Nine of Hong Kong’s 85 patients infected with the novel coronavirus as of Tuesday have been linked to a Buddhist temple in a North Point residential building after environmental samples taken from the worship hall showed traces of the virus that causes COVID-19.

Among the nine people with links to the temple, seven had visited the place, including a 96-year-old woman who’s now in a critical condition in hospital. The other two had close contacts with those infected, according to the Department of Health.

Two of 33 samples collected from inside and near the temple (Fook Wai Ching She) — from the surface of a scripture and a faucet in the hall’s bathroom — had tested positive for the virus

Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the Department of Health

The Fook Wai Ching She temple, located on the 13th floor of Maylun Mansions on Shu Kuk Street, is run by volunteers, with worshippers gathering for meals occasionally.

Chuang Shuk-kwan, who heads the Communicable Disease Branch of the Department of Health, told a regular press briefing on the epidemic on Tuesday that two of 33 samples collected from inside and near the temple — from the surface of a scripture and a faucet in the hall’s bathroom — had tested positive for the virus.

She said all the other samples taken from outside the hall had tested negative, adding that further inspections will be carried out to ascertain the extent of the problem. 

So far, 153 people have said they had been to the temple. Twenty-two of them have been quarantined and the rest are under medical surveillance.

Health officials, however, said there are no plans to evacuate residents of the building at this stage.  

An earlier case of mass infections in Hong Kong involved 11 people who contracted the potentially lethal disease after dining with about 20 others in a restaurant in North Point on Jan 26.

Sara Ho Yuen-ha, chief manager (patient safety and risk management) of the Hospital Authority, said on Tuesday the authority has teamed up with Hong Kong Polytechnic University to design and produce face shields using a 3D-printing technique to ease the shortage of protective gear for medical staff. The daily production capacity, currently at 10,000, is expected to triple by late March. 

Ho pledged the authority will provide adequate accommodation for front-line medical workers. It has set aside 300 rooms in public hospitals and arranged for 100 rooms at four local hotels to be used for this purpose. Front-line health workers have also been offered a daily subsidy of HK$500 (US$64) to help them pay for their accommodation.

Contact the writers at bingcun@chinadailyhk.com