The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesman for Tuen Mun Hospital (TMH) made the following announcement today (January 12) regarding a patient who tested preliminarily positive to COVID-19:
 
     A 62-year-old male was admitted to a TMH Medicine and Geriatric (M&G) Ward on January 6. Admission screening of COVID-19 test was arranged for the patient and the result was negative. Since the patient was scheduled to undergo medical procedure in Queen Elizabeth Hospital soon after, he was arranged to take the viral test again yesterday (January 11) with one of the specimen tested weakly positive to COVID-19. The patient concerned has been transferred to an isolation ward with stable condition.
 
     Antibody testing was also arranged and the test result revealed the presence of antibody in this patient. Therefore, it is believed that the patient concerned might get infected before with low infectivity currently. He remains asymptomatic during hospitalisation.
 
     To enhance protection to patients and staff, the hospital infection control team conducted contact tracing according to the advice of the Centre for Health Protection (CHP). 15 patients who had stayed in the same cubicle with the index patient are classified as close contacts and required to be quarantined for 14 days. Five of the patients have been discharged and will be followed up by CHP. At the same time, as a precautionary measure, COVID-19 tests will be arranged for staff and the remaining patients of the ward under medical surveillance. 
 
     A thorough cleaning and disinfection have been arranged. Patient admission in the ward concerned has already been suspended. TMH will continue to closely monitor the health condition of the staff members and patients, and communicate with the Centre for Health Protection on the latest progress.

Ends/Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Issued at HKT 21:18

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