HK man recovers from virus, discharged

A 25-year-old novel coronavirus patient on Wednesday became the first of 50 confirmed cases in Hong Kong to be discharged from a hospital.

The man, who on Feb 4 was the 18th patient diagnosed with the disease in the SAR, had tested negative twice, with both tests conducted more than 24 hours apart, Sara Ho Yuen-ha, chief manager of the Hospital Authority's Patient Safety and Risk Management Unit, told a daily press briefing on the outbreak.

The patient, however, is required to return to the hospital in a week for re-examination. He was also told to stay at home as much as possible, avoid crowds, wear a mask when going out, and stay hydrated.

According to Ho, several more patients could be discharged over the next few days as most of the 48 coronavirus-infected patients still in the hospital are in a stable condition. Hong Kong has so far recorded only one fatality from the epidemic — a 39-year-old man who died on Feb 4.

Hong Kong confirmed a new case of the coronavirus on Wednesday, taking the tally to 50.

The latest patient, a 51-year-old man, is a colleague of the city's 37th patient, working in the kitchen of a restaurant in Mong Kok, according to Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the Centre for Health Protection.

Among seven people who work closely in the same restaurant, two are confirmed to have contracted the disease, two have tested negative, and the other three are awaiting the results of tests, Chuang said.

Meanwhile, the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau confirmed on Wednesday that 10 Hong Kong residents in Hubei province — the epicenter of the epidemic — have come down with the virus.

Seven of them are in the provincial capital, Wuhan, while the others are in Enshi — a county-level city in southwestern Hubei.

All the patients, who are from three families, are being treated in local hospitals and reported to be in a stable condition.

The HKSAR government has directed its Economic and Trade Office in Wuhan to provide the patients with necessary assistance, and pledged to stay in close contact with the patients to ensure they receive proper medical treatment.

As of Monday, the SAR government had received more than 1,000 requests for help from Hong Kong people in Hubei. There are still about 2,000 Hong Kong residents scattered over 30 cities in the province.

The SAR government has not revealed any plans to transfer Hong Kong residents in Hubei back to Hong Kong. The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau told China Daily the Hubei provincial authorities are prohibiting infected patients from leaving the province.