The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) today said it is investigating four additional COVID-19 cases, involving patients who arrived from UK, Indonesia and Bangladesh.

Regarding a local case involving the L452R mutant strain, genetic analysis by the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch of the Department of Health revealed that the strain belongs to the Delta variant.

According to the CHP's preliminary investigations, the local case, a 27-year-old man, had received cargo flight crews at the airport and stayed in a specimen collection centre.

Comparison of the sequence of the case to the genomes from previous cases reported in Hong Kong showed that the genomes from it were identical to those of three imported cases.

These imported cases arrived from Indonesia via CX798 on June 11 and they were detected to have the L452R mutant strain. Two of them tested positive by the specimens collected at the department's Temporary Specimen Collection Centre in the airport.

Meanwhile, the CHP was notified by the UK health authority of a COVID-19 case in that country involving a 19-year-old woman.

She departed Hong Kong on June 13 to London via flight CX251. Her specimen collected on June 16 tested positive for the virus. She remains asymptomatic and repeated testing on June 22 was negative.

The CHP is following up on the case with the authority and the epidemiological investigations are ongoing.

As a safety measure, Tower 2, Springdale Villas in Yuen Long where the patient had resided will be put under a compulsory testing notice. People who had been there for more than two hours between May 31 and June 13 have to undergo testing by June 27.

In addition, the Government announced that two schools where upper respiratory tract infection and influenza-like illness have occurred are also covered in the compulsory testing notice and that some mobile specimen collection stations will extend their service period.

The centre also reminded people in relation to Wan Hang House, Wan Tau Tong Estate in Tai Po to undergo compulsory testing by tomorrow in accordance with the compulsory testing notice.

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