3 local COVID-19 cases reported

June 1, 2020

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

I think the source of infection of the ambulanceman is still under investigation. He had obvious contact with (case number) 1084, that is why we know that he is a known contact of 1084. 

He also recalled he had accompanied another case on May 29, but at that time he accompanied the case from Chun Yeung Estate to Prince of Wales Hospital with full personal protective equipment without any high risk procedure, so we consider the risk for that occasion is very small. But is there any other possibility that he might have had previous contact? We are still investigating. 

So I do not think there is an outbreak in Lek Yuen Estate at the moment because the two cases in Lek Yuen Estate (involved a) couple, and this one has a known contact with the case. So there are no other cases yet in Lek Yuen Estate at the moment.

For the warehouse, I understand there is a hypothesis. That is why we also took samples from the packaging last night, from the food packaging and we have not found any positive result at the moment so we have no evidence to sustain this hypothesis at the moment.

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

The Centre for Health Protection today reported that it is investigating three locally transmitted COVID-19 cases which all have an epidemiological link to the 34-year-old woman confirmed infected yesterday.

Further explaining the cases at a press briefing, Centre for Health Protection Communicable Disease Branch Head Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said one of them is a 27-year-old ambulanceman who had taken the 34-year-old patient (case number 1084) to Prince of Wales Hospital last week.

Dr Chuang noted the source of the paramedic's infection is still under investigation.

“He had obvious contact with (case number) 1084, that is why we know that he is a known contact of 1084.

“He also recalled he had accompanied another case on May 29, but at that time he accompanied the case from Chun Yeung Estate to Prince of Wales Hospital with full personal protective equipment without any high risk procedure, so we consider the risk for that occasion is very small. But is there any other possibility that he might have had previous contact? We are still investigating.”

The ambulanceman, like the female patient, lives in Lek Yuen Estate, Sha Tin. However, Dr Chuang ruled out an outbreak at the estate for now.

“I do not think there is an outbreak in Lek Yuen Estate at the moment because the two cases in Lek Yuen Estate (involved a) couple, and this one has a known contact with the case. So there are no other cases yet in Lek Yuen Estate at the moment.”

The other two confirmed cases are women aged 40 and 36 who work with the 34-year-old patient at a warehouse in Kwai Chung.

“For the warehouse, I understand there is a hypothesis. That is why we also took samples from the packaging last night, from the food packaging and we have not found any positive result at the moment so we have no evidence to sustain this hypothesis at the moment.”

Additionally, the Hospital Authority reported that 47 confirmed COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalised and 1,037 confirmed and suspected patients have been discharged.

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