A Cathay Pacific aircraft comes in to land at Hong Kong International Airport on Aug 11, 2021.
(ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP)

HONG KONG – Hong Kong reported three new imported COVID-19 cases on Saturday, pushing the city's infection tally to 12,052.

The fresh cases involved a 17-year-old woman who arrived from Kazakhstan, an 18-year-old man who traveled from Venezuela, and an 11-year-old boy who flown in from Nigeria, according to a statement by the Centre for Health Protection (CHP). 

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The man and the woman remained asymptomatic while the boy, who resided at Ramada Hong Kong Grand View hotel in North Point, developed symptoms on Friday.

According to the CHP, the man was fully vaccinated with the Sinopharm vaccine in Venezuela in June. The two other patients have not been inoculated.

Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee has stressed the importance of protecting airport frontline staff from infection

A total of 45 cases had been reported in Hong Kong from Aug 7 to Aug 20, including one local case with unknown sources, the CHP said.

Also on Saturday, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee stressed the importance of protecting airport frontline staff from infection.

Answering queries from reporters on the Airport Authority's move to require vaccination of its frontline staff, Chan said the city's airport is considered a high-risk place Hong Kong is having inbound travelers.

READ MORE: Hong Kong, Singapore drop air travel bubble plan

"Therefore, for those people who are working in the areas whereby they would have close contact with inbound travelers or transit passengers, it is important to protect them and also to ensure that they are vaccinated," Chan said after attending a radio program.

An airline VIP lounge worker who tested positive this week was suspected to be infected by transit flight passengers.

As of Friday, more than 6.9 million does of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered to the public, with some 3.8 million people receiving their first dose. Around 3.1 million people have been fully vaccinated with two doses, accounting for 45.4 percent of the eligible population in the financial hub.