Kerry Logistics warehouse may house latest local Covid-19 cluster

Kerry Logistics' warehouse could be the breeding ground for the latest Covid-19 cluster as three labeling workers for overnight shifts have been tested positive of the coronavirus, breaking Hong Kong's trend of “zero local infection” after 16 days.

This adds uncertainty as to whether there can be further relaxation on social distancing measures which are in effect till Thursday, as the city's tally stands at 1,085 including one probable case and four deaths.

The Centre of Health Protection's head of communicable disease branch Chuang Shuk-kwan said a couple who live in Lek Yuen Estate with no traveling history yesterday became Hong Kong's latest local infections

She said the 34-year-old wife could have contracted the coronavirus from two of her colleagues, who fell ill in late April and tested “weak positive” to Covid-19 yesterday.

Chuang said 34-year-old woman works overnight shifts from 8.30pm to 4am at a Kerry Logistics warehouse on Kin Chuen Street in Kwai Chung, where she was responsible for sticking labels on pre-packaged fruits and vegetables imported from Britain.

The woman living at Luk Chuen House in Sha Tin's Lek Yuen Estate with her husband and sister-in-law suffered from coughs and back pain on May 22 and fatigue last Monday, prompting her to visit a private doctor, surnamed Lee, in her neighborhood.

She revisited the same doctor on Tueday and Thursday but on Friday she developed a chest pain and sputum.

On Saturday, she was sent to the Prince of Wales Hospital on an ambulance in very critical condition and a confused state, Hospital Authority's chief manager for patient safety and risk management Sara Ho Yuen-ha said.

She said after resuscitation at the emergency room, the woman – a non-smoker without chronic diseases – was transferred to the intensive care unit. Despite her condition having improved yesterday, she is still in critical condition.

Ho said apart from a team of nine medics who were wearing full protection, three other staffers including a doctor, a patient assistant and a nurse from another team joined the woman's resuscitation without full gear and the three of them will be sent to quarantine centers for 14 days.

Chuang said the center has contacted the patient's company and found two of her female colleagues to have suffered from respiratory symptoms dated back on April 25 and 27,adding neither of them had a travel history.

She said the two women who lives in separate units in Luen Yuet House in Kwai Chung's Kwai Luen Estate had visited private doctors separately and had already recovered when they were admitted to Princess Margaret Hospital after the diagnosis of the 34-year-old.

She said the 34-year-old's husband, 56, also fell ill last Tuesday and diagnosed of Covid-19 after his wife was admitted to the hospital.

The husband's elder sister is asymptomatic and has been sent to a quarantine center.