Coronavirus: Hong Kong confirms 62nd infection, while mother-in-law of engineer in earlier case tests positive
- Extended surveillance measures introduced to get patients with mild flu-like symptoms to take self-test kits home and submit results later
- Latest confirmed case involves 58-year-old patient at United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong, who visited mainland last month
Hong Kong has confirmed its 62nd case of Covid-19 infection, while the mother-in-law of an engineer who had contracted the coronavirus also tested positive in preliminary checks.
Officials revealed that a 58-year-old patient at United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong was the latest case in the city, as extended surveillance measures were introduced to ensure Hongkongers with minor flu-like symptoms test themselves, in a bid to identify cases earlier.
Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, of the Centre for Health Protection, said the man lived in Kwun Tong’s Cambridge Building, while his wife and daughter were based in Zhongshan city in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong.
The man had developed fever and chills on February 11 and a cough on Saturday. He had consulted a private doctor twice, on February 11 and 13, and was sent to hospital on Monday.
Chuang said the man visited his family in Zhongshan between January 23 and February 2, and made another day trip to Macau on February 5 for work.
Separately, the mother-in-law of the infected engineer in an earlier case at Taikoo Shing also returned positive results in preliminary tests on Tuesday, according to Tuen Mun Hospital.
The woman was admitted for an orthopaedic surgery at the hospital after a fall, and did not display any symptoms such as fever or respiratory infection.
A source said she also did not have any travel history.
She was sent to the hospital’s isolation ward and tested after both her son-in-law – an engineer from architecture firm P&T Group – and daughter were confirmed to be infected.
Meanwhile, two coronavirus patients were discharged on Tuesday, bringing the number of recoveries so far in the city to four.
The 47-year-old and 80-year-old – reported as Hong Kong’s sixth and 14th confirmed cases – were expected to return to hospital for follow-up checks in two weeks.
The 32-year-old was being treated at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan. Her employer, a 67-year-old woman, was confirmed as infected on February 13.
Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch at the Centre for Health Protection, said officers were also trying to contact about 10 of the domestic helper’s friends, who gathered outside City Hall on February 9.
Chuang said: “She fell ill on February 2 but felt she had recovered after taking some medicine.”
Health authorities previously revealed the employer had been to a meal at Star Seafood Restaurant in North Point that was attended by 29 people.
At least five other people who were at the dinner had already been confirmed as infected.
Hong Kong is home to more than 380,000 foreign domestic workers. Of those, about 210,000 are from the Philippines, with the rest mostly from Indonesia.
Patients with respiratory or pneumonia symptoms will be asked to take testing kits home and return their samples the following day, with the results expected two or three days later.
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Dr Chui Tak-yi, food and health undersecretary, told the media: “The extended surveillance measures will allow us to better understand the disease and detect patients at an earlier stage.”
Currently, coronavirus tests are only performed on patients admitted to hospitals.
Dr Lau Ka-hin, Hospital Authority chief manager of quality and standards, said the pilot programme would be reviewed in a week. He added: “The scheme can also minimise the risk of having hidden patients in the community.”
The A&E units at public hospitals treat about 3,000 people every day, while the general outpatient clinics serve 10,000 patients daily.
