Eating Out Still A Coronavirus Risk, Warns Official

Hong Kong recorded 15 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday – 10 of which were locally acquired – with the authorities warning that everyday activities like eating out still come with a risk of catching the virus.

Health officials were unable to trace the source of infection for half of the new local cases, including a police officer, a part-time taxi driver, a housewife, and two cleaners who work at Pacific Place and Hong Kong Cricket Club respectively.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said silent transmissions of the virus in the community mean people may come down with Covid-19 even if they don’t take part in any high-risk activities.

“It may be related to the major outbreak in the earlier stage that has infiltrated to various sectors and districts in the community,” she said.

“Many of the cases are just common residents. They don’t necessarily have some high-risk activities. As long as they went out to do some daily chores or eat at some restaurants or visit some markets, they might get the disease,” she said.

She said she believed the upcoming citywide Covid-19 testing scheme would help identify some silent carriers of the virus.

A dozen other people also tested positive for the virus in preliminary tests, including a 31-year-old pregnant woman.

The woman went to Tuen Mun Hospital on Saturday and said she had a fever. However, staff at the hospital’s accident and emergency department measured her temperature and found it was normal.

She was admitted to a general medical ward, but later tested positive for the coronavirus. Ten patients who stayed on the same ward are considered close contacts and are being put in quarantine.

A chief manager of the authority, Dr Sara Ho, admitted that the way the hospital managed this case was not ideal.

Ho said she felt sorry that patients staying on the same ward had to be put under quarantine because of the incident, and promised a review would be conducted on the matter.

The five imported coronavirus cases on Sunday involved people who had travelled to the SAR from the Philippines and India.