Hong Kong - Covid-19 cases - 4,902 cases, 99 deaths?

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...0031600511.htm


Public hospitals daily update on COVID-19 cases
***************************************


The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

As at noon today (March 16), public hospitals had reported to the Department of Health the admission of 81 patients (31 male and 50 female, including a newborn baby, other patients aged three to 88) in the past 24 hours who met the reporting criteria of COVID-19. Appropriate tests have been arranged for the patients.

There are 160 patients under isolation currently. So far, 88 patients who had COVID-19 confirmed or probable infections have been discharged upon recovery.

The Hospital Authority will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner.



Ends/Monday, March 16, 2020
Issued at HKT 19:28

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...0031600812.htm


CHP investigates nine additional cases of COVID-19
*****************************************


The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) announced that as of 8pm today (March 16), the CHP is investigating nine additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, taking the number of cases to 158 in Hong Kong so far (comprising 157 confirmed cases and one probable case).

The 150th case involves a 37-year-old man who has good past health. He developed fever since March 13, and cough and sore throat since March 14. He attended Yau Ma Tei Jockey Club General Out-patient Clinic yesterday (March 15) and was transferred to Kwong Wah Hospital for treatment and admission. His respiratory sample was tested positive for COVID-19 virus today. He was further transferred to Queen Elizabeth Hospital and is now in stable condition. The patient travelled from Hong Kong to the Netherlands on February 28 for business trip, and then from Amsterdam by flight CX270 by Cathay Pacific arriving Hong Kong on March 15, and had been staying alone in Hotel ICON in Tsim Sha Tsui East upon arrival. Passengers who travelled on board the flight are urged to call the CHP hotline.

The 151st case involves a 30-year-old male tourist. He developed cough since March 8 and attended Queen Elizabeth Hospital yesterday where he was admitted for treatment. His respiratory sample was tested positive for COVID-19 virus today and he is now in stable condition. The patient had travelled to Dubai, United Arab Emirates between February 25 and March 10. He took the flight EK380 by Emirates from Dubai arriving Hong Kong on the same day, and had been staying alone in Whole Sunshine International Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui upon arrival. Passengers who travelled in on board the flight are urged to call the CHP hotline.

The 152nd case involves a 73-year-old man with good past health, who lives at Tower 1, Oceania Heights, Tuen Mun. He developed headache since March 13, followed by fever and cough since March 14. He attended Tuen Mun Hospital (TMH) on March 15 and was admitted for treatment. His respiratory sample was tested positive for COVID-19 virus today and is now in stable condition. The patient joined a group tour from Hong Kong to Egypt between March 5 and 13. He took the flight MS960 (economy class cabin) by EgyptAir from Cairo in Egypt to Bangkok in Thailand on March 13, and then from Bangkok by the same flight arriving Hong Kong on March 14. Passengers who travelled in the same cabin on board the flight are urged to call the CHP hotline. His wife who lives with him developed cough on March 13 and was admitted to TMH for treatment on March 15. She was tested preliminarily negative for COVID-19 virus. His domestic helper will be arranged for quarantine.

Two of the confirmed cases (the 153rd and 155th cases) today are associated with the 35-year-old male patient of the 143rd case confirmed yesterday. The 153rd case involves a 26-year-old woman who is the girl-friend of the patient of the 143rd case. Both travelled to Hokkaido, Japan between February 26 and March 11, and visited a clinic in Niseko, Hokkaido on March 7. The patient has good past health and lives alone in Pristine Villa, Tai Wai. She developed headache on March 15 and was admitted to the Prince of Wales Hospital for treatment during contact tracing by CHP on the same day. Her respiratory sample was tested positive for COVID-19 virus today and she is now in a stable condition. The patient took the flight JL2504 (economy class cabin) by The Japan Airlines from Hokkaido to Osaka on March 11 and then departed Osaka on flight CX561 (economy class cabin) by Cathay Pacific arriving Hong Kong on the same night. Passengers who travelled in the same cabin on board the two flights are urged to call the CHP hotline.

The 155th case involves a 58-year-old man who is the driver of the patient of the 143rd case. The patient has good past health and lives in Lung Chu House, Lung Poon Court, Diamond Hill. He had subjective fever on March 15 and was admitted to the North District Hospital for treatment during contact tracing by CHP on the same day. His respiratory sample was tested positive for COVID-19 virus today and he is now in a stable condition. The patient had no recent travel history. His wife and daughter who live with them are symptomatic and will be admitted to hospital. Two taxi drivers who drove the patient from his home to Wah Ming Estate (around 4 pm) and from Wah Ming Estate to North District Hospital (around 5-6pm) respectively on March 15 are urged to call the CHP hotline. Relevant contact tracing is ongoing.

The 154th case involves a 42-year-old woman who has good past health and lives in 8 Hok Ling Street, Ma Tau Kok. She developed malaise on March 11, myalgia since March 12 and cough since March 13. She attended Queen Elizabeth Hospital yesterday and was admitted for treatment. Her respiratory sample was tested positive for COVID-19 virus today and she is now in a stable condition. The patient travelled to Britain, Germany and Austria between March 7 and March 14. She travelled to Munich from Austria by car on March 13 and took the flight BA0953 by British Airways to London, then departed London on flight BA0027 by British Airways, arriving Hong Kong on March 14. Passengers who travelled on board the related flights are urged to call the CHP hotline. Her husband and daughter who live with her are asymptomatic and will be arranged for quarantine.

