Number of coronavirus cases in Hong Kong could surge to more than 1,000 in next two weeks, scientist claims
- City University’s Dr Sean Yuan says risk of community outbreak is high
- The assistant professor has urged government to impose stringent measures to combat epidemic
Dr Sean Yuan Hsiang-yu, an assistant professor at City University’s Department of Biomedical Sciences, said the risk of a community outbreak was medium high to very high, depending on the quality of quarantine measures, as well as delay between the onset of sickness and isolation.
“We have seen in recent days a sharp increase in the number of cases in South Korea. Just a few cases, if not properly isolated, can lead to more than a hundred other infections,” Yuan said.
“The government in Hong Kong needs to make sure quarantine rules are tight and work to lower the number of people who come in contact with infected people,” he said.
In January, Yuan predicted a rise of at least 60 infections during the two weeks following the end of the Lunar New Year holiday, and an influx of people travelling from the mainland into the city.
