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

The Centre for Health Protection today said a man who travelled to Hong Kong from Thailand may not be a COVID-19 reinfection case.

The centre’s Communicable Disease Branch Head Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan told a press briefing that the man, 61, had earlier tested positive for COVID-19 in Thailand.

He recovered and tested negative for the virus on April 11 and was granted a medical certificate for air travel.

“Because he’s an overseas traveller, he gave a specimen to us for testing.”

The man tested positive for the virus after his sample was collected at the temporary specimen collection centre at AsiaWorld-Expo.

“I think because our polymerase chain reaction test is very sensitive, so sometimes it may pick up little bits of RNA. That’s why he may not be a reinfection case.

“I think most likely it’s just remnants of the RNA in his body that may sometimes be picked up during testing.

“So that’s why in Hong Kong, we require two consecutive negative tests.”

Dr Chuang added the centre is liaising with Thai authorities to learn more about the case.

The centre also announced it is investigating three additional confirmed cases of COVID-19.

This brings the number of confirmed cases of the virus in Hong Kong to 1,012.

The newly reported cases involve three males aged from 16 to 53. All of them had travel history during the incubation period and two are overseas students.

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