The 156th case involves a 59-year-old man who has good past health. He developed fever, cough and sore throat since March 9 and attended Queen Mary Hospital on March 15 where he was admitted for treatment. His respiratory sample was tested positive for COVID-19 virus today and he is now in stable condition. The patient visited Switzerland on January 20 and then travelled to Austria on February 28 before returning to Switzerland on March 6. He took a flight from Switzerland arriving Hong Kong on March 12, and had been staying alone in Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong upon arrival.

The remaining two cases are related, involving a 42-year-old woman (the 157th case) and 41-year-old woman (the 158th case). Both with good past health, the two patients live at Block 16, Mayfair By The Sea, Tai Po. The 42-year-old female patient developed cough and shortness of breath since March 15. She attended Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital (PYNEH) on the same day and was admitted for treatment. Her respiratory sample was tested positive for COVID-19 virus today and is now in stable condition. The 41-year-old female patient who is regarded as a close contact was arranged for testing. Her respiratory sample was also tested positive for COVID-19 virus today and she was admitted to PYNEH for treatment. Both patients are in a stable condition.

The two patients had travelled to Vancouver and Whistler in Canada between March 6 and 14. They took the flight CX837 (business class cabin) by Cathay Pacific from Vancouver on March 14 and arrived Hong Kong on March 15. Passengers who travelled in the same cabin on board the flight are urged to call the CHP hotline.

The CHP's epidemiological investigations and relevant contact tracing on the confirmed cases are ongoing. Quarantine will be arranged for close contacts while medical surveillance will be arranged for other contacts. For the progress on the contact tracing of the cases, please see the annex.

The CHP is following up on the contact tracing of a confirmed case outside Hong Kong. The case involves a 51-year old male patient confirmed in Guangdong who took the flight CX902 (business class cabin) from Manila to Hong Kong arriving on March 13. People who took the same flight are urged to call the CHP hotline.

A spokesman for the CHP said, "In view of proliferation of the disease and continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world, members of the public are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong. If it is unavoidable to travel to countries/areas outside Hong Kong, they should put on a surgical mask and continue to do so for 14 days upon their return to Hong Kong."

"Meanwhile, according to our epidemiological investigations, clusters are observed in the local community involving large meal gatherings and other gatherings. Members of the public are urged to go out less and reduce social activities such as meal gatherings or other gatherings, and maintain an appropriate social distance with other people as far as possible."

The spokesman said, "The CHP strongly urges the public to maintain at all times strict personal and environmental hygiene, which is key to personal protection against infection and prevention of the spread of the disease in the community. On a personal level, members of the public should wear a surgical mask when having respiratory symptoms, taking public transport or staying in crowded places. They should also perform hand hygiene frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes.

"As for household environmental hygiene, members of the public are advised to maintain drainage pipes properly, and regularly pour water into drain outlets (U-traps); cover all floor drain outlets when they are not in use; after using the toilet, they should put the toilet lid down before flushing to avoid spreading germs."

The CHP will report the cases to the World Health Organization, National Health Commission, Health Commission of Guangdong Province, relevant health authorities and the Hospital Authority.

The CHP has set up a hotline (2125 1122) for public enquiries. The hotline operates from 8am to midnight daily. As at 4pm today, a total of 35 581 calls were received.

Moreover, the Government has launched the website "COVID-19 Thematic Website" (www.coronavirus.gov.hk) for announcing the latest updates on various news on the COVID-19 infection and health advice to help the public understand the latest updates...

...Ends/Monday, March 16, 2020
Issued at HKT 23:15

[sharon sanders]

On March 8, the total case count was 114. https://flutrackers.com/forum/forum/...041#post835041

Today it is 158. That is a 38% increase in one week.

[sharon sanders]

Hong Kong to quarantine all people entering the city starting midnight on Thursday to prevent the spread of #coronavirus

https://reut.rs/39UmYBy
**************************************

DH to further extend health quarantine arrangements on inbound travellers from overseas
************************************************** **********************


Following the Security Bureau's announcement today (March 17) that in view of the health risks arising from the persistent and rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases globally, the Red Outbound Travel Alert (OTA) has been issued on all overseas countries/territories based on public health considerations, the Department of Health (DH) will extend health quarantine arrangements on inbound travellers arriving from all countries/territories accordingly and demand them to undergo compulsory quarantine.

Starting from 0.00am on March 19, the DH's Port Health Division officers will issue quarantine orders for compulsory quarantine to people arriving in Hong Kong who have been to all overseas countries/territories in the past 14 days, regardless of whether they are Hong Kong residents.

Meanwhile, the quarantine measures announced earlier for people arriving in Hong Kong who have been to Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do in Korea, Iran, and Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy and Veneto regions in Italy, as well as Hong Kong residents returning from Hubei Province in the past 14 days to stay in a quarantine centre for quarantine remain unchanged. According to the Compulsory Quarantine of Certain Persons Arriving at Hong Kong Regulation (Cap. 599C) , the measures of issuing quarantine orders to all people entering Hong Kong from the Mainland, regardless of whether they are Hong Kong residents, and to demand them to stay at home or other accommodation for a 14-day compulsory quarantine also remain unchanged.

