Three persons were sentenced by the Magistrates' Courts today (December 1) for violating the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation (Cap. 599A).

     The three cases involved a 58-year-old man, a 68-year-old woman and an 18-year-old man, who earlier tested positive for COVID-19 and were issued with isolation orders. Before the end of the isolation period, they respectively left the place of isolation on August 19, September 23 and October 1, 2022. They were charged with contravening sections 32(1) and 32(3) of the Regulation. They were sentenced to a fine of $9,000, a fine of $8,000, and 80 hours of community service order by the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts, Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts and Fanling Magistrates' Courts today.

     Under section 32 of the Regulation, a person shall not, knowing that he or she is a contact or is infected with a specified infectious disease, expose other persons to the risk of infection by the person's presence or conduct in any public conveyance or any street, public place, place of entertainment or assembly, club or hotel. Offenders are subject to a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment for six months. The Government will not tolerate such a violation and reminds the public again to comply with the relevant regulations.

     â€‹â€‹â€‹The spokesman reiterated that co-operation and support by members of the public play a critical role in the anti-epidemic work. They must strictly observe relevant requirements in order to fight the pandemic and minimise the risk of transmission in the community.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     As at 0.00am today (December 1), a total of 2 776 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 are currently hospitalised for treatment, including 373 new patients. Currently, there are 282 patients requiring oxygen therapy and 14 patients requiring ventilator support. Among the patients staying in isolation facilities, 628 patients are in isolation wards, 211 patients are in second-tier isolation wards and 590 patients are in the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre, of which 254 in total are new patients. There are 13 newly reported critical patients and 14 newly reported serious patients. There are a total of 54 patients in critical condition and 72 are in serious condition, of which 18 critical patients are receiving intensive care. Moreover, there are 325 patients who have recovered, including 268 patients who have been discharged. In addition, 15 patients who passed away in public hospitals were reported.

     The Hospital Authority (HA) has reviewed the preliminary statistics of the past week (November 23 to 29). Among the COVID-19 patients admitted through Accident and Emergency Departments, around 63 per cent were admitted due to COVID-19 infection, while around 37 per cent were admitted due to other medical reasons. For the deceased COVID-19 patients, around 73 per cent potentially died of COVID-19, while around 27 per cent died from other illnesses. The HA will keep analysing the statistics concerned so as to provide appropriate services in accordance with the situation and patient needs.

      In the fifth wave of the epidemic, there are 87 476 patients who have recovered so far, including 87 052 patients who have been discharged. And since early 2020, there are 99 856 patients who have recovered, including 99 432 patients who have been discharged.

     In addition, three patients in a Department of Rehabilitation and Extended Care ward of TWGHs Wong Tai Sin Hospital have tested positive for COVID-19 since November 29. All patients are symptomatic and are being treated in isolation. They are in stable condition. Admission and visiting arrangements for the cubicles concerned have been suspended. Thorough cleaning and disinfection operations have been conducted in the areas concerned, while infection control measures have been enhanced.

     The HA will maintain close contact with the Centre for Health Protection to monitor the latest developments and to inform the public and healthcare workers on the latest information in a timely manner.

   The Task Force on Supplies from the Mainland led by the Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB) has been working closely with the Guangdong Provincial Government and the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government to explore various means to stabilise the supply of goods from the Mainland to Hong Kong.
 
     A spokesperson for the TLB said that the "Sea Express" water transportation service from the Mainland to Hong Kong has been fully launched and its capacity is rising to increase the supplies of fresh food, other daily necessities and manufacturing materials. The current supply of fresh food from the Mainland is stable.
 
     The spokesperson said today (December 1) that Shenzhen operated 55 cargo vessel trips and transported around 4 630 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cross-boundary supplies by water yesterday (November 30), equivalent to about 22 330 tonnes of goods, of which around 10 TEUs (about 80 tonnes) were fresh food and around 4 620 TEUs (about 22 250 tonnes) were non-fresh food, according to information from the Mainland authorities.
 
