Health

‘A very critical moment’: Hong Kong teen’s Covid Alpha variant may come from ‘overlooked’ imported cases, scholar says


The coronavirus Alpha variant detected in a Hong Kong teenager may come from “overlooked” imported cases, a health technology scholar has said. The comment came after the government ruled out links to the Shenzhen cluster and previous cases of mutated strains reported locally.

Hong Kong’s 42-day streak of zero untraceable Covid-19 infections ended on Saturday, when a 17-year-old girl tested positive for the Alpha variant – first identified in the UK. Her mother was among the seven new infections registered on Sunday, while her 20-year-old sister received a positive result in preliminary testing.

People wearing face masks in Hong Kong. File photo: GovHK.

Dr Gilman Siu, associate professor at the Polytechnic University’s Department of Health Technology and Informatics, said on an RTHK radio programme on Monday that the teen patient may have contracted the mutant virus from imported cases that the authorities overlooked.



READ SOURCE

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this site, you accept our use of cookies.