Report on HK’s cases rising to 505 likely false

Under watch: Restrictions may not be imposed in Hong Kong while the new cases report is under probe and this jogger in a park, along with other Hong Kong residents, can continue to enjoy such activities. — AP

Hong Kong: Health authorities are investigating the possibility that false information might have been supplied on the government’s online reporting platform for rapid antigen test (RAT) results after the city recorded an increase of 505 new Covid-19 cases.

Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the communicable disease branch of the Centre for Health Protection, said in a press briefing that 151 of the new cases were confirmed through nucleic acid testing and 354 by RAT tests.

Wednesday’s figure is higher than the 329 infections on Tuesday and the 275 cases on Monday, with a marked increase in the number of infections reported on the RAT platform.

However, Chuang said the CHP noticed in the last two days that a “large percentage” of positive RAT results turned out to be negative when the samples underwent nucleic acid testing for confirmation.“We don’t rule out the possibility that there is misleading or false information supplied,” Chuang said.

“If you knowingly or deliberately supply misleading information ... that is an indictable offence with a penalty of imprisonment of up to six months.”

She noted that none of Hong Kong’s 18 districts showed any particular surge in infections.

“So, we don’t know whether there is a genuine increase. We do need to observe the situation for a number of days,” Chuang said.

Controller of the CHP Edwin Tsui said at the same briefing that the number of Covid-19 patients admitted to hospital and those in critical condition remained stable.

“We also have to look at the hospital figures, like deaths and critical patients, and we see that the trend is still steady as of this moment,” he said.

Chuang said the 505 new cases included 34 imported infections, 11 of which were detected at the airport.

A traveller from the United Kingdom tested positive for the BA.4 subvariant while an airport worker from Ma On Shan was confirmed to have the BA.5 subvariant, she said.

The cluster at the Iron Fairies bar in Central had 17 new cases, including two staff members – a waiter and a bartender – and 15 customers.

The cluster now has 49 cases, Chuang said. — China Daily/ANN