No confirmed cases in lockdown but testing continues

Health officials said on Tuesday that no confirmed cases were found after the lockdown of a residential building in Shek Tong Tsui, but they still have some households to test.

They said that as of 2am about 80 residents had undergone testing.

However, they said staff checked about 90 households, but received no response at about 35.

“Those may include some households undergoing quarantine or isolation. Some units are possibly vacant as well,” they said in a statement, adding that they would take follow-up measures.

The lockdown of the residential building in Shek Tong Tsui was triggered after a resident tested preliminary positive for a mutant strain of the coronavirus.

The Centre for Health Protection said the patient was a 45-year-old male air crew member who tested negative in Hong Kong on December 17 and left the SAR on December 21 for the United States by flight CX844 and returned to Hong Kong on December 23 by flight CX841 from the US. His specimen collected upon arrival at Hong Kong International Airport tested negative for Covid-19.

The patient underwent medical surveillance and regular compulsory testing in accordance with the relevant requirements for those exempted from quarantine. According to the patient, except for buying food locally and going to a Community Testing Centre, he stayed at home.

His sample collected at a Community Testing Centre on December 26 tested preliminary positive for Covid-19. He developed symptoms including headache, runny nose and cough on the same day. His Ct value was about 16 to 22 and test results on mutant strains are pending.

The closure of One South Lane started at 10:30 pm and the lockdown was lifted at 7 am on Tuesday for those who had tested negative and could prove it.

Anyone who has been present at the building for more than two hours from December 5 to December 27 is also required to be tested before December 29.

There was one other preliminary positive case involving a 46-year-old male air crew member living at Peninsula Village Twilight Court in Discovery Bay. He tested negative in Hong Kong on December 19, 20 and 22. He left Hong Kong on December 23 by flight CX840 for the United States and returned to the SAR on December 25 by flight CX843 from the US.

His specimen collected upon arrival at the airport tested negative. His sample collected at a Community Testing Centre on Monday tested preliminary positive. He is asymptomatic with a Ct value of about 31 to 33. The test results on mutant strains are pending.