Coronavirus: samples from Hong Kong quarantine hotel linked to local infection test positive for Delta variant
- Bridal Tea House Hotel in Yau Ma Tei suspected of being source of part-time cleaner’s infection
- City confirms three new imported infections on Sunday, all from Britain
Two samples taken from a quarantine hotel in Hong Kong suspected to be linked to a woman’s coronavirus variant infection have tested positive, officials said on Sunday afternoon, as the city confirmed three new imported cases.
The new cases all involved arrivals from Britain, and took the official tally to 11,942 cases, with 211 related deaths. Fewer than five preliminary-positive cases were reported.
Earlier in the day, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said no samples taken from the quarantine hotel had tested positive so far. But the Department of Health later said a total of 44 environmental samples were taken at the hotel, with two collected from the bathroom sink of the room testing positive for Covid-19.
Chan said a team of inspectors had conducted daily checks at the 34 hotels for arrivals to the city, to ensure they had been following infection control and social-distancing guidelines, such as ensuring guests did not leave their rooms.
“We hope that all hotels overall can adhere to the guidelines provided by the health authorities,” she said on a radio programme.
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The global spread of the highly contagious Delta variant of Covid-19
On Friday, a 41-year-old cleaner was confirmed with the more transmissive L452R variant, which has been linked to several coronavirus mutants, including the Delta one that was first reported in India. Her infection broke the city’s 24-day run of zero local infections.
The woman had worked at the Bridal Tea House Hotel in Yau Ma Tei, where a domestic helper from Indonesia tested positive for the same virus variant while undergoing quarantine. The arrival was sent to hospital last Sunday, and a separate cleaning company specialising in disinfecting quarantine hotel rooms used by infected guests cleaned the room two days later.
The part-time cleaner entered the room the next day as part of her regular duties and hours later underwent mandatory screening, and tested preliminary-positive on Thursday.
Upon inspection of the hotel, government pandemic adviser Professor Yuen Kwok-yung said the disinfection company had not done a satisfactory job of cleaning the room, only spending 10 minutes on it instead of the necessary 15 to 30.
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A chemical disinfectant the cleaning company used to clean the mattress and curtains in the room also could not kill the RNA of the coronavirus, Yuen said.
It was possible the cleaner had breathed in viral particles that were no longer viable, or been infected with viable ones and was still in her incubation period, he noted. The latter possibility could explain why her viral level was unstable and she tested negative in hospital, he added.
Chan also did not rule out the possibility the cleaner had been infected in the hotel, saying she and 40 of her close contacts would remain in quarantine as a precaution.
Separately, she said the vaccination rate among elderly residents remained “unsatisfactory”, with the rate of immunisation among those aged 80 and older hovering below 10 per cent, and those between 60 to 69 at just above 10 per cent.
She said authorities would work to raise the vaccination rate among older people in the community and in care homes, and answer any questions they would have about the vaccines.
Chan added that antibody tests for arrivals at Hong Kong International Airport would be rolled out by this month, and the preferred method was through a blood test.
Screening for coronavirus antibodies had been touted as the city’s newest tool to stave off a fifth wave of infections, as nearby regions saw a rise in new cases, particularly from more transmissive variants.
