The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Regarding the announcement of Department of Health (DH) today (December 31) on a cluster of suspected pneumonia cases in the Mainland, the Hospital Authority (HA) is very concerned about the cases and has alerted frontline healthcare staff to stay vigilant. 
 
     The HA spokesperson said that the causative pathogen of the suspected pneumonia cases was yet to be identified. As a precautionary measure, frontline healthcare staff of public hospitals have been reminded to pay special attention to clinical information, including the presentation of fever and acute respiratory illness, or pneumonia, and travel history to Wuhan within 14 days before onset of symptoms.    
 
     The spokesperson also stressed that upon identification of a suspected case, the patient will be isolated in airborne infection isolation room for treatment with urgent laboratory investigation.  The HA will keep close communication with the Centre of Health Protection of the DH to monitor the development of the situation.

Ends/Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Issued at HKT 19:30

NNNN