The risk in all overseas countries/territories is high currently. As the surveillance method is different, it is not possible to assess the risk based on the number of confirmed cases reported. The Centre for Health Protection of the DH will update the list of places with active community transmissions of COVID-19 under the reporting criteria for suspected cases to include all overseas countries/territories.

In view of proliferation of the disease and continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world, members of the public are again strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong. For the situation of various countries/areas, please refer to the information uploaded onto the "COVID-19 Thematic Website" (www.coronavirus.gov.hk).



Ends/Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Issued at HKT 20:00

Source: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...0031700754.htm

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...0031700469.htm

Public hospitals daily update on COVID-19 cases
***************************************


The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

As at noon today (March 17), public hospitals had reported to the Department of Health the admission of 160 patients (76 male and 84 female, aged seven months to 86 years) in the past 24 hours who met the reporting criteria of COVID-19. Appropriate tests have been arranged for the patients.

There are 254 patients under isolation currently. So far, 92 patients who had COVID-19 confirmed or probable infections have been discharged upon recovery.

The Hospital Authority will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner.




Ends/Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Issued at HKT 18:20

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...0031700704.htm
Government follows up test results on environmental samples of Heng Tai House
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The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health had earlier conducted epidemiological investigations of the three cases of COVID-19 in Heng Tai House, Fu Heng Estate in Tai Po, which covered the environmental samples collected from various locations at Heng Tai House. The Government today (March 17) released the test results of the environmental samples. Among the 12 samples collected from the two relevant units of the confirmed cases and the rooftop, four of them were tested positive. Two samples are collected near the water closet of the confirmed case's unit on the 32nd floor; a sample near the water closet of the confirmed case's unit on the 34th floor; and another inside the open end of the rooftop ventilating pipe of the foul water stack of Unit 13.

The Development Bureau, the Environment Bureau, the Food and Health Bureau, the Transport and Housing Bureau, the Buildings Department, the Environmental Protection Department, the Department of Health and the Housing Department convened an interdepartmental meeting this morning to examine the test results.

A Government spokesman said, "the building, drainage system and ventilating pipe designs of Heng Tai House comply with the requirements of the Buildings Ordinance (Cap. 123), related regulations as well as environmental and health safety standards. According to the preliminary analysis, the virus found near the water closets inside the units of confirmed cases is very likely to be remained after the patients using the toilet. With regard to the virus found inside the rooftop ventilating pipe of the foul water stack, it is suspected that the height difference between the rooftop parapet of Unit 13 and Unit 14 might be relatively conducive to cause wake effect in the re-entrant of top floors in Heng Tai House. However, the combination of various environmental factors, including building orientation, roof design, wind speed and direction, etc. is essential in bringing the virus into residential units from the rooftop ventilating pipe of the foul water stack by air turbulence. Even if the wake effect might have occurred, the relevant Government departments considered the circumstances as isolated case and is uncommon.

"For safety sake, the Government will set up an inter-departmental expert group as soon as possible to follow up the above issue. The Government will inspect and collect information of the relevant ventilating pipes of the buildings where confirmed cases were recorded earlier, the current situation of their nearby environment as well as any other relevant information to facilitate the expert group's further investigation and examination. The expert group will also make improvement recommendations and measures in accordance with the investigation results to safeguard public health."

The inter-departmental expert group comprises representatives of the Development Bureau, the Environment Bureau, the Food and Health Bureau, the Transport and Housing Bureau, the Architectural Services Department, the Buildings Department, the Drainage Services Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Environmental Protection Department, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, the Department of Health, the Housing Department, and the Water Supplies Department.

The Government advises members of the public to maintain drainage pipes properly and regularly pour about half a litre of water into each drain outlet (U-traps) to ensure environmental hygiene. After using the toilet, they are advised to put the toilet lid down before flushing to avoid spreading germs. If residents of units on top floors notice faeces odour from time to time and there are confirmed cases at their building, they should close the windows of the relevant rooms. They may also put disinfection tablets into flushing water cistern of the water closet to keep foul water stack clean. When they go to rooftop, they should wear masks and avoid approaching near or touching the open end of the rooftop ventilating pipe of the foul water stack.



Ends/Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Issued at HKT 21:16

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...0031700785.htm

CHP investigates 10 additional cases of COVID-19
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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) announced that as of 8pm yesterday (March 17), the CHP is investigating 10 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, taking the number of cases to 168 in Hong Kong so far (comprising 167 confirmed cases and one probable case).

The 159th case involves a 69-year-old male with underlying illness who developed diarrhea and muscle pain since March 15. He attended the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department at Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) on March 16 and was admitted for treatment. His respiratory sample was tested positive for COVID-19 virus and he is now in stable condition. The patient and his wife travelled to London in the United Kingdom, Barcelona in Spain and Paris in France between March 3 and 12. They departed Paris on flight CX260 by Cathay Pacific on March 12 and arrived Hong Kong on March 13. The patient had been staying alone at his office in Harvest Moon House, 337-339 Nathan Road, Yau Ma Tei since returning to Hong Kong. His wife is asymptomatic and will be arranged for quarantine.

