- The 70-year-old had visited the Buddhist worship hall three times since late January, spending a few hours each time
- Authorities have yet to trace the source of the outbreak at the temple
A woman who visited a Buddhist temple in Hong Kong became the city's 92nd confirmed coronavirus case on Thursday and the 13th linked to the worship hall.
Speaking at a press conference, Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan from the Centre for Health Protection said the 70-year-old, who lives in Bauhinia Garden, Tseung Kwan O, had visited North Point's Fook Wai Ching She multiple times between January 24 to February 8, spending a few hours there each time.
She started coughing on February 13 and twice consulted a private doctor before being hospitalised on Wednesday, according to Chuang.
"(The patient) saw the situation of Fook Wai Ching She in North Point on the news and called our hotline, and was sent to United Christian Hospital," she said.
Chuang said authorities have not yet been able to find the source of the outbreak at the temple.
"We have not yet identified the exact source of infection, but we suspect (the virus) was transmitted through gathering and through person-to-person contact, through droplets and other environmental contamination possibly," she said.
"We can only identify some patients with early (symptoms), but the earliest was only on February 8, so the investigation is still ongoing."
She said authorities had so far contacted 221 people who had visited the temple, putting 35 in quarantine and others on medical surveillance.
Asked when the outbreak might subside, Chuang said: "There are still cases with unknown sources in the community, so I cannot predict when the outbreak will die out."
As of Thursday, 64 confirmed cases were being treated in 10 public hospitals. Among that group, one was in critical condition and four were deemed serious.
So far, 26 patients confirmed to have the virus have been discharged.
Hospital Authority chief manager, Dr Sara Ho Yuen-ha, said more than 2,100 people at outpatient clinics and emergency rooms had been given a deep throat saliva sample test in the past week.
The screening test was given to adults who had a fever and other respiratory infection symptoms, to identify patients with the novel coronavirus.
Ho said authorities were considering enlarging the scheme to cover those under 18, after two patients with the virus were identified this way.
Copyright (c) 2020. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.