Analyse All Covid Cases From The UK, Urges Expert

University of Hong Kong microbiologist Ho Pak-leung on Tuesday urged the government to analyse all samples from Covid-19 patients who have flown in from the UK, to find out if a new and more contagious strain has reached the territory.

Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme, Dr Ho said there was something special about the 45 imported cases from the UK since early November, as 85% of the patients – a higher percentage than usual – showed no symptoms.

He warned that those infected with the new strain reported in the UK have a high viral load in their respiratory tracts, adding that the strain could reproduce much more quickly than the one found in Wuhan at the start of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, infectious disease specialist Joseph Tsang from the Medical Association said the government should consider banning more flights from Europe when infection numbers there spike.

He told an RTHK programme that it was not enough to target travellers from the UK as the strain that emerged in September has possibly spread to other European countries before they, like Hong Kong, suspended air travel with the UK.

Dr Tsang added that the government should extend the quarantine period for people returning from France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Denmark to 21 days – a week longer than other inbound travellers – and put them into quarantine camps instead of hotels.

These travellers should also be tested more often during their final week of quarantine, he said.

Dr Ho echoed Tsang's views, saying all incoming travellers, except those flying in from low-risk places like the mainland and Taiwan, should undergo 21 days of quarantine to prevent the virus from spreading in the community.