Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Hong Kong third wave: fresh record set with 118 Covid-19 cases as city confronts risk from infected crew aboard cargo ships

More than 100 seamen isolated aboard vessels after six tested positive for the virus. Government urged to require arriving maritime workers to undergo mandatory quarantine

Hong Kong once again set a single-day record for coronavirus infections on Thursday after 118 cases emerged, while another patient died and authorities grappled with a new threat posed by cargo ships arriving with infected crew members.

More than 100 maritime workers are stuck aboard their vessels undergoing quarantine after six seamen tested positive for the virus, raising concerns that outbreaks aboard ships streaming into one of the busiest ports in Asia could overwhelm local hospitals. Seamen are currently exempt from the mandatory two-week quarantine rule, a loophole the government has been urged to plug.

Hong Kong has seen a rising number of Covid-19 cases this week and the latest numbers surpass the previous record of 113 set on Wednesday, with authorities confirming 111 local infections, more than 40 of unknown origin. A patient, aged 63 and who suffered from underlying medical problems, became the latest fatality of the pandemic, taking the total to 15. The city now has 2,249 confirmed cases.

But in a sign the situation could soon improve, a leading health expert said his research showed the reproductive rate of the virus, or the number of people each patient can infect, had fallen below one. He predicted the current wave would peak in two weeks.

Authorities have been ramping up social-distancing measures and urging the public to limit their movements. Undersecretary for Food and Health Dr Chui Tak-yi asked residents, especially the elderly and those with health conditions, to remain at home as much as possible.

“Please temporarily stop gatherings and meals with friends and families at home or in public if they are unnecessary,” Chui said. “Protect yourself, protect your families.”

The six infected seamen, from the Philippines, India, Russia and Montenegro, arrived aboard six separate cargo ships, which are now anchored off the south of the city near Lamma Island. They were transferred to hospital and three have been discharged after treatment. It is understood medical staff were sent to carry out tests on the remaining 140 crew members, who will emerge from two weeks of quarantine imposed due to the confirmed cases between this Saturday and August 3.

Professor David Hui Shu-cheong, a respiratory medicine specialist at Chinese University, said keeping the maritime workers on the vessels while they waited out the incubation period of the disease was an appropriate arrangement.

“It is unlikely the ships will become another Diamond Princess cruise liner, as there are many fewer people on board each ship, and they can be spaced out in their quarantine with little interaction,” Hui said.

The Diamond Princess was hit with a mushrooming Covid-19 outbreak that required the lockdown of the vessel in Yokohama, Japan, early this year. More than 700 passengers and crew became infected, including 76 Hongkongers, three of whom died.

But Dr Leung Chi-chiu, chairman of the Hong Kong Medical Association’s advisory committee on communicable diseases, warned an outbreak aboard a vessel would leave hospitals already struggling to accommodate local patients with the prospect of taking on even more cases.

A source familiar with the matter said the government should at least require maritime workers to undergo quarantine. Hong Kong is the only port in Southeast Asia that allows changeover of crew members, making it a potential transmission hotspot.

Foreign seamen are currently granted the status of “medical surveillance”, exempting them from the mandatory quarantine rules most other arrivals must follow.

They are not required, for instance, to wait for their test result at the main processing facility at AsiaWorld-Expo. “By the time we found out the seamen tested positive, they had already got on board,” the source said.

Officials are battling multiple clusters across the city. Four new cases were tied to Tao Heung restaurant in Mong Kok’s Grand Plaza, pushing the total linked to the eatery above 20. The operator Tao Heung Group said it would temporarily shut its more than 100 outlets for deep cleaning from Sunday.

A resident at the Salvation Army Lung Hang Residence for Senior Citizens in Tai Wai tested preliminary positive for the coronavirus, after two employees – a cleaner and a chef – were confirmed infected. Two other care homes for the elderly have also previously reported outbreaks.

Another new case involved a 43-year-old female sergeant who works at police headquarters in Wan Chai, while a 36-year-old officer stationed at the New Territories South Traffic Headquarters in Tsuen Wan tested preliminarily positive for the coronavirus.

A woman who donated blood at a Red Cross centre in Tsz Wan Shan was confirmed infected on Wednesday. Her red blood cells were given to a patient at Princess Margaret Hospital, who will be tested. “According to overseas experience, the risk of having Covid-19 infection via blood donation or transfusion is very low,” said Dr Linda Yu Wai-ling, a chief manager at the Hospital Authority.

Another pet was confirmed to have the virus and quarantined. Its owner who lives in Sheung Wan was carrying the virus. Hong Kong earlier recorded two dogs and cats as infected with the virus.

Despite another record high of new cases, Professor Gabriel Leung, dean of the University of Hong Kong’s faculty of medicine, said the number of people infected by each carrier had fallen by more than two-thirds over the past fortnight.

His latest research findings showed the movement of most age groups such as children, adults and the elderly had already returned to March levels when the city was under stringent social-distancing rules. He was hopeful the number of new daily cases would peak in two weeks.

To curb the spread of infections, the government has also extended the work-from-home arrangements for civil servants, which had been scheduled to expire on Sunday, for another week to August 2.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
EU Proposes Phasing Out Russian Oil and Gas by End of 2027 to End Energy Dependence
More Than 150,000 Followers for a Fictional Character: The New Influencers Are AI Creations
EU Prepares for War
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
×