The 160th case involves an 18-year-old female who has good past health. She lives in Palm Drive, Redhill Peninsula in the Southern District and studies in Switzerland. She developed cough and sore throat since March 9. She consulted a private practitioner on March 16 and was referred to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital for treatment and admission. Her respiratory sample was tested positive for COVID-19 virus yesterday and she is now in stable condition. She took flight BA0733 (economy class cabin) by British Airways from Geneva in Switzerland to London in the United Kingdom on March 14 and took flight BA33 (economy class cabin) by British Airways from London to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia arriving Kuala Lumpur on March 15. She then departed Kuala Lumpur on flight MH78 (economy class cabin) by Malaysia Airlines arriving Hong Kong on the same day. The patient's parents, younger brother, elder sister and domestic helper are asymptomatic and will be arranged for quarantine.

The 161st case involves a 37-year-old female flight attendant who has good past health and lives in Block 4, Tuen Mun Town Plaza. She developed fever and sore throat since March 12 and consulted a private practitioner on the same day. She was found to be symptomatic at a clinic on March 16 when obtaining her medical report and was subsequently transferred to the United Christian Hospital. Her respiratory sample was tested positive for COVID-19 virus and she is now in stable condition. Her boyfriend who lives with her is asymptomatic and will be arranged for quarantine. The patient worked at the flight CX315 (business class cabin) by Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong to Madrid in Spain on March 7 and the flight CX320 (business class cabin) by Cathay Pacific from Madrid on March 10 and arrived Hong Kong on March 11 respectively.

The 162nd case involves a 36-year-old male with underlying illness who lives in Tower 7, the Coronation, Yau Ma Tei. He developed fever and cough since March 12 and consulted a private practitioner on March 13. He attended the A&E Department at QEH on March 14. His deep throat saliva sample was tested positive for COVID-19 virus yesterday and was admitted to QEH for management. He is now in stable condition. The patient had no travel history during the incubation period. His wife who lives with him is symptomatic and was hospitalised. Investigations revealed that the patient had a meal gathering with friends on March 9. Among his friends, one man who had travelled to Switzerland between February 29 and March 8 had developed fever and cough on March 9. The man had been transferred to hospital for testing.

The 163rd case involves a 30-year-old woman who lives in Emerald Garden, 86 Pok Fu Lam Road. She has good past health but developed runny nose on March 11 and increased general malaise on March 15. She attended Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) on March 16 and was admitted for treatment. Her respiratory sample was tested positive for COVID-19 virus yesterday and she is now in a stable condition. The patient departed Hong Kong on February 27, and travelled to Paris and London. He arrived Hong Kong on March 6. Her husband who lives with her has developed symptoms and has been admitted to QMH, while her domestic helper who also lives together is asymptomatic and will be arranged for quarantine.

The 164th case involves a 21-year-old man who has good past health and studies in London. He developed cough on March 10 and was referred to Kwong Wah Hospital by the Port Health Division of the DH upon arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport on March 16. His respiratory sample was tested positive for COVID-19 virus on March 16. He was transferred to QEH and is now in stable condition. The patient travelled from London to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia by flight BA0033 by British Airways (economy class cabin) on March 15, and then from Kuala Lumpur by flight CX5734 by Cathay Pacific (economy class cabin) arriving Hong Kong on March 16.　

The 165th case involves a 24-year-old man who has good past health who worked earlier in Copenhagen, Denmark. He developed mild shortness of breath and diarrhea since March 5 and sore throat since March 16. The patient was referred to Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) by the Port Health Division upon arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport on March 16. His respiratory sample was tested positive for COVID-19 virus yesterday and he is now in stable condition. The patient travelled from Copenhagen to Paris and Barcelona from February 29 to March 10. He returned to Copenhagen on March 10 and departed to Doha, Qatar by flight QR160 by Qatar Airways (economy class cabin) on March 15, and then from Doha by flight QR818 by Qatar Airways (economy class cabin) arriving Hong Kong on March 16.　

The 166th case involves a 27-year-old man who has good past health and studies in London. He developed cough on March 10 and was referred to Caritas Medical Centre by the Port Health Division of the CHP upon arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport on March 16. His respiratory sample was tested positive for COVID-19 virus yesterday. He was transferred to PMH and is now in stable condition. The patient travelled from London by flight BA27 by Cathay Pacific (business class cabin) arriving Hong Kong on March 16.　

The 167th case involves a 25-year-old male flight attendant, with good past health, who lives in Choi Wah House, Choi Fai Estate, Ngau Chi Wan. The patient is asymptomatic and attended the East Kowloon General Out-patient Clinic on March 16 as he was informed by his company that there were confirmed cases on a flight he had served. His deep throat saliva specimen was tested positive for COVID-19 virus yesterday. The patient will be admitted to United Christian Hospital for treatment and is now in stable condition. The patient worked at the flight CX812 (business class cabin) by Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong to Boston on March 5 and stayed at Boston for a few days. He then worked at the flight CX811 (business class cabin) by Cathay Pacific from Boston returning to Hong Kong on March 10, during which he served two passengers who later became confirmed patients (the 147th and 148th cases). His parents who live with him are asymptomatic and will be arranged for quarantine.

