The University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health reported earlier that a researcher had contracted the infection after handling samples of the Coronavirus on Saturday, with some believing it had spread the virus throughout the facility. But the university vehemently denied this and said that other colleagues gained all clarity after the test. This comes as Hong Kong is preparing to see a “third wave” of the virus as cases rise.
The quarantine order has been applied to 41 university workers and employees, who have so far tested negative for COVID-19.
After checking the facility for traces of the virus, 14 of 37 environmental tests came in positive.
The lab was studying non-infectious samples of the virus, as the infected researcher initially handled papers and sequenced genes about the COVID-19 strain.
City health officials were quick to reduce the likelihood of laboratory personnel being infected, and said the researcher had contracted the Coronavirus in the community.
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This comes as Hong Kong reported its highest number of daily infections in nearly a month, at 23.
The majority of Hong Kong’s new cases were imported from abroad, averaging 19 cases in one day.
Eight of the 19 cases were imported from India, which has the second highest cases in the world.
Seven new cases came from Nepal, one from the Philippines and one from Sweden.
This comes as the Hong Kong government has allocated billions of funding to contract vaccines sufficient to double the city’s population.
The government has allocated 8.4 billion Hong Kong dollars (837 million pounds) to place massive demand for the 7.4 million people in Hong Kong.
Health Minister Professor Sophia Chan Siuqi has warned that the “fourth wave” of cases during the winter may be the worst the world has seen so far.
She said: “The measures will not eliminate the virus without the vaccine, but will prevent the outbreak of the disease in a major way in society.”
A government source also stressed the need for vaccines in an interview with the South China Morning Post.
They said: Not all vaccines will be realized and will be available, but if all are available, then Hong Kong will have twice the vaccines we need.
“The failure rate of vaccines that are being developed is very high.”
Hong Kong has seen a total of 5,033 cases of coronavirus since the start of the epidemic.
It also reported a total of 103 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health statistics.
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