Hong Kong Has First Covid Case From Unknown Source in Months

Officials in Hong Kong have disclosed the first preliminary positive case of Covid-19 from an unknown source in almost three months, a worrying sign as the city works to contain an omicron cluster. The city’s health department suspects that the patient, an unvaccinated worker in the North Point area of the city, carries the omicron variant, although whole genome sequencing still needs to be conducted to confirm if that’s the case, according to a government statement on Tuesday. The highly contagious variant has already scuttled the border reopening with China and sent hundreds of city residents to the government-run quarantine facility in an effort to contain the outbreak before it spreads. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced a vaccine requirement for restaurants and public leisure facilities will be imposed from February 24.