A resident receives an anti-epidemic kit in Hong Kong, April 9, 2022. (PHOTO / HONG KONG)

HONG KONG – Hong Kong reported 273 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday as the cluster linked to a Yuen Long restaurant grew to 20. 

Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection, said in a news briefing that 27 of the 273 new cases were imported, including eight that were detected at the airport.

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He added 138 cases were confirmed through nucleic acid tests and 135 by rapid antigen tests. Tuesday’s figure is higher than the 233 infections logged on Monday, bringing the infection tally during the city's fifth wave of COVID-19 to 1,194,460. 

The authorites are still looking for six of the some 190 patrons who visited Peony Golden Restaurant while the test results of four patrons are pending

The infections found at the airport included two that arrived on Cathay Pacific flight CX216 from Manchester in the UK, two on Qatar Airways flight QR 818 from Doha, two on Turkish Airlines flight TK083 from Istanbul, and one each on China Airlines flight CI 909 from Taipei and Hong Kong Express flight UO111 from Taipei.

Chuang said 15 other imported cases were detected during quarantine, while one case involving an Indonesian maid was found on the 10th day of her arrival in Hong Kong. 

"We are still investigating whether she is a re-positive case as she has a relatively high CT value," Chuang said.

The remaining three cases were detected on the travelers' 12th day of arrival. Chuang added.

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She also said the eight more patrons of Chinese restaurant Golden Peony Court tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of infections in the cluster to 20.

The infections at the restaurant happened mostly in the morning of  May 1. The authorites are still looking for six of the some 190 patrons who ate during that period while the test results of four others are pending, she said.

Hospital Authority’s Chief Manager Sara Ho said at the same briefing that five more patients who tested positive for COVID-19 had passed away, bringing the city's tally in the fifth wave of COVID-19 to 9,139.