Overseas travel pushes virus tally to 120

Hong Kong reported five new confirmed infections of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday — all linked to overseas travel — bringing the total number of such cases in the city to 120.

Two of the newly confirmed cases were close contacts of an 80-year-old patient who had returned on Feb 24 from a tour group of 21 people to India. Eight patients who are closely related to people from this group have been infected.

The patient's 52-year-old daughter was confirmed to be infected on Tuesday. She lives in Block 28, Baguio Villa inwestern Hong Kong Island.

The family's 48-year-old domestic helper was also diagnosed with the disease on Tuesday. She started coughing on March 4.

Both cases developed signs of fever shortly before or after checking into a quarantine center as close contacts on Monday.

The other three cases were all linked to an eight-person tour group to Egypt, including a 59-year-old male worker of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department at a wet market in Tai Po. He last reported to work on Feb 26, before he joined the trip with his wife the following day.

He returned to Hong Kong on Saturday and started coughing and developed a fever the following day. His wife started coughing on Friday, and was hospitalized.

A couple on the Egypt tour, both 59 years old, also tested positive on Tuesday. The husband, who has underlying illnesses, developed a fever on Sunday, while the wife, who has a good health record, has had a fever since Saturday. They live in Siu Hei Court, Tuen Mun, and sought treatment on Monday.

Meanwhile, a 31-year-old female, who had recovered in Japan after leaving the Diamond Princess cruise ship, tested positive again on Tuesday, after returning to Hong Kong.

At a press briefing, the head of the Communicable Disease Branch of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, Chuang Shuk-kwan, said the patient was a special case, as she has had a very low immune capacity for a long time. No similar cases have been identified so far, she said.