92 virus cases detected

January 31, 2022

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

 

The Centre for Health Protection today said it is looking into 92 additional COVID-19 cases, adding that vertical or horizontal transmission of the virus has been found in several buildings and residents of those at-risk units have to be placed under quarantine.

 

Among the new cases, 12 are imported and 80 are locally infected.

 

Thirteen local cases have unknown sources of infection, while the remaining 67 are linked with other cases.

 

The centre's Communicable Disease Branch Head Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan told a press briefing this afternoon that some of the linked cases were detected in the buildings where vertical or horizontal transmission of the COVID-19 virus was involved.

 

The buildings include Hong Tim House of Tsz Hong Estate, On Kwai House of Kwai Fuk Court, Kwai Yan House of Kwai Fong Estate, Ming Lai House of Choi Wan (II) Estate and Tsui Wo House of Tai Wo Estate.

 

She said: “We do observe that, recently, with the start of the fifth wave of the COVID-19 epidemic, we have quite a number of buildings - more than 10 buildings - that have vertical or horizontal transmission, probably due to the highly infectious Omicron or Delta variant detected recently.

 

“Because of the nature of building in Hong Kong, we have high-rises and very crowded buildings with some flats sharing pipes or some physical conditions that may facilitate the transmission, either horizontally or vertically.

 

“Once we have identified the possible source of the horizontal or vertical transmission, we will try to identify those units at risk with the help of other government departments and then move the residents to the quarantine centre to play it safe.”

 

The Government has been closely monitoring the situation of the quarantine facilities and has prepared backup plans to accommodate residents subject to the quarantine requirement, Dr Chuang added.

 

In view of the positive test results of the sewage samples taken in Kowloon City and Mong Kok, people who had stayed at Sheung Ching House of Kai Ching Estate and sewage testing area YTM Site 116 during the specified period are required to undergo a COVID-19 nucleic acid test.

 

Regarding the positive sewage test results in Tai Po, Tsuen Wan and Kowloon City, the Government will distribute COVID-19 rapid test kits to residents in Tsui Wo House of Tai Wo Estate, as well as all cleansing workers and property management staff working in sewage testing areas Tsuen Wan Site 3A and Kowloon City Site 1 to facilitate their voluntary testing.

 

Forty-three places are covered in a compulsory testing notice. The Government will set up additional mobile specimen collection stations at the basketball court next to Sin Tat House of On Tat Estate and at the open space between Luk Yat House and Ying Yat House of Yat Tung (1) Estate tomorrow.

 

The mobile specimen collection station at Shek Pai Street Park in Kwai Chung will continue operation while the service period of the mobile stations at Aldrich Bay Playground and Choi Wan Estate Community Centre will be extended to February 3 and 7.

 

The mobile specimen collection station at 557 Shanghai Street in Mong Kok has ceased operation and the truck providing free testing for cold store practitioners in Kwai Tsing will suspend service.

 

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

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