Residents of Laguna City to be evacuated amid possible outbreak

Top Microbiologist and government adviser on the coronavirus epidemic, Yuen Kwok-yung, said residents living in units E in Block 5 of Laguna City will have to be evacuated, fearing a possible vertical transmission.

Yuen has been invited to inspect the block this morning after 10 cases have emerged from the block in the past 14 days.

The Centre for Health Protection yesterday announced that Block 5 of Laguna City has seen two more confirmed patients.

Yuen said four residents living in unit E on the 16th floor were the first to had onset with the virus.

“It is possible the virus was transmitted from what we called the “chimney effect”, whereby air containing the coronavirus is sucked up to the roof and blown into flats on higher floors, causing environmental contamination,” said Yuen.

The block has also seen two securities infected earlier, which Yuen suspects it may be possible the residents were infected from environmental contamination way earlier.

“As for the three cases in unit D on the 26th floor, they may be infected under the “wake effect” of the wind, given they are living on the top floors with the wind carrying the virus back into homes near the top floors,” he said.