The 168th case involves a 43-year-old man with good past health, who lives alone in Tower 2, the Zenith, 258 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai. The patient developed cough since March 9, and blocked nose and headache since March 14. He attended the Violet Peel General Out-patient Clinic on March 16 and his deep throat saliva specimen was tested positive for COVID-19 virus yesterday. The patient was admitted to Prince of Wales Hospital for treatment yesterday and is now in stable condition. He visited Austria from March 4 to 11 and took the flight LX138 (business class cabin) from Zurich in Switzerland by Swiss International Air Lines returning to Hong Kong on March 11. Investigations revealed that while in Austria he met a friend who was later a confirmed case of COVID-19 in Finland.

Passengers who travelled in the same cabin of the same flights with patients of the confirmed cases are urged to call the CHP hotline.

The CHP's epidemiological investigations and relevant contact tracing on the confirmed cases are ongoing. Quarantine will be arranged for close contacts while medical surveillance will be arranged for other contacts. For the progress on the contact tracing of the cases, please see the annex.

A spokesman for the CHP said, "In view of proliferation of the disease and continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world, members of the public are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong.

"Meanwhile, according to our epidemiological investigations, clusters are observed in the local community involving large meal gatherings and other gatherings. Members of the public are urged to go out less and reduce social activities such as meal gatherings or other gatherings, and maintain an appropriate social distance with other people as far as possible."

The spokesman said, "The CHP strongly urges the public to maintain at all times strict personal and environmental hygiene, which is key to personal protection against infection and prevention of the spread of the disease in the community. On a personal level, members of the public should wear a surgical mask when having respiratory symptoms, taking public transport or staying in crowded places. They should also perform hand hygiene frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes.

"As for household environmental hygiene, members of the public are advised to maintain drainage pipes properly, and regularly pour water into drain outlets (U-traps); cover all floor drain outlets when they are not in use; after using the toilet, they should put the toilet lid down before flushing to avoid spreading germs."

The CHP will report the cases to the World Health Organization, National Health Commission, Health Commission of Guangdong Province, relevant health authorities and the Hospital Authority.

The CHP has set up a hotline (2125 1122) for public enquiries. The hotline operates from 8am to midnight daily. As at 4pm yesterday, a total of 36 803 calls were received.

Moreover, the Government has launched the website "COVID-19 Thematic Website" (www.coronavirus.gov.hk) for announcing the latest updates on various news on the COVID-19 infection and health advice to help the public understand the latest updates...

Ends/Wednesday, March 18, 2020
Issued at HKT 0:33
...

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...0031900018.htm


CHP investigates 25 additional cases of COVID-19
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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) announced that as of 8pm yesterday (March 18), the CHP is investigating 25 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, taking the number of cases to 193 in Hong Kong so far (comprising 192 confirmed cases and one probable case).

The cases are detailed below:

Case no.	169	170	171	172	173
Age/ Sex	34/Male	36/Male	27/Male	28/Male	55/ Male
Any underlying illness	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Yes
Onset date	March 16	March 14	March 17	March 15	March 17
Symptoms	Fever	Fever	Fever	Sore throat, headache and cough	Fever
Residence	Hyatt Centric Victoria Harbour Hong Kong in North Point	Block 2, Island Resort, Siu Sai Wan	Block 8, Saddle Ridge Garden, Sha Tin	Athletes' Hostel, Hong Kong Sports Institute, Sha Tin	Oi Wai House, Tsz Oi Court, Tsz Wan Shan
Hospital admitted (patient condition)	Ruttonjee Hospital (RH) (Stable)	Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hopsital (PYNEH) (Stable)	Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH)(Stable)	Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital (Stable)	Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) (Stable)
Travel history during incubation period & infectious period	February 4 to 29: Germany, February 29 to March 1: Spain, March 1 to 12: Germany	March 3 to 12: Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland	March 12 to 14: London	February 19 to March 14: France and Austria	March 4 to 14: Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and France
Condition of home contact(s)	Lives alone	Wife, two sons and two domestic helpers	Parents	Pending	Wife
Remarks					Under compulsory home quarantine

Case no.	174	175	176	177	178
Age/ Sex	31/Male	29/Male	29/Female	28/Female	29/Male
Any underlying illness	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Onset date	March 9	March 13	March 15	March 16	March 16
Symptoms	Fever	Sore throat and myalgia	Sore throat and headache	Sore throat	Cough, fever
Residence	Tower 3, Hampton Place, Tai Kok Tsui	Ying Lai House, Yau Lai Estate.	Ying Lai House, Yau Lai Estate.	Rich View Terrace, Sheung Wan	Rich View Terrace, Sheung Wan
Hospital admitted & condition	QEH(Stable)	United Christian Hospital (UCH) (Stable)	UCH (Stable)	Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) (Stable)	QMH (Stable)
Travel history during incubation period & infectious period	February 28 to March 8: Switzerland	March 2 to 5: Japan March 5 to 14: Thailand	February 27 to March 5: Japan March 5 to 14: Thailand	March 2 to 16: Spain , France and Germany	March 2 to 5: Bangladesh March 7 to 16: Spain , France and Germany
Condition of home contact(s)	Wife	Girlfriend (Case 176)	Boyfriend (Case 175)	Husband (case 178)	Wife (Case 177)
Remarks	Had a meal gathering with case 162			Tourist

