As of yesterday (9th), a total of 12 people have been recruited, which is the largest outbreak since the Department of Health resumed tracking, including 9 diners and 2 close contacts , and the chefs who were diagnosed yesterday.
The reporter of "Hong Kong 01" directly attacked the situation of the restaurant yesterday afternoon. There were only 11 diners at the scene, and the food delivery staff wore gloves, but the staff on the stage was not seen. Disinfecting hands; the outbreak scares diners, employees revealed that 70% of their business was lost on Mother's Day on Sunday (8th).
Authorities estimate there may be "super-spreaders" spreading the virus.
Experts in Hong Kong pointed out that the "super communicator" has not yet appeared, and it is more likely to leak forever.
Experts listed several major reasons that may cause the outbreak, and dismantled the unsolved mysteries of the outbreak one by one.
Yesterday, as a diners, the reporter visited the Shangpin Hotpot Shabu Shabu at Peony Golden Pavilion. There were 11 diners, but it was not full.
An employee was impatient with the outbreak, saying that it is the cleanest now. The Department of Health came a few days ago to collect samples of tablecloths and carpets, and the virus tests were all negative.
However, it was unable to retain the diners. The employee pointed out that the first and last rounds of Mother's Day reservations were full on Sunday, but after the news of the epidemic broke out, many people canceled the reservations, and 70% of the business disappeared all day, only 4 , 50,000 yuan business.
In March last year, the government required each restaurant to set up a desk clerk to clean up used utensils and sanitize the dining table and partitions to reduce the risk of transmission; if a restaurant cannot arrange a clerk, it must also ensure that employees strictly observe hand hygiene Actions include using alcohol-based hand sanitizer, washing hands, or changing gloves each time you hold a table basket.
According to the reporter's on-site inspection, the store has gloved food delivery staff to deliver and put food on the table, but there is no staff in charge, and the waiter takes care of it. It is uncertain whether the hygiene guidelines are strictly followed.
The employee said that the 48 employees in the store have been tested by the Department of Health and have undergone three nucleic acid tests and two rapid antigen tests in the past three days, all of which were negative. "None of my colleagues (positive)!" However, The Department of Health announced yesterday afternoon that a chef at the restaurant who was on duty on May 1 tested positive for a sore throat on May 8. Nine infected diners visited on May 1. The chef will be on holiday from May 6. Since the incubation period has been seven days, the Department of Health has not determined whether the chef was infected in the restaurant, or whether it was infected in the community during the holiday.
▼May 9 Epidemic Press Conference▼
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Liang Zichao's communicator 5.1 patronizes and sits in the middle
How do superspreaders spread poison?
Respiratory system expert Liang Zichao believes that the spreader should appear on May 1, rather than causing environmental pollution to infect 9 people before May 1, because the probability of transmission through the environment and objects is much lower than that of air or droplet transmission.
He believes that the communicator visited on May 1 and sat in the middle of the restaurant, causing close air transmission.
Lam Wai-sun, a specialist in the Department of Infection and Infectious Diseases, also believes that the super-spreader should be airborne and spread the virus by taking off his mask by speaking or eating within 20 minutes, and diners at nearby locations at the same time may be infected; but It is also possible that the diners may not appear at the same time as the spreader, but are infected because the virus is floating in the air.
The vaccinated virus stays in the body for a short time without symptoms, and it is easy to spread the virus
Liang Zichao deduced that super-spreaders should be invisible patients who have no symptoms, so they will spread the virus in the community.
At present, the nine confirmed patients have developed symptoms one after another a few days after May 1. He believes that even if the asymptomatic person is found later, there are no other groups of infection cases around them, so they are not super-spreaders.
Liang pointed out that the super communicator may leak forever, because it has been 8 days since May 1, and the tracking work is lagging behind.
The patient has been vaccinated, and the virus stays in the body for less time. Even if a nucleic acid test is used, the communicator may be negative. In addition, the injection shortens the transmission time, and the chances of finding the communicator are greatly reduced.
He said that if the communicator had traveled to other high-risk places and there were persistent cases there, the authorities would have a chance to find it, but it all depended on the activity of the communicator.
▼On May 7th, the Department of Health announced that the Yuen Long Peony Golden Court Shangpin Hotpot Shabu Shabu had an outbreak▼
You can also become a super communicator
Liang Zichao also said that no matter whether the injection is given or not, no matter what kind of vaccine is vaccinated, it cannot completely block the spread, and it is possible to become a super-spreader. Just like other areas with high vaccination rates, large outbreaks will still occur.
According to the existing data, the vaccine can effectively reduce death and severe illness, but there is still insufficient data to indicate whether it can reduce the risk of transmission.
Lin Weixun said that vaccines can reduce the risk of transmission, because injections can increase a person's antibody level.
However, the current vaccine fails to target the Omicron variant virus, so the antibody declines 2 to 3 months after the current injection, and the effectiveness of blocking transmission is also relatively reduced.
Higher risk of infection in intermediate locations
Liang Zichao said that although more than one million people in the community have been infected, there are still some vulnerable people, including chronically ill, the elderly and young children.
The Yuen Long restaurant had an outbreak. It is possible that the diners sitting in the middle are all vulnerable populations, so they contracted the disease and broke out.
He explained that the ventilation in the middle of the restaurant is relatively static, and the ventilation of the filter device may be insufficient, causing transmission.
Lin Weixun also pointed out that there may be "dead spots and poor circulation" in the middle position. The communicator coughs and spit out saliva, but "no blowing or breathing", causing the virus to stay in the air.
It is unlikely that employees are super-spreaders
An additional chef was diagnosed yesterday. Liang Zichao concluded that when the ventilation system on the restaurant floor was ventilated, it was necessary to rely on the kitchen to extract air. It was possible that there was a virus in the air on the floor at that time, so it flowed into the kitchen, leading to the chef's diagnosis.
He bluntly said that the possibility of employees infecting diners is low, because the risk of infection through environmental transmission, that is, through tableware and food delivery, is only one thousandth of the risk of airborne transmission. In addition, the Center for Health Protection has collected environmental samples in restaurants and cannot find them. Environmental factors lead to transmission.
Huang Jiahe, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Catering Industry Association, admitted that 98% of the restaurants in Hong Kong are small and medium-sized enterprises, and there is no condition to arrange a Taiwanese executive. He believes that the restaurants have taken adequate epidemic prevention measures.
Epidemic | Yuen Long Peony Golden Court Shangpin Hotpot chefs recruited group expanded to 12 people infected with epidemic | Yuen Long Peony Golden Court Hotpot has a total of 8 confirmed diners Mother's Day patronage: no surprise Four people recruited by the Department of Health suspected of short-distance air transmission Yuen Long Peony Golden Court Shangpin Hotpot Shabu-shabu outbreak 4 patients 5.1 Patrons 190 diners must be tested
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