By Daisy CL Mandap
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| A govt statement says all residents of Kennedy Terrace will be quarantined |
A 38-year-old Filipina domestic helper who was found to have the coronavirus variant five days after ending her hotel quarantine was officially listed today, Apr 24, as one of three confirmed infections, all of them locally acquired.
News of her infection no longer came as a surprise, as health expeirmed last night that the helper carried the highly infectious and resistant South African variant.
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Dr Yuen Pak-lung, who led the investigation team, said the helper appeared to have been infected with the N501Y variant by an Indian family who had stayed next door to her at the hotel during the quarantine, and were found infected earlier.
A government statement issued today said “compulsory quarantine for asymptomatic residents was arranged last night for units on all floors of the building resided (Kennedy Terrace, 8 Kennedy Road in Mid-Levels. So far, about 60 people were transferred to quarantine centers.”
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At the same time, the Centre for Health Protection has begun contacting people who stayed on the same floor of Ramada Sai Ying Pun as the Filipina from Apr 4 to 7 so they could be put under compulsory quarantine for 21 days.
Other people who had been to the hotel, including guests, staff and visitors, from Mar 27 to Apr 23, have been ordered to undergo testing by tomorrow, Apr 25.
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Earlier, the Immigration Department said it was closing the 8th floor of Immigration Tower in Wanchai for three days starting today, after it was informed that the infected helper had been there to apply for HKID on Apr 19.
The entire floor will be cleaned and sterilized, while three immigration officers who had attended to the helper will be sent to quarantine.
Meanwhile, health expert, Prof. Ivan Hung of the University of Hong Kong, suggested at a radio talk show this morning that additional tests should be done on new arrivals after the 21-day quarantine period to ensure the mutated strain does not spread in the community.
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Hung, who is co-convenor of the experts panel that advises the government on adverse effects of the Covid-19 vaccination, also reiterated a call for Hong Kong to bar entry to travelers from places which have massive outbreaks.
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| Hung is calling for an entry ban for any country with massive Covid-19 outbreaks |
His call came as India reported 346,786 Covid-19 cases in a single day, the highest ever recorded in any country.
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HKU public health professor, Leo Poon suggested quarantined guests should wear masks in the corridors, and keep windows closed to prevent airborne transmission of the virus.
Poon also said Hong Kong has done a good job trying to prevent the spread of the disease, but should remain alert because a lot of countries now have “this variant of concern.”
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The two other local cases include a 38-year-old man who was also reported preliminary positive yesterday. His case is causing some concern as he had been to a fitness centre in Tseung Kwan O at exactly the same time as a woman who was found infected earlier, leading to fears of another gym outbreak.
The third case involves a 3-year-old boy who is linked to a previous infection in Kwai Chung Estate.
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Meanwhile, an overnight lockdown of Block 10 of South Horizons in Aberdeen, during which 950 residents were tested, did not yield any new coronavirus case.
The unannounced lockdown was carried out after a 23-year-old female resident tested positive on Apr 22. The source of her infection is unknown.
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