Case no.	179	180	181	182	183
Age/ Sex	63/Male	38/Male	63/Female	50/Female	24/Female
Any underlying illness	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Onset date	March 16	March 16	March 15	March 11	March 12
Symptoms	Cough	Headache and stuffy nose	Myalgia, fever	Headache, sore throat, malaise	Sore throat and cough
Residence	Block 2, Le Sommet, North Point	Branksome Crest, 3A Tregunter Path, Mid-levels	Sakura Court, 58-60 Kennedy Road, Wan Chai	Tai Mong Tsai, Sai Kung	Seymour Place, 60 Robinson Road, Mid-levels
Hospital admitted (patient condition)	QMH (Stable)	Tseung Kwan O Hospital (stable)	Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH)(Stable)	UCH(Stable)	Yan Chai Hospital (Stable)
Travel history during incubation period & infectious period	March 12-16 : United States	February 27 to March 15: Malaysia and London	February 29 to March 14: London	Nil	February 27 to March 8: London
Condition of home contact(s)	Wife	Domestic helper	Husband and domestic helper	Three sons and girlfriend of one of the sons, and domestic helper	Parents and domestic helper
Remarks	Referred by Port Health Division

Case no.	184	185	186	187	188
Age/ Sex	64/Female	23/Male	46/Female	20/Female	16/Male
Any underlying illness	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Onset date	March 12	March 12	March 2	March 9	March 11
Symptoms	Fever	Fever and headache	Cough and sore throat	Cough with sputum	Cough with sputum
Residence	Block 47, Baguio Villa, 550 Victoria Road	5 King Kwong Street, Happy Valley	Block 1, Island Resort	Studies in United Kingdom (UK)	Lives in UK
Hospital admitted (patient condition)	Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital (Stable)	RH (Stable)	RH (Stable)	PMH (Stable)	PMH (Stable)
Travel history during incubation period & infectious period	February 11 to 28: Dubai and Egypt March 5-12: Delhi, India	Studies in UK	March 6 to 11: Spain	Studies in UK	Lives in UK
Condition of home contact(s)	Two domestic helpers and a private driver	Father	Husband	Pending	Father (Case 189)
Remarks				Referred by Port Health Division	Referred by Port Health Division

Case no.	189	190	191	192	193
Age/ Sex	49/Male	12/Male	34/Female	46/Female	33/Female
Any underlying illness	Yes	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
Onset date	March 12	March 17	March 16	March 11	March 11
Symptoms	Cough and sore throat	Cough and headache	Fever and cough	Cough and runny nose	Cough and runny nose
Residence	Resides in UK	E Hotel Sham Shui Po	Phase 2, Sunshine City, Ma On Shan	Hang Yue Court, 2-14 Pitt Street, Yau Ma Tei	Penta Hotel Tuen Mun
Hospital admitted (patient condition)	PMH (Stable)	Caritas Medical Centre (Stable)	PWH (Stable)	QEH (Stable)	UCH (Stable)
Travel history during incubation period & infectious period	Resides in UK	March 4 to 16: UK	Nil	Nil	March 7 to 16: UK and Spain
Condition of home contact(s)	Son (Case 188)	Mother	Parents and younger sister	Mother	Parents and younger brother
Remarks

For information on flights that patients of the confirmed cases have taken, please refer to the following website: (www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/flights_trains_en.pdf). Passengers who travelled in the same cabin of the same flights with patients of the confirmed cases are urged to call the CHP hotline.

The CHP's epidemiological investigations and relevant contact tracing on the confirmed cases are ongoing. Quarantine will be arranged for close contacts while medical surveillance will be arranged for other contacts. For the progress on the contact tracing of the cases, please see the annex.

A spokesman for the CHP said, "In view of proliferation of the disease and continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world, members of the public are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong.

"Meanwhile, according to our epidemiological investigations, clusters are observed in the local community involving large meal gatherings and other gatherings. Members of the public are urged to go out less and reduce social activities such as meal gatherings or other gatherings, and maintain an appropriate social distance with other people as far as possible."

The spokesman said, "The CHP strongly urges the public to maintain at all times strict personal and environmental hygiene, which is key to personal protection against infection and prevention of the spread of the disease in the community. On a personal level, members of the public should wear a surgical mask when having respiratory symptoms, taking public transport or staying in crowded places. They should also perform hand hygiene frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes.

"As for household environmental hygiene, members of the public are advised to maintain drainage pipes properly, and regularly pour water into drain outlets (U-traps); cover all floor drain outlets when they are not in use; after using the toilet, they should put the toilet lid down before flushing to avoid spreading germs."

The CHP will report the cases to the World Health Organization, National Health Commission, Health Commission of Guangdong Province, relevant health authorities and the Hospital Authority.

The CHP has set up a hotline (2125 1122) for public enquiries. A new hotline (2125 1111) is newly added yesterday. The hotlines operate from 8am to midnight daily. As at 4pm yesterday, a total of 38 327 calls were received.

