HK Seeks More Info On South Africa Covid Variant

Health officials say they are seeking more details from the World Health Organisation over the South African variant of coronavirus that's believed to be more transmissible and may hit young people harder.

"We are closely monitoring the situation of the new variant found in association with the South African strain. I understand we are discussing what to do about that," Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection told a daily Covid-19 press conference.

Chuang added Hong Kong has not had any imported cases from South Africa recently.

Hong Kong reported 71 new Covid infections on Thursday. Sixty-one of them were acquired locally, with the source of infection unknown in 30 of them.

Around 50 people have also tested preliminary positive for the virus.

Chuang urged people to stay vigilant in the Christmas and New Year holidays as clusters of infections had already appeared due to family gatherings during winter solstice earlier this week.

"According to cases in these few days, because of the celebrations we found quite a number of cases in family clusters. So try to avoid large gathering as much as possible to prevent cases in the coming days," she said.

Meanwhile, authorities ordered residents at Fu Yan House of Fu Shan Estate in Wong Tai Sin to undergo mandatory testing after four flats there reported infections.

Specimen bottles will also be distributed at Wing Shui House at Lek Yuen Estate in Sha Tin.

Meanwhile, the Hospital Authority said they are investigating the case of a 95-year-old patient who'd been in hospital for two weeks and tested preliminary positive for Covid-19.

He had tested negative when he was admitted to Queen Elizabeth Hospital on December 9.

He was later transferred to Buddhist Hospital where he was re-tested after developing a fever. Nine patients from the same ward will be quarantined, although three of them had already been discharged.

The patient is now being treated again at Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

The Hospital Authority also said two more patients have died, bringing the total coronavirus-linked deaths in Hong Kong to 135. They were an 86-year-old woman and a 92-year-old man, both having suffered other chronic illnesses.