Post has learned.
The researcher behind the discovery has called on the government to step up surveillance of the potentially more infectious mutated strain, which is being investigated by scientists around the world.
Polytechnic University’s findings show that the 10 cases with the variant – officially known as B.1.617, or by its sub-lineage B.1.617.1 – were all imported from India, with most arriving in Hong Kong early this month.
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HK reports 8 COVID-19 cases
May 1, 2021
The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating eight additional COVID-19 cases, all of which are imported.
The cases involve two men and six women aged between 26 and 56 who arrived from Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia and India.
A total of 139 cases have been recorded in the past 14 days, including 29 local cases of which 15 had unknown sources of infection.
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HONG KONG (XINHUA) - Hong Kong reported on Thursday (April 29) night the first untraceable local infections of a highly transmissible Covid-19 variant.
A 39-year-old domestic helper and a 10-month baby girl living with her in a residential building of Tung Chung were confirmed to have contracted the N501Y mutant strain of novel coronavirus, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) said in a statement.
Given the high transmissibility of the variant, all asymptomatic residents of the building involved will be put under compulsory quarantine.
As the adult patient visited a church in Tsing Yi earlier this month, the CHP will also arrange compulsory quarantine for her close contacts and conduct virus testing for other related people.
Coronavirus: Hong Kong records first untraceable local case involving Covid-19 mutated strain
6 hours ago
Hundreds of residents from Tung Chung’s Caribbean Coast estate will undergo three weeks of quarantine
The patient’s infection carried the N501Y and E484K mutations, both found in strains first identified in South Africa and Brazil
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29 Apr, 2021
Block 11 of Caribbean Coast was locked down for testing ahead of residents being sent to quarantine. Photo: SCMP/Felix Wong
Hong Kong has recorded its first untraceable local cases of a mutated Covid-19 strain. Hundreds of occupants of a 52-storey residential block in Tung Chung have been ordered into quarantine after a woman was confirmed to be carrying two more infectious strains.