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Saturday, March 21, 2020, 23:26
HK sees 17 new infections, tally reaches 273
By Chen Zimo & He Shusi
Saturday, March 21, 2020, 23:26 By Chen Zimo & He Shusi

Pedestrians wear face masks, as a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus, on a street in Hong Kong on March 17, 2020. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong recorded 17 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the tally to 273. Another 20 people were initially tested positive.

READ MORE: HK health chief says city in 'state of war' against coronavirus

All but two of the 37 cases have travel history during the incubation period, or having had close contacts with confirmed patients, said Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health.

Six latest cases were related to a local wedding banquet held in a hotel in Discovery Bay on March 14

Of the 37 new cases, six were students returning from overseas. Seven were among a 31 members tour group that returned from Canada on March 17. 

Meanwhile, six latest cases were related to a local wedding banquet held in a hotel in Discovery Bay on March 14. Previously three people who attended the banquet were confirmed to have contracted the disease.  

Another two patients diagnosed to have been infected were members of a karate team that returned to Hong Kong after training in Europe.

The youngest new patient is a 20-month-old baby whose parents were both infected. 

ALSO READ: HK imported cases rise amid tight border control

Also on Saturday, three coronavirus patients were discharged from hospitals, bringing the number of recoveries to 101.

Commenting on the mix up of four samples taken from airport arrivals, Hospital Authority Chief Manager (Clinical Effectiveness and Technology Management) Linda Yu stressed that the authority will review and streamline the workflow to ensure the accuracy of test reports.

 Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the Centre for Health Protection, called on the public to stay vigilant and avoid any unnecessary social activities

In a press release, the HA said that the routine double check of the test samples in the early morning on Saturday showed the results of four specimens collected on Friday evening differed from those of the preliminary tests. 

It was found that two negative samples and two positives samples were mixed up, resulting in two infected persons who were supposed to be sent to hospitals being sent home.

The two patients have since been transferred to the isolation wards in hospitals for treatment and are in stable condition, the HA said. Meanwhile, the other two people had returned home after waiting for the results in the test center at AsiaWorld-Expo. 

The HA apologized for the inconvenience caused to the people affected, and expressed gratitude to all staff members in setting up the temporary test centers within such a short time, noting that lab technicians have been working hard in testing samples taken from arrivals.

Meanwhile, Chuang said that the authority has improved the distribution of wristbands at the airport to ensure all arrivals are given one upon arrival, regardless of whether they develop symptoms.

On Friday, arrivals with symptoms were sent to test centers, but were let go when they were tested negative to the virus without being asked to wear a smart wristband for monitor purpose during home quarantine. 

Chuang said that arrivals who are subject to home quarantine should observe the rules and stay at their residences to avoid posing a risk to the community.

Despite the surge in number of confirmed infections, most of the cases were imported and traceable, Chuang said, adding that the city hasn’t seen a community outbreak yet.

But she warned that more local cases without a traceable transmission chain could trigger a major outbreak.

Noting that the government is closely monitoring the situation, Chuang called on the public to stay vigilant and avoid any unnecessary social activities.

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