Hong Kong Reports Three New Imported Covid Cases

Health authorities on Wednesday reported three new Covid-19 infections involving patients flying in from Pakistan and South Korea.

The three patients are fully vaccinated and were found to be carrying the L452R mutant strain.

A man from Pakistan tested positive upon arrival at the airport on Monday. In another case, a woman flying in from South Korea last week tested positive during hotel quarantine. Meanwhile, a 45-year-old man from Pakistan, who is a close contact of two previously confirmed cases, tested positive in the Penny's Bay quarantine centre.

Health officials also reported two suspected re-positive overseas cases, who had returned from Indonesia and Singapore in October.

They involved a 29-year-old foreign domestic helper from Indonesia and a fully-vaccinated 65-year-old man from Singapore.

Meanwhile, health authorities said Covid-19 was found on the package of a parcel sent to Hong Kong from Inner Mongolia during a routine check.

It said the recipient had disposed of the package immediately upon receiving the parcel and had washed the clothes contained in it.

Authorities said the recipient had been asked to take a Covid test. They also said environmental samples at a local logistics warehouse where the parcel had been kept came back negative, and staff who might have had contact with the parcel were asked to undergo tests.

It added that the risk of the parcel carrying a transmissible live virus after arriving Hong Kong is relatively low, as the virus generally cannot survive over a few days under a non-chilled environment.

Authorities also said they are banning Air India flights from New Delhi for two weeks from November 17 after a passenger of one of its flights was confirmed to have Covid-19 while another passenger was found to have flouted infection control measures.