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Coronavirus Hong Kong
Hong KongHealth & Environment

Coronavirus: extra 16 arrivals test preliminary positive, source says, on top of sudden daily surge of 30 confirmed imported cases

  • Previous high was on April 3 when city recorded 43 new infections
  • No new local cases reported, extending current streak to nine days

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Hong Kong recorded about 30 imported cases of Covid-19 on Monday.
Victor Ting
Hong Kong confirmed a surge of 30 new imported Covid-19 cases on Monday, mostly involving people who had returned from Pakistan, but a medical source said the number could be even higher with an extra 16 infections.
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The possible new cases were arrivals who had tested preliminary positive after the official daily cut-off time of 4pm. This group was also believed to be mostly returnees from Pakistan.

The highest single-day count in more than two months came as local infectious disease experts found that the coronavirus was attacking two types of human cells essential to the immune system. Experts said this trend could be behind some of the most arduous fights against the disease suffered by patients.

Monday’s cases – involving 15 men and as many women of ages up to 61 – pushed the city’s total number of infections to 1,161. On April 3, at the height of the pandemic locally, 43 new local and imported coronavirus cases were recorded.

The Centre for Health Protection said 29 of the fresh cases had been to Pakistan and returned to the city via flight EK380. Twenty six of them came back on Saturday, and three on Sunday. All have been transferred to hospitals from quarantine centres.

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A 46-year-old man confirmed infected on Monday returned from the Philippines on June 9 and was undergoing home quarantine for 14 days.

Residents returning from places deemed to be high risk, including India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, are sent to the centres for 14 days.

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