Coronavirus: Hong Kong faces ‘imminent threat’ from Delta, Omicron variants as officials uncover 2 more untraceable cases and quarantine hotel cluster spreads to at least 3 schools
- Unlinked cases are a 79-year-old man who underwent medical tests in hospital last month and a kindergarten teacher; teenager also found to be carrying Delta variant
- Government spokesman urges residents not to join gatherings during Lunar New Year holiday, warns of threat of Delta and Omicron strains spreading in community
Hong Kong authorities have warned of an “imminent threat” from two coronavirus variants spreading locally after uncovering two more untraceable Covid-19 cases and finding that a cluster linked to a quarantine hotel has spread to at least three schools.
A government spokesman on Wednesday night urged residents not to join social gatherings during the Lunar New Year holiday, which starts on February 1.
“Hong Kong is now facing the imminent threat of both the Delta and Omicron mutant strains spreading in the community,” he said.
“We strongly urge residents to reduce social contact and avoid gatherings among families during the festive season in order to contain the pandemic.”
Of the 16 Covid-19 cases confirmed on Wednesday, five were epidemiologically linked, including a 73-year-old man whose infection was traced to the Little Boss pet shop in Causeway Bay. Officials earlier found the first suspected animal-to-human transmission involving the Delta variant in the shop, sparking a cull of 2,000 hamsters.
A 17-year-old student living in Kwun Tong was also found to be carrying the Delta variant and investigations were under way to identify if there was a link between the preliminary-positive infection and the pet shop cluster.