Hong Kong at risk of Omicron wave after 2 local Covid-19 cases tied to Cathay aircrew member infected with variant

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Hong Kong is facing a possible flood of Omicron infections after two residents suspected to be carrying the highly transmissible variant became the first local coronavirus cases in more than 80 days, health authorities have warned, as they revealed plans to expand a vaccine bubble to cover most public places before the Lunar New Year.

Officials on Friday said the pair were linked to a Cathay Pacific aircrew member who was confirmed as carrying Omicron, one of four infected airline employees who flouted home isolation rules by visiting locations across the city over the past week.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor summoned the airline’s top executives to a meeting at which she expressed her “grave concerns” and demanded a review of the incidents, according to health minister Sophia Chan Siu-chee.

Cathay later chastised the employees for their “extremely disappointing” behaviour in a public apology and said they had been suspended.

“This is the first time we found local infection cases involving the Omicron variant strain,” the minister said. “It shows that imported cases have now found a way into the community leading to a cluster of infections. This latest development is extremely worrying. We must all do our part and stop a fifth wave outbreak.”

As authorities raced to alert residents who might already have been exposed to Omicron, Chan warned the damage might already have been done. One of the workers visited the trendy Iron Fairies bar in Central with two friends earlier in the week before he was sent to the Penny’s Bay quarantine camp where he tested positive for Covid-19 and was listed as a suspected Omicron carrier.

Government pandemic adviser Dr David Hui Shu-cheong urged anyone who had been to the roughly 60 known places visited by the aircrew to undergo testing and called on residents to avoid gathering in groups to celebrate New Year’s Eve even as the streets began to fill up with revellers.

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In a bid to get ahead of the possible flood of cases, the health minister revealed that authorities would require anyone visiting restaurants, cinemas, gyms, beauty parlours, museums, libraries and other public facilities to have at least one shot of a Covid-19 vaccine, beginning before the Lunar New Year on February 1.

Those who have been advised against getting inoculated for medical reasons could be exempted from the requirement.

Chan added that the Hospital Authority and Centre for Health Protection had contingency plans in place in the event of a fifth wave.

The community treatment facility at AsiaWorld-Expo at Chek Lap Kok will reopen on Sunday at the earliest to provide 500 beds for patients who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms.

The two cases, categorised by the Department of Health as import-related local infections, are the first community transmissions since October 8.

In addition, Hong Kong recorded another 17 coronavirus cases on Friday, all imported, along with 16 preliminary-positive infections. The overall Covid-19 tally stands at 12,649 cases, with 213 related deaths.

Six previously identified cases were confirmed to involve Omicron, taking the city’s total for the variant to 87.

Authorities have been tracking down where the four Cathay crew members went over the past week in a bid to alert other residents who were potentially exposed. One of the employees, 44 and confirmed to have Omicron, dined with his 76-year-old father in Moon Palace at Festival Walk in Kowloon Tong on Monday.

The father was confirmed as carrying Covid-19 on Friday, along with a 34-year-old construction worker who was dining with his family at another table about 10 metres away.

Health officials also revealed that a 47-year-old Cathay cargo pilot returning from New York on December 25 became the fourth airline employee to violate home isolation rules. On the third day of his arrival, he went to Shek Tong Tsui for compulsory testing and then visited Pici Soho, Soho House and the Iron Fairies bar in the evening with two friends. The pilot has Covid-19 which is suspected to be Omicron.

He took the same flight as a 46-year-old aircrew member who has been confirmed with Omicron, as does the fourth Cathay worker, 45.

As the genome sequencing results of two of the airline employees were identical, authorities suspected one infected the other while having lunch at home because they flew in from different American cities.

Under Cathay’s internal rules, aircrew staff should only leave home briefly for essential activities and coronavirus testing during their isolation period. The violations spurred the government to further tighten rules for such workers, requiring them to quarantine for a week in designated hotels starting on January 1.

City leader Lam summoned the airline’s chairman and chief executive in the morning to convey her “grave concerns” about the violations, according to Chan.

“She expressed strong dissatisfaction with the flouting of the rule,” the minister said. “She urged the chairman to initiate a review and to explain to the public properly.”

Chan noted that according to the ordinance on medical surveillance, anyone who breached self-isolation rules faced a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a HK$5,000 (US$640) fine. But she did not respond to a question about whether the aircrew members provided false information to officers.

In a statement issued on Friday, Cathay apologised for the inconvenience and disruption caused by the “non-compliant cases” and warned staff that failure to adhere to medical surveillance regulations would lead to disciplinary action.

“The actions of these individuals are extremely disappointing, as they undermine the otherwise exemplary dedication and compliance shown by our over 10,000 aircrew,” said Andy Wong, the airline’s general manager of corporate affairs.

The employees had been suspended and the company would determine whether further action was needed after they received medical treatment, the airline said.

The government’s decision to require aircrew members to quarantine for a week forced Cathay to suspend all long-haul cargo flights for seven days starting from midnight on Friday as it struggled to book hotel rooms for its staff. The Transport and Housing Bureau told the airline to resume cargo flights no later than January 7.

Respiratory medicine expert Dr Leung Chi-chiu said the risk of airborne transmission at the Kowloon Tong restaurant was high and current regulations on ventilation standards in bars and restaurants were insufficient to prevent the spread of the virus.

“For Omicron cases, they may have a high amount of virus discharge. Even if the air [inside a restaurant] changes six times per hour, people next to the patients may have already been infected,” he said.

2 suspected local Omicron variant cases in Hong Kong linked to Cathay staff

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch at the Centre for Health Protection, said about 20 restaurant workers had been sent into quarantine but officials were only able to contact 80 of 200 patrons.

More than 20,000 people had been tested in the past few days, according to health minister Chan, who urged residents to undergo repeated screenings as many of the confirmed cases initially tested negative.

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Cheung