Hong Kong authorities reported a wave of some 25 new preliminary-positive coronavirus cases on Friday, while announcing that those who had received two doses of the BioNTech vaccine would be able to sign up for a third from January 1.
The surge in arrivals testing positive coincided with official confirmation of five Covid-19 cases and another seven Omicron ones from previously recorded imported infections.
The launch date for the mass provision of booster shots was revealed a day after a government expert panel recommended extending the programme to all vaccine recipients amid growing concerns over the global spread of the more transmissive Omicron variant.
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To date, a third vaccine shot has been available only to those from high-risk groups such as the elderly and immunocompromised and those who have received two doses of the mainland China-produced Sinovac version.
In a statement, the government urged the public, including those fully vaccinated with the German-made BioNTech, to get a booster shot, which can be taken if at least six months have passed since the second jab.
“Eligible persons should take the third vaccine doses as soon as possible to strengthen [the vaccine’s protective effect] and build an immunity barrier in the community,” the statement said.
Those who need a booster to travel can request it just three months after their second jab, but must be assessed by staff at a government vaccination centre.
Adolescents aged 12 to 17, meanwhile, will be allowed to take a second dose of BioNTech under the new arrangement. The age group had previously been limited to one dose amid fears of myocarditis, a typically temporary condition involving inflammation of tissues around the heart.
The new guidelines were released as Hong Kong confirmed five new Covid-19 infections on Friday – four imported and one transmitted at the airport – taking the tally to 12,555 cases, with 213 related deaths.
Among the 25 or so preliminary-positive cases was a Cathay Pacific cabin crew member who returned to Hong Kong from Sydney via flight CX138 on Friday.
Cathay said in a statement that the crew member tested positive on arrival at the airport and had not entered the community.
Health authorities also revealed that seven previously confirmed imported cases were of the Omicron variant following whole genome sequencing analysis.
Hong Kong has now confirmed a total of 41 Omicron cases – all imported – since the first such infection was recorded in late November.
Among Friday’s tally of confirmed Covid-19 cases was a 64-year-old cleaner who worked in a toilet used by arrivals who had tested preliminary-positive. He was classified as an import-related case.
The four other infections were imported from Germany, Ghana, Nigeria and Australia.
The cleaner was suspected to be infected with the more transmissible Omicron as his viral samples carried two key mutations linked to the variant, pending genome sequencing.
As a precautionary measure, health authorities will quarantine 14 of the cleaner’s close contacts and about 40 others linked to those contacts.
Hong Kong panel recommends booster for fully vaccinated BioNTech users
For booking third doses, a 24-hour website will open from 8am on January 1, with seven vaccination centres devoted to providing BioNTech jabs, while three others will continue to administer Sinovac.
Same-day tickets will be available, meaning some of those eligible will be able to get their jab on the day of booking.
Nine of the 10 centres will extend their opening hours from 8am to 8pm. Only the hours at Gleneagles Hospital Hong Kong will remain unchanged.
Speaking on a local radio show, Professor David Hui Shu-cheong, chairman of the scientific committee on emerging and zoonotic diseases, suggested residents opt for the BioNTech vaccine when getting a third dose.
He said local data showed that three BioNTech jabs provided 160 units of neutralising antibodies against Omicron while three Sinovac jabs offered only 10. At least 26 units are needed for a passing rate.
The same data showed the protective antibody level of two Sinovac jabs combined with one BioNTech booster reached 60 units.
Earlier on Friday, no coronavirus cases were found during an overnight lockdown of the cleaner’s residential building at Siu Hei Court in Tuen Mun.
Residents were allowed to begin leaving at 6.15am, authorities said, after more than 1,200 were tested for Covid-19 in a bid to prevent a potential community breakout of the swiftly emerging strain.
Hui said the worker had taken two jabs of Sinovac but that his job meant his risk of exposure to the virus was high, particularly given that his job involved cleaning toilets.
He urged airport staff to get a booster shot as soon as possible.
A spokesman for the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) on Thursday night confirmed that the patient, who had no recent travel history, was a cleaner working in Temporary Specimen Collection Centre One in the Orange Zone of the T1 Midfield Concourse. He last worked there on Wednesday.
According to the airport’s contractor guidelines, frontline staff should avoid being in the toilets at the same time as any arriving passengers.
“AAHK will require the relevant contractor to strengthen measures and control, to ensure that all staff comply with relevant regulations on toilet cleaning,” he said.
More from South China Morning Post:
- Coronavirus: Hong Kong pilots to be barred from leaving home for 3 days in tougher surveillance system, as Cathay Pacific decries ‘endless’ rules
- Coronavirus: staff, students at 2 Hong Kong universities face stiff penalties for failing to comply with vaccine, testing mandates
- Penny’s Bay diary: a triumphant escape tempered by a lengthy wait for a shuttle to ‘freedom’ – well, two more weeks of quarantine
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