Moreover, the Government has launched the website "COVID-19 Thematic Website" (www.coronavirus.gov.hk) for announcing the latest updates on various news on the COVID-19 infection and health advice to help the public understand the latest updates...


...Ends/Thursday, March 19, 2020
Issued at HKT 1:38

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...0031900532.htm


Public hospitals daily update on COVID-19 cases
***************************************


The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

　　As at noon today (March 19), public hospitals had reported to the Department of Health the admission of 262 patients (138 male and 124 female, aged seven months to 81 years) in the past 24 hours who met the reporting criteria of COVID-19. Appropriate tests have been arranged for the patients.

　　There are 377 patients under isolation currently. So far, 98 patients who had COVID-19 confirmed or probable infections have been discharged upon recovery.

　　The Hospital Authority will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner.



Ends/Thursday, March 19, 2020
Issued at HKT 18:30

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...0031900707.htm


CHP investigates 16 additional cases of COVID-19
****************************************


The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) announced that as of 4pm today (March 19), the CHP is investigating 16 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, taking the number of cases to 209 in Hong Kong so far (comprising 208 confirmed cases and one probable case).

The CHP again urged members of the public to maintain an appropriate social distance with other people as far as possible in their daily lives. In particular, they should go out less and avoid social activities such as meal gatherings or other gatherings to reduce the chance of contacting infected persons, who may not present any symptoms, and minimise the risk of outbreak clusters emerging in the community.

Today’s cases involve 11 males and five females aged between 19 and 51. Among them, 14 had travel history during the incubation period / are classified as imported cases. For case details, please see Annex I. The CHP's epidemiological investigations and relevant contact tracing on the confirmed cases are ongoing. For the progress on the contact tracing of the cases, please see Annex II.

For information on flights that patients of the confirmed cases have taken, please refer to the following website: (www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/flights_trains_en.pdf). Passengers who travelled on the same flights and sat within two seats surrounding those patients are urged to call the CHP hotline.

A spokesman for the CHP said, "In view of proliferation of the disease and continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world, members of the public are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong.”

The spokesman said, "The CHP strongly urges the public to maintain at all times strict personal and environmental hygiene, which is key to personal protection against infection and prevention of the spread of the disease in the community. On a personal level, members of the public should wear a surgical mask when having respiratory symptoms, taking public transport or staying in crowded places. They should also perform hand hygiene frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes.

"As for household environmental hygiene, members of the public are advised to maintain drainage pipes properly, and regularly pour water into drain outlets (U-traps); cover all floor drain outlets when they are not in use; after using the toilet, they should put the toilet lid down before flushing to avoid spreading germs."

The CHP will report the cases to the World Health Organization, National Health Commission, Health Commission of Guangdong Province, relevant health authorities and the Hospital Authority.

The CHP has set up the hotlines 2125 1111 and 2125 1122, which operate from 8am to midnight daily, for public enquiries. As at 4pm yesterday, a total of 39 506 calls were received.

Moreover, the Government has launched the website "COVID-19 Thematic Website" (www.coronavirus.gov.hk) for announcing the latest updates on various news on the COVID-19 infection and health advice to help the public understand the latest updates...

...Ends/Thursday, March 19, 2020
Issued at HKT 22:43

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...0032000501.htm


Public hospitals daily update on COVID-19 cases
***************************************


The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

As at noon today (March 20), public hospitals had reported to the Department of Health the admission of 267 patients (121 male and 146 female, aged one to 82) in the past 24 hours who met the reporting criteria of COVID-19. Appropriate tests have been arranged for the patients.

There are 363 patients under isolation currently. So far, 98 patients who had COVID-19 confirmed or probable infections have been discharged upon recovery.

The Hospital Authority will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner.





Ends/Friday, March 20, 2020
Issued at HKT 17:41

[kiwibird]

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/...224219279.html

09:22 GMT - Hong Kong sees 48 new cases


Hong Kong said it had recorded 48 new cases of coronavirus, a one-day record, as the city hunkers down to deal with a flood of people returning from overseas who are infected.

The number brings the total of confirmed cases in Hong Kong to 256.

Of the confirmed new cases, 36 had overseas travel records, the government said

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...0032000844.htm

CHP investigates 48 additional cases of COVID-19 and improves the samples collection arrangement under the Enhanced Laboratory Surveillance Programme
************************************************** ***********************************


The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) announced that as of 4pm today (March 20), the CHP is investigating 48 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, taking the number of cases to 257 in Hong Kong so far (comprising 256 confirmed cases and one probable case).

Regarding the extension of the Enhanced Laboratory Surveillance Programme to cover asymptomatic persons under the Compulsory Quarantine of Persons Arriving at Hong Kong from Foreign Places Regulation (Cap. 599E) starting yesterday (March 19), with an aim to further facilitate the persons under quarantine to have their family members or friends deliver the deep throat saliva samples for the free testing service for COVID-19, the DH will increase the collection points to cover a number of General Out-patients clinics under the Hospital Authority (collection time: from Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 9:30 am except public holiday). Meanwhile, collection time from 9am to 12noon this Saturday and Sunday (March 21 and 22) will be arranged at the 13 designated chest clinics or dermatological clinics under the DH.

