HK sees eighth Omicron case as it reports five other imported cases
Hong Kong on Tuesday reported its eighth Omicron case – a man who returned from Africa – and five other imported cases.
The Center for Health Protection said the Omicron case involved a 50-year-old male patient who arrived in Hong Kong from Tanzania, South Africa, and Kenya by flight QR818 via Qatar last Friday. He had received two doses of BioNTech vaccines in Hong Kong on April 16 and May 7.
He developed symptoms on Sunday and tested positive during the seven-day compulsory quarantine at Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre.
There have, so far, been eight cases involving Omicron in Hong Kong. Apart from the cases mentioned above, two are related to South Africa, two are associated with Nigeria, two are related to the United Kingdom, and the remaining one is related to the United States.
As for the imported cases, the patients involved are two men and three women aged 21 to 55.
A 34-year-old foreign domestic helper arrived in Hong Kong from the Philippines via flight 5J272 on November 17. She had undergone quarantine at Penny's Bay quarantine center and tested negative six times during her stay there.
She then stayed at Winland 800 Hotel in Tsing Yi last Wednesday upon completing the quarantine. She underwent compulsory Covid testing at a community testing center on December 12 and tested preliminarily positive for the N501Y mutant strain.
Winland 800 Hotel had been listed in the compulsory testing notice, as well as three places she had visited in Tsuen Wan.
A 21-year-old woman arrived in Hong Kong from the US via flight CX845 on Sunday. She developed symptoms last Saturday and tested positive for the N501Y mutant strain upon arrival.
A 46-year-old male aircrew member arrived in Hong Kong from Italy via flight CP156 on Sunday. He tested positive for the L452R mutant strain upon arrival and remained asymptomatic.
The remaining two cases involved a 46-year-old woman and a 55-year-old man who arrived in Hong Kong from Pakistan by flight TK083 via Turkey on Sunday. They tested positive for the L452R mutant strain upon arrival and remained asymptomatic.
On a radio program, HKU infectious disease expert Ho Pak-leung warned Omicron will replace Delta as the trending Covid-19 variant worldwide as Omicron cases will spread even faster in the coming two weeks before Christmas.
Ho also urged authorities to move the UK -- recording its first Omicron death on Monday -- to the A+ category to require arrivals from the country to observe seven days quarantine in Penny’s Bay before moving to hotels for another 14 days.
He developed symptoms on Sunday and tested positive during the seven-day compulsory quarantine at Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre.
There have, so far, been eight cases involving Omicron in Hong Kong. Apart from the cases mentioned above, two are related to South Africa, two are associated with Nigeria, two are related to the United Kingdom, and the remaining one is related to the United States.
As for the imported cases, the patients involved are two men and three women aged 21 to 55.
A 34-year-old foreign domestic helper arrived in Hong Kong from the Philippines via flight 5J272 on November 17. She had undergone quarantine at Penny's Bay quarantine center and tested negative six times during her stay there.
She then stayed at Winland 800 Hotel in Tsing Yi last Wednesday upon completing the quarantine. She underwent compulsory Covid testing at a community testing center on December 12 and tested preliminarily positive for the N501Y mutant strain.
Winland 800 Hotel had been listed in the compulsory testing notice, as well as three places she had visited in Tsuen Wan.
A 21-year-old woman arrived in Hong Kong from the US via flight CX845 on Sunday. She developed symptoms last Saturday and tested positive for the N501Y mutant strain upon arrival.
A 46-year-old male aircrew member arrived in Hong Kong from Italy via flight CP156 on Sunday. He tested positive for the L452R mutant strain upon arrival and remained asymptomatic.
The remaining two cases involved a 46-year-old woman and a 55-year-old man who arrived in Hong Kong from Pakistan by flight TK083 via Turkey on Sunday. They tested positive for the L452R mutant strain upon arrival and remained asymptomatic.
On a radio program, HKU infectious disease expert Ho Pak-leung warned Omicron will replace Delta as the trending Covid-19 variant worldwide as Omicron cases will spread even faster in the coming two weeks before Christmas.
Ho also urged authorities to move the UK -- recording its first Omicron death on Monday -- to the A+ category to require arrivals from the country to observe seven days quarantine in Penny’s Bay before moving to hotels for another 14 days.