Coronavirus: Hong Kong health officials forced to explain mishandling of corpse, asymptomatic woman’s admission to non-isolation ward as city records 15 new infections
- A review of safety protocols has been promised after the medical blunders resulted in multiple staff and patients requiring quarantine
- In the case of the deceased patient, a coronavirus test had been administered shortly before death, but results returned only after the body was taken away
The incidents came to light as the city reported 15 new coronavirus infections on Sunday. The new cases, which took Hong Kong’s infection tally to 4,801, marked the third-lowest daily total since July 3. More than 10 people also tested preliminary positive on Sunday, pending confirmation.
Sunday also brought news of the death of an 83-year-old Covid-19 patient, raising the number of coronavirus-related fatalities to 88.
The latest figures, however, were not the focus for much of the day’s regular press conference, as health officials repeatedly fielded questions and admitted mistakes in the handling of two Covid-19 patients, and promised a review of the relevant guidelines.
One case involved a 59-year-old patient who died in Tseung Kwan O Hospital on Wednesday. Dr Sara Ho Yuen-ha, a chief manager at the Hospital Authority, said the man was critically ill when taken to the hospital at 3pm that day, and died shortly afterwards, at about 3.45pm.
Samples for a Covid-19 test were collected before he died, but the corpse had already been transported to a mortuary by Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) staff when results came back at about 10pm confirming his infection.
Five FEHD workers, who did not wear protective equipment when transferring the dead body, will undergo quarantine after being classified as close contacts.
