10 HK residents in Hubei infected with coronavirus

HONG KONG – Ten Hong Kong residents in Hubei province have been confirmed to be infected with the novel coronavirus COVID-19, according to a government statement issued on Wednesday.

This is the first report of the virus infection of Hong Kong people staying on the mainland.

The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said the 10 people are from three families. Seven of the patients are in Wuhan, capital city of Hubei province, and the other three in the province's southwestern Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.

All of them are receiving treatment in local hospitals and are reported to be in relatively stable condition, according to the statement.

The government has directed its Economic and Trade Office (ETO) in Wuhan to do its utmost to provide any feasible assistance to the patients.

"Thanks to the efforts devoted by Wuhan ETO in coordinating with the relevant authorities, six of them (the patients) have been admitted to local hospitals within a short time, while the remaining four have made their own way to seek medical treatment from hospitals," a spokesman with the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau said in the statement.

The ETO will keep close contact with the patients, and make sure they receive proper treatment, according to the statement.