Press Release

Update on overseas human cases with novel coronavirus infection

27 September 2012

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (September 27) provided an update on the development and its work following the report by the World Health Organization (WHO) on human cases with novel coronavirus infection in two patients from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Qatar.

A spokesman for the CHP said that other than the two patients reported by the WHO, another five suspected cases of novel coronavirus infection were admitted to a hospital in Denmark. According to the information released by the hospital, all the five patients were in fact suffering from influenza B infection.

"As such, the total number of laboratory confirmed cases of novel coronavirus worldwide so far remains at two," the spokesman said.

As regards the progress of the legislative preparations to include the novel coronavirus as a notifiable infectious disease under the law, the spokesman said that the work is now in full swing and the relevant legislative amendments will be gazetted tomorrow (September 28) with immediate effect.

The spokesman pointed out that under the amendments, "Severe Respiratory Disease associated with Novel Coronavirus" will be added to the list of infectious diseases specified in Schedule 1 as a statutorily notifiable disease and the virus to the list of infectious agents in Schedule 2 under The Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance, Cap. 599.

With the amendments, medical practitioners are required to notify the Director of Health if they have reason to suspect the existence of this disease and persons in charge of a laboratory are required to notify leakage of the virus in the laboratory that may pose a public health risk. Besides, the Director may exercise his power to institute relevant border control measures for travellers having regard to the development in the affected areas.

The amendments add protection to Hong Kong against the disease by facilitating early disease detection, preventing laboratory-acquired infection and implementation of appropriate public health measures if they are called for, depending on public health risk assessment.

"The CHP will issue letters to doctors and medical laboratory sector to inform them of the relevant legislative amendments," the spokesman said.

"We will continue to keep a close watch of the latest development and liaise with international health partners on the progress of further epidemiological investigations and surveillance, and the corresponding advice from the WHO," he added.