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South China morning post
Hong Kong Fourth Wave: Health Official Admits Quarantine Delays As 70 Covid-19 Cases Have Been Confirmed, With Medical Personnel Among Possible Infected
Large-scale evacuations from coronavirus-hit housing estates may be delaying the quarantine of other Hong Kong residents, a senior health official said. The admission came on Friday after a 62-year-old woman ordered to undergo an examination was found dead in Hong Kong. her home before she could be moved to isolation as planned. A post-mortem test confirmed that he had Covid-19. The delay was the latest sign of the strain the fourth wave of the pandemic is putting on health resources, though the number of new cases on Friday fell to a six-day low of 70.6. Get the latest insights and analysis from our Global Impact newsletter on the great stories originating from China. A new cluster emerged involving 10 confirmed infections at a singing school in San Po Kong, while three medical workers who attended a family gathering tested preliminary positive, prompting authorities to warn hospital staff to avoid the activities. social during the holiday season. The government also announced that Canada had become the 20th addition to the list of countries considered high risk for Covid-19. People arriving from the country must show proof of a negative coronavirus test prior to departure and quarantine in a hotel after landing.Referring to the 62-year-old deceased woman, who was a close contact of another patient, the Dr. Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable diseases branch of the Center for Health Protection, admitted that the recent increase in cases and evacuation orders involving housing developments could be the reasons for the delay in quarantining other residents. . Hong Kong luxury salon staff among 96 new confirmed Covid-19 cases “Typically, after health authorities issue quarantine notice to [close] contacts, our staff will contact you and arrange a time to send them to [quarantine facilities]. But these days, it is true that we have had to evacuate several residents in housing blocks in the Kwai Tsing West Estate and Richland Gardens, ”he said, referring to two properties affected by Covid-19 clusters. “Our staff is doing everything possible and seeking help from other departments to expedite all these arrangements.” The woman received a quarantine notice on December 9 after a relative contracted the virus, and was waiting to be transferred. He spoke with family members the next day and told them that he suffered from a stuffy nose. But after not hearing from her again, police were called on December 12 and officers found her dead in her apartment. Chuang said 1,600 quarantine beds were available out of the city’s total of 4,360. In addition to arranging a time for the transfer, the related paperwork and interdepartmental coordination “took time to process,” Chuang added. The procedure also required people to pack their belongings and sometimes involved arranging temporary places for the family’s pets, he explained. Chinese University professor David Hui Shu-cheong, a government health adviser, called for the creation of a priority quarantine queue for older residents considered close contacts of infected or living alone. He predicted that health officials would seek help from the Civil Aid Service and the Auxiliary Medical Service to speed up the processes to lead them to isolation. The new group that involves singing lessons emerged at Billy Sir Classroom at New Trend Center in San Po Kong. Family members of people who visited the site on December 5 and 8 and were later confirmed as carriers are among the most recent cases. Authorities did not provide more details than the group that now consisted of 10 infections. An office worker for Billy Sir, who declined to give his full name, told the Post that his students had not been forced to wear masks. “We believed that the 500-square-foot” classroom at Billy Sir was large enough to ensure adequate distance between students, “he said, adding that classes on the two specified dates consisted of fewer than five students. “I think the only thing we didn’t have was proper guidelines on wearing a mask,” he said. “We took all precautionary measures, like cleaning the air conditioners, taking everyone’s temperature, and ordering students to wash their hands before classes. “The three medical workers who tested preliminary positive on Friday had attended a family reunion of more than 10 people last Saturday and later felt bad. One is employed at Kowloon Hospital, another at Alice Ho Miu Ling Hospital. Nethersole in Tai Po, and the third at an endoscopy center operated by Tung Wah Hospital, where three staff members were deemed to be close contacts. But Covid-19 tests on workers came back negative and no patients appeared to have been exposed. Cathay Pacific Prepares to Handle 8.6 Million Daily Doses of Covid-19 Vaccines “We understand that the public may be fatigued after the long battle with the coronavirus during It’s a year, but medical staff should lead by example and avoid meetings, “said Dr. Linda Yu Wai-ling, chief director of the Hospital Authority. “We remind our staff to be more attentive, because in addition to affecting their family, it will also affect their patients and colleagues.” Meanwhile, a 63-year-old Covid-19 patient escaped from Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The workers saw him leave the isolation room, run down the stairs and flee the facility. The case was reported to the police. The patient was a close contact to another confirmed case and reportedly lived on Fa Yuen Street in Mong Kok. Two more patients have succumbed to the disease. An 84-year-old man died at the Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital Thursday night, while an 85-year-old woman succumbed Friday morning. There have been 10 coronavirus-related deaths this week, bringing the city death toll to 129. Friday’s infections were the lowest since December 12, when 69 were reported. Hong Kong has recorded 7,969 cases to now, among other new cases, six come from five floors at the King Tsui Court in Chai Wan. Health officials said only one of the infections was untraceable and that bottles to collect samples for testing would be distributed to all residents of the block. The officials also announced that all inmates and staff at the Lo Wu Correctional Institution would be tested after a female official tested positive Thursday night. At Friday’s press conference, a press officer reminded reporters not to call the coronavirus the “Wuhan virus.” Wuhan is the city in Hubei province on the mainland where the coronavirus was first identified late last year. “As the World Health Organization has called the new virus ‘Covid-19’, use it when asking questions,” the official told a journalist. More from South China Morning Post: * Fourth wave from Hong Kong: Ordered testing for luxury salon customers in Central after staff among 96 new confirmed Covid-19 cases * Fourth wave from Hong Kong: Experts concerned that more patients of middle-aged coronaviruses develop serious complications compared to previous outbreaks Confirmed Covid-19 cases, and medical personnel among the possible infected first appeared on the South China Morning Post For the latest news from the South China Morning Post, download our mobile app. Copyright 2020.
