HK new Covid cases drop to lowest in a month

Hong Kong is beginning to see a drop in Covid-19 infections, as the city reported 53 new cases today – the lowest in a month.

The Centre for Health Protection said as of 12am today,  it has recorded 53 additional confirmed coronavirus cases – six imported and 47 local – bringing the tally to 8,354 cases.

Among the 53 patients were 28 men and 25 women, aged between eight to 86 years. There were also around 40 preliminary positive cases today.

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Centre for Health Protection's Communicable Disease Branch, said of the fresh local cases today, 27 were linked to previous local infections and 20 with untraceable sources. 

Chuang said that the Centre for Health Protection has conducted genome testing for 11 cases in the city, two of the results came back to match the new highly-transmissible Covid virus strain now spreading in the UK.

The two results were from two students who returned to Hong Kong from the UK. One of them was said to arrive in the city on Flight CX 252 on December 7, he was confirmed infected upon his arrival.

The other one arrived on flight VS206 on December 13, the patient has recovered and been discharged. Chuang added that a few close contacts of the patient have since been requested to undergo an extra 7-day quarantine as they have already finished their 14-day hotel quarantine.

The Centre also reported that a mandatory testing order has been issued to residents who live in Ping Shing House, Ping Tin Estate in Lam Tin, after a few preliminary positive cases have been confirmed today.

A total of eight individuals have been diagnosed from five units from the building, there are also a few close contacts of the infected being preliminary tested positive today.

Block 4 of Hong Sing Garden in Tseung Kwan O also saw five contracted the coronavirus from three different units, the infection sources from two of the units remain unknown. The Centre will distribute sampling bottles for residents.