     Since the launch of services from the three ports in Shenzhen since February 18 to yesterday, a total of around 1 311 970 TEUs of cross-boundary supplies have been transported, equivalent to about 6 217 260 tonnes of goods, of which around 2 960 TEUs (about 25 050 tonnes) were fresh food and around 1 309 010 TEUs (about 6 192 210 tonnes) were non-fresh food.
 
     Meanwhile, to avoid a spillover of the epidemic, the Transport Department (TD) arranges for dedicated staff to conduct rapid nucleic acid tests, using nasopharyngeal swabs for specimen collection, for cross-boundary goods vehicle drivers at various land boundary control points. Only drivers with a negative result are allowed to enter the Mainland. A total of 3 888 rapid nucleic acid tests were conducted yesterday, of which seven cases that tested preliminarily positive were found. The TD has passed the cases to the Department of Health for follow-up.
 
     The TLB will closely monitor the situation and co-operate with the Mainland authorities to facilitate and implement various measures to ensure both smooth cross-boundary land transport and a stable goods supply to Hong Kong, while reducing the risk of epidemic transmission in both the Mainland and Hong Kong.

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (December 1) investigating a case of severe paediatric influenza A infection and reminded the community to heighten vigilance against influenza.
 
     The case involves a 3-year-old boy with good past health, who has presented with fever since November 27 and abdominal pain and vomiting since yesterday (November 30). He was sent yesterday to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where he was admitted for further management and was transferred to Hong Kong Children's Hospital today. His respiratory specimen tested positive for influenza A (H3) virus upon laboratory testing. The clinical diagnosis was influenza A infection complicated with shock. He is now in critical condition.
 
     Initial enquiries revealed that the patient had received seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) for this season and had no travel history during the incubation period. The CHP's investigations are ongoing.
 
     A spokesman for the CHP said, "Influenza can cause serious illnesses in high-risk individuals and even healthy persons. Seasonal influenza vaccination is recommended for all persons aged 6 months or above except those with known contraindications. Persons at higher risk of getting influenza and its complications, including the elderly and children, should receive SIV early. As it takes about two weeks to develop antibodies, members of the public are advised to receive SIV early for protection against seasonal influenza. Please see details of the vaccination schemes on the CHP's website."

     A person who gets influenza and COVID-19 at the same time may be more seriously ill and would have a higher risk of death. It is important to receive both SIV and COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible, in particular for children and elderly persons residing in the community or residential care homes. The public should also maintain good personal and environmental hygiene against respiratory illnesses and note the following:
 

• Surgical masks can prevent transmission of respiratory viruses from ill persons. It is essential for persons who are symptomatic (even if having mild symptoms) to wear a surgical mask;
• Wear a surgical mask when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. It is important to wear a mask properly, including performing hand hygiene before wearing and after removing a mask;
• Avoid touching one's eyes, mouth and nose;
• Wash hands with liquid soap and water properly whenever possibly contaminated;
• When hands are not visibly soiled, clean them with 70 to 80 per cent alcohol-based handrub;
• Cover the mouth and nose with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing. Dispose of soiled tissue paper properly into a lidded rubbish bin, and wash hands thoroughly afterwards;
• Maintain good indoor ventilation;
• When having respiratory symptoms, wear a surgical mask, refrain from work or attending classes at school, avoid going to crowded places and seek medical advice promptly; and
• Maintain a balanced diet, perform physical activity regularly, take adequate rest, do not smoke and avoid overstress.

 
     The public may visit the CHP's influenza page and weekly Flu Express for more information.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) wishes to alert members of the public to a press release issued by Tai Sang Bank Limited relating to phishing emails, which have been reported to the HKMA. A hyperlink to the press release is available on the HKMA website.
      
     The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks' websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive personal information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
      
     Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the emails concerned, should contact the bank using the contact information provided in the press release, and report the matter to the Police by contacting the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012.