Pedestrians don surgical masks to guard themselves against the Wuhan pneumonia in Hong Kong, Jan 8, 2020. (CALVIN NG/CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said late Friday that its Centre for Health Protection (CHP) is investigating one additional imported case of the novel coronavirus infection, the 13th confirmed case in the HKSAR.

According to the patient's information, he took high-speed rail train from Hong Kong to Wuhan, Hubei province, on Jan 21 and from Changsha, Hunan province, to Hong Kong on Jan 23.

The patient is a 39-year-old man who lives in Whampoa Garden, a private housing estate in Kowloon, with underlying illness. He has developed myalgia since Wednesday and started having fever on Friday. He sought treatment on Friday at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where he was admitted for isolation and treatment. He is in a stable condition.

The man's respiratory sample was tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to a press release by the HKSAR government's Department of Health.

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The CHP has immediately commenced epidemiological investigations and conducted relevant contact tracing. According to the patient's information, he took high-speed rail train from Hong Kong to Wuhan, Hubei province, on Jan 21 and from Changsha, Hunan province, to Hong Kong on Jan 23.

Investigations revealed that he neither visited any health care facilities, wet markets or seafood markets, nor had any exposure to wild animals during the incubation period.

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His mother, wife, daughter, son and domestic helper are asymptomatic and will be transferred to quarantine center for medical monitoring. Investigations are ongoing.

According to the latest statistics from the CHP, from Dec 31, 2019, to this Friday noon, the CHP has received reports of a total of 766 cases fulfilling the reporting criteria, including 13 confirmed cases and 550 cases which were ruled out as the novel coronavirus infection. The remaining 203 cases were still hospitalized for investigation.  

In view of public health consideration, the Judiciary announced on Saturday that all hearings of the courts scheduled from Monday to Feb 9 would be adjourned. The courts will continue to handle urgent and essential hearings during this period, the Judiciary said.