The SUN HK : 6 new Covid-19 cases reported, including 2 air crew

By The SUN

Air crew staff are allowed to go home if they test negative on arrival at HK airport (file)

Health officials have reported six additional confirmed cases of Covid-19, including two Cathay Pacific air cargo staff who were allowed to skip quarantine after testing negative on arrival at Hong Kong airport.

Another air crew staff who had been in contact with one of the confirmed patients, tested preliminary positive for the coronavirus today, Dec 28.

The new infections prompted the Centre for Health Protection to announce that air cargo crew will now be required to undergo three days of hotel quarantine when they fly into Hong Kong.

Five of today’s confirmed cases carried the N501Y mutant strain, indicating they are likely carriers of the Omicron variant, while the test result of one is still pending.

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Including today’s cases, Hong Kong’s Covid-19 tally has reached 12,605, including one probable case.

The two male air crew who both tested positive for Covid-19 arrived from the United States via Cathay Pacific flights.

Case 12609, who is 45 years old, left Hong Kong for the US on Dec 21 and arrived on Dec 24 via CX841. He tested negative on arrival, so was allowed to go home to Discovery Bay. He developed symptoms on Dec 26 and tested positive for Covid-19 on the same day.

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Case 12610 who is 46, left Hong Kong for the US on Dec 23. On his return to Hong Kong on Dec 25 by flight CX843, he tested negative on his arrival test, and proceeded to go home to Shek Tong Shui. He remained asymptomatic, but his specimen collected at a community testing centre on Dec 27 tested positive for Covid-19.

Another air crew member with links to Case 12609 has tested preliminary positive for coronavirus with the mutant strain, according to CHP.

The 44-year-old male patient who lives at Tower 1 of The SeaCrest in Tuen Mun, left Hong Kong for the US on Dec 22. He returned on Dec 25 aboard flight CX2807, and his specimen collected at the airport tested negative.

Tower 1 of The SeaCrest wil be put under compulsory testing notice

While remaining asymptomatic, his sample collected at a CTC yesterday tested preliminary positive for Covid-19 with the N501Y and T478K mutant strains. Investigations revealed he and 12609 had met at his residence on Dec 25.

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As all three patients tested positive for mutant strains, their places of residence and the places they had visited will be put under compulsory testing notice.

According to current regulations, all persons under a CTN will be subject to further Covid-19 tests at designated dates and are required to undergo self-monitoring until the 21st day (see the details of the buildings and dates of testing at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/CTN_Specified_premises_and_Dates_of_Testing.pdf

Meanwhile, two other patients today tested positive on arrival at the airport. The two who are both males aged 39 and 16, took the same CX881 flight from the US and arrived on Dec 26.

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Two others were both in quarantine at Penny’s Bay when they tested positive.

One is a 51-year-old man who came from Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates and was moved to PBQC after being tagged as close contact of a previously confirmed patient.

The second is a 61-year-old man who flew in from the UK aboard CX216 on Dec 25 and went straight to PBQC in line with regulations.