Coronavirus: two more women infected after visiting Hong Kong temple at centre of Covid-19 cluster
- The two newest cases had visited the same Buddhist worship hall multiple times over the past two months
- Twenty-five confirmed infections, a quarter of the city’s total, now known to have connections to North Point
Two more women who visited a Buddhist temple at the centre of a cluster of coronavirus infections in Hong Kong were confirmed to have contracted Covid-19 on Thursday, taking the city’s total to 93.
The 13th and 14th confirmed cases at the worship hall brought the number of infections connected to the city’s North Point area to 25, prompting calls for health authorities to thoroughly trace the possible links among these and future cases in the neighbourhood.
Speaking at a press conference, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection said the 92nd confirmed case, a 70-year-old who lives in Bauhinia Garden, Tseung Kwan O, had visited North Point’s Fook Wai Ching She temple multiple times between January 24 and February 8, spending a few hours there each time.
She started coughing on February 13 and twice consulted a private doctor before being hospitalised on Wednesday, according to Chuang.
Even if the cases didn’t live there, it’s possible that they got infections when working or visiting the district. The department should … find out if there is a connection
“[The patient] saw the situation of Fook Wai Ching She in North Point on the news and called our hotline, and was sent to United Christian Hospital,” she said.
The second woman had been coughing since February 25 and sought treatment at Anne Blake out-patient clinic in North Point on Wednesday. Her infection was confirmed on Thursday and she is said to be in stable condition in Queen Elizabeth Hospital. She had no travel history during the incubation period.