virus transmission, and collected 22 environmental samples there.

The Department of Health will issue quarantine orders to asymptomatic residents of unit B on all floors of Maple Gardens Phase III and transfer them to a quarantine facility, while symptomatic residents will be sent to hospital for treatment.

Additionally, a 19-year-old secondary school student and a 20-year-old university student tested preliminary positive for COVID-19. The Government made restriction-testing declarations this evening at Maya Tower 1, 8 Shung Shan Street in Yau Tong and Pik Long House, Shek Pai Wan Estate in Aberdeen where the patients live.

Citizens within the Yau Tong restricted area need to undergo compulsory testing by midnight, while those in the Aberdeen one have to be tested by 1am tomorrow.

Outlining details of the 19-year-old’s case, Dr Chuang said he is the relative of confirmed COVID-19 case number 12913.

“We are suspecting whether there is any linkage among the relatives. We will test all those symptomatic close contacts and quarantine those asymptomatic relatives and they will be also tested so as to find out whether there is any other silent transmission in the family.”

For the Aberdeen case, the CHP’s initial investigations have revealed that the patient visited Nabe Urawa at Hysan Place in Causeway Bay on January 4 evening, where earlier cases had also dined at a similar time. A whole genome sequencing analysis will be carried out to ascertain the infection source.

Meanwhile, in view of one imported case, one possibly import-related case and four cases tested preliminarily positive, 20 specified premises are included in the compulsory testing notice.

The Government will also reopen mobile specimen collection stations at Yue On Court in Ap Lei Chau, Villa Athena in Ma On Shan and On Ning Garden in Tseung Kwan O. The mobile specimen collection station at Tamar Park in Admiralty will cease operation after today.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government’s dedicated webpage.