Covid-19: Restaurant lease terminated following outbreak, BioNTech vaccine registration begins Wed

Expert says inadequate ventilation system may have spread virus.

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by Candice Chau08:00, 3 March 202112:03, 3 March 2021

Owners of a Hong Kong mall have terminated the lease of a restaurant following a coronavirus outbreak in the eatery which led to at least 48 cases. A medical expert said the restaurant’s ventilation system was only providing one third of the amount of fresh air required.

Mr. Ming’s Chinese Dining in the K11 Musea mall in Tsim Sha Tsui lost its lease after patrons or close contacts of the diners tested positive for Covid-19. Hong Kong reported 13 infections in total on Tuesday, where seven cases were locally transmitted, of which four had unknown origins.

K11 Musea in Tsim Sha Tsui. Photo: RTHK, via video screenshot.

Leading microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung, who visited the restaurant on Monday, said the poor ventilation may have led to the short-distance aerial transmission of the virus. Following Yuen’s visit, the K11 Group decided to terminate the restaurant’s lease, and said its independent ventilation system was not connected to other stores.

The entire mall is now closed for sanitation, and staffers will undergo a second test to prepare for reopening on Saturday.

BioNTech vaccine

Following the arrival of over 580,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Saturday, the government announced that registration for the vaccine will begin on Wednesday at 9am.

Citizens can register online for a time slot at one of the seven community vaccination centres run by the Hospital Authority.

The government’s free mass vaccination programme began last Friday with the Chinese-made Sinovac variety. As of Monday over 228,000 people had registered for the programme and more than 27,000 people had been vaccinated.

Private clinics also began providing Sinovac on Tuesday. People can make appointments with designated clinics directly without going through the government registration system.

The government said four people, all of whom were vaccinated at the Hong Kong Central Library in Causeway Bay, felt unwell after their first dose of Sinovac.

Two men and a woman aged between 45 and 69 experienced high blood pressure, heart palpitations, dizziness and weakness but did not need to stay overnight in hospital. A 39-year-old man is in stable condition in hospital after he suffered dizziness and trembling.