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Hong Kong fourth wave: police looking into where escaped Covid-19 patient went during 54 hours on the run, as city confirms 85 new Covid-19 cases

  • Among the new cases, 78 were locally transmitted, including 27 from untraceable sources
  • It was not immediately known where runaway patient Li Wan-keung, 63, might have visited, but police are looking into the possibility he patronised local vice establishments

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Li Wan-keung, 63, was captured by police late Sunday night – 54 hours after his escape from a hospital isolation ward. Photo: Handout
The Hong Kong coronavirus patient who escaped from a public hospital only to be tracked down days later has refused to tell police where he went during the 54 hours he was on the loose, prompting officers to suspect he visited brothels or other vice establishments.
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As authorities began looking into that possibility on Monday, the city registered 85 new Covid-19 infections, one-third of them from unknown local origins.

A police source said that 63-year-old patient Li Wan-keung had been uncooperative since he was spotted in Mong Kok and returned to Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Sunday night following his escape on Friday.

The source said the force was investigating whether Li had patronised vice establishments in Mong Kok, where he lived, noting that there were many in the area.

“We will check security camera footage from shops, dash cameras of vehicles and buildings to find out where he had been during the period he was missing,” the source said on Monday.

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Li Wan-keung, a 63-year-old Covid-19 patient, was on the run for more than 50 hours after fleeing Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei on Friday afternoon. Photo: Facebook
Li Wan-keung, a 63-year-old Covid-19 patient, was on the run for more than 50 hours after fleeing Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei on Friday afternoon. Photo: Facebook
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