Hong Kong Records Three Imported Covid Cases

Health authorities recorded three new imported Covid-19 cases on Sunday – with two of the cases confirmed to be carrying the L452R mutant strain.

The two patients – a 31-year-old woman who had flown in from Israel and a 36-year-old woman who flew in from Qatar – had received both doses of the BioNTech vaccine in Hong Kong and their blood samples tested positive for anti-spike protein antibodies in July and August.

Officials noted the woman who flew into the city from Qatar had travelled to Nigeria on August 22, and tested negative for the virus on the day prior to her departure.

She tested positive for the coronavirus upon her return to Hong Kong on September 10, when she also developed symptoms.

The woman lives in Tung Shun Hing Building in To Kwa Wan and last went to work at the Lee & Man Commercial Centre in North Point on August 21. Authorities say these buildings will come under a compulsory testing order as a precautionary measure.

As for the third confirmed case – a 42-year-old man who arrived in Hong Kong from Japan – health officials have not yet confirmed whether he also carries the L452R mutant strain. However, they noted he has an epidemiological link with a confirmed case who was carrying the strain.

Meanwhile, there are fewer than five preliminary cases.

Hong Kong has recorded 12,145 confirmed Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.