Covid Outbreak Grows At Lei Muk Shue Care Home

Five residents from a care home for people with intellectual disabilities have tested preliminary positive for Covid-19, days after a small outbreak was reported there.

The Centre for Health Protection reported 19 new cases on Tuesday, of which 16 were locally-transmitted. Eight of the local infections were related to previous cases, while the source of infection for the other eight was unknown.

That's a rebound of just nine cases reported on Monday, the first time in nearly two months the number dropped to single-digits.

The centre's Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said more than 20 people have also tested preliminary positive, among them five residents of the Hong Chi Lei Muk Shue Hostel for people with intellectual disabilities, where a small outbreak was reported on Sunday.

About 100 were quarantined after three people, including staff members, contracted the virus there.

"The ultimate source of this outbreak is difficult to be ascertained, but according to our preliminary information from the residents, most of them – I'm not sure whether all of them – did not go out since July, so it's possible that maybe the caretakers go out and may have introduced the infection to the care home," Chuang said.

On a government decision to partially ease social-distancing measures from Friday, she said that any relaxation poses a risk of increasing the number of cases. She reminded people to stick to personal hygiene measures, such as wearing masks as often as possible and observing hand hygiene.

A chief manager for the Hospital Authority, Dr Sara Ho, said among those who tested preliminary positive was a 46-year-old non-emergency ambulance assistant who works in the authority's Kowloon West Cluster, and a 60-year-old operations assistant working in the Accident and Emergency Department at Princess Margaret Hospital.

They last reported to work on Friday and Saturday respectively, and Ho said both were wearing personal protective equipment. No patients have been listed as close contacts, but five people who shared meals with the two workers have been listed as close contacts and will be quarantined.