The Centre for Health Protection today said it is probing three additional imported COVID-19 cases involving one man and two women who all carried the L452R mutant strain.

Among the new cases, case number 12452 involves a 23-year-old woman who arrived from Korea, while case number 12454 is the preliminary positive case announced yesterday involving a 28-year-old woman from the US.

These two patients both tested positive upon arrival at Hong Kong International Airport.

For case number 12453, the 51-year-old male patient is a sea crew member who arrived from Japan via the cargo vessel Glory Sky on December 1 and his specimen collected on the vessel tested positive.

Preliminary epidemiological investigations revealed that the vessel entered Hong Kong for cargo operations with about 20 sea crew members on board, the centre noted.

They did not go ashore after arriving in Hong Kong and no local people boarded the vessel after it reached the city.

The male patient will be sent to hospital for isolation treatment, while all of the remaining sea crew members have to undergo quarantine on board the vessel and get tested in accordance with the current arrangement during the quarantine period.

Meanwhile, specified people linked to Block 4, New Jade Garden in Chai Wan are reminded to undergo testing tomorrow in compliance with the compulsory testing notice.

In view of an imported case involving a patient who had stayed in Hong Kong during the incubation period, one specified premises is included in the latest compulsory testing notice.

Three schools are also covered in the notice due to outbreaks of upper respiratory tract infection and influenza-like illness.

The Government will reopen the mobile specimen collection station at the podium playground of New Jade Garden tomorrow to provide free testing services.

The service period of the mobile stations in Central, Wong Tai Sin, Cheung Sha Wan, Mong Kok and Tin Shui Wai will also be extended to December 19.

A total of 50 cases were reported in Hong Kong in the past 14 days, all of which are imported.

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