#16,522
Over the past 72 hours we've been following reports of COVID-positive hamsters detected at a Hong Kong pet store and warehouse, and several human infections which may have been the result of hamster-to-human transmission of the virus.
This has led to a controversial culling order by the AFCD (Hong Kong Detects COVID In Pet Store Hamsters - Suspends Sales & Orders Cull), and compulsory quarantine for those who have been exposed to infected hamsters (see Hong Kong: Compulsory Quarantine For Those Exposed To COVID-Positive Hamsters).
Today the plot thickens as environmental samples from 4 more Hong Kong pet shops have tested positive for COVID, and two more cases believed related to pet shops have emerged. The government is urging anyone who has purchased a hamster since December 22nd to get tested immediately.
Two reports, first from the CHP.
CHP follows up on cases tested preliminarily positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus related to pet shops and announces environmental samples results of relevant pet shops
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (January 20) said it is following up on two cases tested preliminarily positive for SARS-CoV-2 related to pet shops.
The first case tested preliminarily positive for SARS-CoV-2 virus involves a 30-year-old female living in Shing Him House (Block H), Tin Shing Court, 3 Tin Ching Street, Tin Shui Wai. She visited Little Boss pet shop in Causeway Bay on January 11 and bought a hamster and had contact with case 13047 (staff of Little Boss pet shop in Causeway Bay). She was classified as a close contact and was arranged to undergo quarantine at the Penny's Bay Quarantine Centre on January 18. She tested preliminarily positive on January 19. She received two doses of COVID-19 vaccination (Comirnaty) on May 14 and June 12, 2021 in Hong Kong.
The second case tested preliminarily positive involves a 23-year-old female living in Mei Yue House, Shek Kip Mei Estate, Shek Kip Mei. She visited one of the Little Boss shops at Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok and bought a hamster on January 4. She developed runny nose on January 17 and went to a community testing centre for test on January 19. She tested preliminarily positive subsequently. She received two doses of COVID-19 vaccination (Comirnaty) on July 13 and August 4, 2021 in Hong Kong.
The CHP earlier collected 88 environmental samples from the Little Boss pet shop in Causeway Bay and its warehouse in Tai Po. To follow-up the related infection situation, the CHP has, as at January 20 evening, collected a total of 604 environmental samples from 31 pet shops and relevant warehouses. Apart from the positive test results of the 18 environmental samples collected at the Little Boss pet shop in Causeway Bay and its warehouse in Tai Po as announced earlier, the latest laboratory testing results revealed that seven of the samples collected from four additional pet shops (I Love Rabbit at 87-99 Kau Yuk Road, Yuen Long; I Love Rabbit at 25-27 Lee Garden Road, Causeway Bay; Little Boss at 187 Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok; and Little Boss at Kai Wan Building, 142-146 Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok) also tested positive.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department collected samples from hamsters at the pet shop earlier which tested positive. Based on the results of epidemiological investigation and laboratory findings the CHP possesses at this stage, it could not be ruled out preliminarily that the positive test results of the environmental samples are caused by the pets infected with the virus.
Also, as a prudent measure, the four newly added pet shops will be included in a compulsory testing notice. Specified persons who were present at the relevant venues from January 7 to January 18 need to undergo compulsory testing on the specified date. The staff members of the four shops will be arranged to undergo compulsory quarantine at the quarantine centre.
Meanwhile, the Government has made a "restriction-testing declaration" (RTD) tonight for the building where the aforementioned 30-year-old female patient resided (Shing Him House (Block H), Tin Shing Court, 3 Tin Ching Street, Tin Shui Wai) and persons who resided or worked at the building will be subject to increased compulsory testing frequency. The places where the patient had visited during the incubation periods will also be included in a compulsory testing notice. Specified persons who were present at the relevant venues at specified periods need to undergo compulsory testing on the specified date.
The CHP strongly reminds relevant residents that they must comply with the RTD operation. Any person who fails to present an SMS notification with a test result or wear a wristband as proof of having undergone testing breaches the compulsory testing notice and may be liable to a fine of $5,000. The person will also be issued with a compulsory testing order, requiring him/her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Failure to comply with the compulsory testing order or the RTD is an offence and the offender may be liable to a fine of level 4 ($25,000) and imprisonment for six months.
Ends/Thursday, January 20, 2022
Issued at HKT 23:40
The Center for Protection urges those who have purchased hamsters to get tested as soon as possible
January 20, 2022
There were 14 new positive test cases for the novel coronavirus in Hong Kong , and there were more than 20 preliminary positive cases, many of which were local infections, and the source of infection in some cases was unknown. The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health urges those who purchased hamsters on or after the 22nd of last month to be tested for the virus as soon as possible.
Zhang Zhujun, director of the Infectious Diseases Division of the Centre for Health Protection, said at a briefing today that of the 14 new cases, 12 involved the Omicron variant strain, one involved the Delta variant strain, and the test results of the remaining one variant strain were pending.
The source of the initial positive cases is unknown. Among them, a 24-year-old patient is a social worker assistant who works in Kwai Chung and lives in Cheung Sha Wan Village Cheung Yan Building; a 37-year-old female patient lives in Block 1, Mingyi Residence, Tsuen Wan, and is engaged in sales in Kwun Tong work; another 82-year-old male patient lives in Kong Cheong Court, Aberdeen Centre.
Some of the preliminary positive cases are related to previous cases. Among them, the cases in Yat Kwai House, Kwai Chung Estate are distributed on different floors and orientations and involve multiple units.
Zhang Zhujun also pointed out that a kindergarten teacher living in Phase 3 of Mei Foo New Village and a student of Delia Memorial School (Broadway) had the same results of whole genome sequencing of the virus. The Center for Protection is investigating the connection between the two cases.
In addition, there are four differences in the results of the full-gene analysis of the virus between the confirmed salesperson of the Causeway Bay pet store Little Boss and the store's customers. The Centre for Protection took samples from 11 pet stores yesterday, and the samples from the i love rabbit hamster cages from the Yuen Long pet store tested positive.
Zhang Zhujun said that if the virus is transmitted from human to human, the genetic analysis results are similar; if it is transmitted from animals to human, there will be different analysis results. The above results show that the possibility of virus transmission from animals to humans increases. She urged anyone who bought a hamster on or after the 22nd of last month to get tested for the virus as soon as possible.
In the evening, the government made a restriction and testing announcement, and listed Shing Him House, Tin Shing Court , Tin Shui Wai, Block 1 , Tsuen Wan Prestige Residence , and Cheung Sha Wan Village Chief Yan House as restricted areas. Those who were inspected were required to undergo compulsory testing before the designated time.
The Government has set up a dedicated webpage to provide relevant information and health advice on COVID-19.
