Coronavirus: Hong Kong reports first untraceable local case in nearly 3 months, ‘likely to be an Omicron infection’ and may indicate silent transmission chains in community
- Preliminary-positive case is 42-year-old resident of Tsui Ning Garden in Tuen Mun, officials reveal
- Man had not visited any high-risk places or been in contact with other confirmed patients
But later in the day, Dr Albert Au Ka-wing of the Centre for Health Protection revealed that a preliminary-positive infection – involving a 42-year-old resident of Tsui Ning Garden in Tuen Mun – appeared to have no links to earlier cases.
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“Initial epidemiological research has shown he has not visited any high-risk places or been in contact with other confirmed patients,” Au told a press briefing. “It is possible there are silent transmission chains in the community.”
The city last reported an unlinked local case on October 8, when a 48-year-old cargo handler was diagnosed with the coronavirus.
A wave of imported infections also pushed the city’s overall tally of confirmed cases to 12,761 on Tuesday. Thirty-nine new cases were confirmed, all but three of them imported.
Fewer than 50 people tested preliminary-positive, including one case which triggered an overnight lockdown and mandatory testing at Causeway Tower in Causeway Bay, suggesting a possible local classification if the infection is confirmed on Wednesday.