People wearing masks cross the road in Hong Kong, April 10, 2021. (LI GANG/XINHUA)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong reported seven new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including one local untraceable case, pushing the city’s tally to 11,848.
In a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon, Chuang Shuk-wan, head of the Centre for Health Protection’s communicable disease branch, said the lone local untraceable case involved a 35-year-old police constable in Wan Chai.
The six imported cases included those involving two Indonesian domestic workers who both tested positive for the N501Y mutant strain
“It would mean we still have some hidden or invisible patients in Hong Kong. We have more than 7 million people in Hong Kong. We conduct many tests everyday but there are still many patients who are asymptomatic,” Chuang said.
“Once we find such cases, we will proceed with contact tracing hopefully to interrupt the transmission link and also to trace the origin of the infection. Fortunately, the tests of his family members are negative,” she added.
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The six imported cases included those involving two Indonesian domestic workers who both tested positive for the N501Y mutant strain. The other imported infections involved three other female travelers from Indonesia and one woman from Dubai.
The police officer lived at Wai Mei House, Yau Mei Court in Yau Tong and was assigned at the Wan Chai Police District Headquarters and Wan Chai Police Division at 1 Arsenal Street, Wan Chai.
He developed a sore throat, cough and runny nose on May 28. His deep throat saliva sample collected on May 30 tested positive.
Chuang said the officer had escorted an arrested person to the Chai Wan Police Station and an illegal immigrant to Lai Chi Kok. Both have been tested for the virus but the results were negative.
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The officer also visited a restaurant in Tin Shiu Wai and the Wong Tai Sin shopping center. Those who were present when he was at these places have been informed through the LeaveHomeSafe app, Chuang said.
She also said that the officer has three children who have tested negative while their schools were closed for a thorough cleansing.
As of Monday, nearly 1.38 million people have taken at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, accounting for 21 percent of the eligible groups in Hong Kong, including 1.02 million people fully vaccinated.
People aged 16 and above are currently eligible for vaccine doses in the financial hub.
With Xinhua inputs