The Public Health Laboratory Services Branch of the CHP provides testing for 5 000 samples from the relevant persons per week. Persons under quarantine aged 65 or above or persons under quarantine residing with elderly persons aged 65 or above are target individuals at this stage. The DH's personnel will provide a specimen container to the relevant inbound travellers at Hong Kong International Airport. They are required to collect their deep throat saliva sample in the morning on the specified collection date by themselves at home in accordance with the instructions, and to have their family members or friends deliver it to any of the collection points in the morning on the collection date. If a sample tests positive, the CHP will notify the person concerned and arrange for admission to a public hospital for treatment as early as possible. In general, if no notification is received within three working days after returning a sample, it means the test result is negative and the person concerned is required to continue the quarantine until the quarantine period ends.

Today’s cases involve 26 males and 22 females aged between four and 69. Among them, 35 had travel history during the incubation period. For case details, please see Annex I. The CHP's epidemiological investigations and relevant contact tracing on the confirmed cases are ongoing. For the progress on the contact tracing of the cases, please see Annex II.

For information on flights that patients of the confirmed cases have taken, please refer to the following website: (www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/flights_trains_en.pdf). Passengers who travelled on the same flights and sat within two seats surrounding those patients are urged to call the CHP hotline 2125 1111 and 2125 1122.

The CHP again urged members of the public to maintain an appropriate social distance with other people as far as possible in their daily lives. In particular, they should go out less and avoid social activities such as meal gatherings or other gatherings to reduce the chance of contacting infected persons, who may not present any symptoms, and minimise the risk of outbreak clusters emerging in the community.

A spokesman for the CHP said, "In view of proliferation of the disease and continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world, members of the public are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong.”

The spokesman said, "The CHP strongly urges the public to maintain at all times strict personal and environmental hygiene, which is key to personal protection against infection and prevention of the spread of the disease in the community. On a personal level, members of the public should wear a surgical mask when having respiratory symptoms, taking public transport or staying in crowded places. They should also perform hand hygiene frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes.

"As for household environmental hygiene, members of the public are advised to maintain drainage pipes properly, and regularly pour water into drain outlets (U-traps); cover all floor drain outlets when they are not in use; after using the toilet, they should put the toilet lid down before flushing to avoid spreading germs."

The CHP will report the cases to the World Health Organization, National Health Commission, Health Commission of Guangdong Province, relevant health authorities and the Hospital Authority.

The CHP has set up the hotlines, which operate from 8am to midnight daily, for public enquiries. As at 4pm yesterday, a total of 40 470 calls were received.

Moreover, the Government has launched the website "COVID-19 Thematic Website" (www.coronavirus.gov.hk) for announcing the latest updates on various news on the COVID-19 infection and health advice to help the public understand the latest updates...

...Ends/Friday, March 20, 2020
Issued at HKT 23:55

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...0032100385.htm


Hospital Authority announces incident concerning test of specimens collected at test centre
************************************************** ***********************


The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

The Hospital Authority (HA) today (March 21) announced an incident concerning the test of specimens collected at a test centre:

The HA has established temporary test centres at the AsiaWorld-Expo and North Lantau Hospital yesterday (March 20). People arriving in Hong Kong with symptoms of upper respiratory symptoms will be sent to the centres for a viral test, and to wait for the laboratory results. Healthcare staff will arrange the transfer of patients with positive test results to public hospitals for isolation and treatment. As for those who have negative test results, they can return to their residence and continue their home quarantine for 14 days.

The HA laboratory at Queen Mary Hospital was responsible for testing seven specimens collected from the test centre at AsiaWorld Expo. The repeat test conducted in the early morning today found four specimens having different results from the preliminary results obtained last evening.

Two people who had returned directly to their registered residence tested positive for COVID-19 in the repeat test. The HA has immediately reported the cases to the Centre for Health Protection. The two patients have been transferred to hospitals for isolation treatment and are in stable condition now.

Meanwhile, the other two people who had been waiting for the results in the test centre at AsiaWorld-Expo were found to have negative test results for COVID-19 in the repeat test. They were informed of the results and have returned to their residence to continue their home quarantine for 14 days.

The laboratory concerned has preliminarily reviewed the workflow of the laboratory and believed that the four samples might have been swapped during the process. The infection risk of the cases concerned has been assessed and the laboratory test workflow has been reviewed to further enhance the integrity of the test reports.

The HA apologised for the inconvenience caused to the people concerned, while the laboratory test workflow and results disclosure arrangement will be reviewed and streamlined in due course. The HA also expressed gratitude to all staff members from the departments and backend support units in setting up the temporary test centres within a such a short time.



Ends/Saturday, March 21, 2020
Issued at HKT 15:30

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/...0032100483.htm


ublic hospitals daily update on COVID-19 cases
***************************************


The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

As at noon today (March 21), public hospitals had reported to the Department of Health the admission of 243 patients (125 male and 118 female, aged six months to 89 years) in the past 24 hours who met the reporting criteria of COVID-19. Appropriate tests have been arranged for the patients.

There are 362 patients under isolation currently. So far, 101 patients who had COVID-19 confirmed or probable infections have been discharged upon recovery.

The Hospital Authority will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner.



Ends/Saturday, March 21, 2020
Issued at HKT 18:12