Hong Kong third wave: another patient in ward infected, sparking fears of coronavirus spreading in hospital
- A 64-year-old cancer patient in Queen Elizabeth Hospital confirmed with coronavirus after sharing ward with two others who have the infection
- Of the other 48 cases in city, 24 had unknown sources of transmission, prompting health officials to describe the latest outbreak as ‘very worrying’
Earlier in the day, officials had put the tally of new cases at 48, but the Hospital Authority said late on Tuesday night a 64-year-old female cancer patient, who had been placed in a ward in Queen Elizabeth Hospital with two others later confirmed with Covid-19, also had the infection.
Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, a top infectious disease expert from the University of Hong Kong who was among those looking into the spread of the virus in the hospital, said the chance of airborne transmission inside the ward was low.
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Hong Kong battles third wave of coronavirus infections
Instead, he believed transmission was likely caused by the surroundings being contaminated by the first infected patient, a 92-year-old woman who showed signs of heart disease but not fever when admitted, and later developed a cough.
“That patient sometimes pulled down her mask when breathing or coughing, as her breathing was not smooth. This action could contaminate the surrounding environment, such as bedside, bed rail and bed table, with the virus,” Yuen said.
“This elderly woman could also walk around by herself ... she usually would hold onto the sides of beds or tables while walking, and so the environment was contaminated.
“At this stage, we cannot rule out the possibility that there will be more cases [from the ward].”