(To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Centre for Health Protection today said it is investigating 18 additional COVID-19 cases, of which seven are imported, 10 are epidemiologically linked with imported cases and one is epidemiologically linked with a local case.

Sixteen of the cases involve mutant strains, while the mutation tests of the remaining cases are pending.

One of the 10 linked with imported cases is a 46-year-old woman who is a household contact of an earlier identified case.

The remaining nine patients are close contacts of a 43-year-old Pakistani woman who underwent quarantine at Silka Seaview Hotel Hong Kong in Yau Ma Tei, including five family members who live together. Two of her children are Secondary 2 and 3 students of Delia Memorial School (Broadway) in Mei Foo.

At a press briefing this afternoon, the centre’s Communicable Disease Branch Head Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan said there are more than 10 preliminary positive cases, including a 26-year-old female kindergarten teacher.

Dr Chuang said the teacher's source of infection remains unknown. She worked in Learning Habitat Kindergarten & Bilingual Nursery Novum East Campus in Quarry Bay and last went to work on January 15.

She developed symptoms on January 16 and consulted a private doctor the next day. Her sample collected at a community testing centre on the same day preliminarily tested positive.

Another preliminary positive case involves a 16-year-old male student at Delia Memorial School (Broadway) in Mei Foo who is a classmate of the above-mentioned case who is in Secondary 3. They sat for an examination in the same classroom at the school from January 10 to 14.

He developed symptoms on January 16 and attended a public hospital's accident & emergency department on January 17, testing preliminary positive that day.

The Government made a restriction-testing declaration covering 72-74 Broadway, Mei Foo Sun Chuen Phase 3 in Lai Chi Kok and Monterey Cove Tower 1, Caribbean Coast Phase 1 in Tung Chung this evening, where these preliminary positive cases live.

Separately, two more cases tested preliminary positive at Tung Moon House, Tai Hang Tung Estate in Sham Shui Po, where positive cases were detected earlier. Both of them involved units 14 and the two households do not know each other.

The two preliminary positive cases involve a 42-year-old woman and her three-year-old daughter.

The centre co-ordinated with related government departments and experts and conducted a site inspection today.

As a prudent measure, the Department of Health will issue quarantine orders to asymptomatic residents of unit 14 on 1/F to 11/F of Tung Moon House and transfer them to a quarantine facility, while symptomatic residents will be sent to hospital for treatment.

Meanwhile, a total of 19 environmental samples were collected from the relevant units with the test results pending.

In view of suspected silent transmission chains in several areas of Sham Shui Po where the risk of community transmission is higher, the Government will set up additional service points tomorrow in the district to facilitate voluntary testing for residents and workers there.

Regarding one local case, three import-related cases, one non-locally confirmed case involving a patient who had stayed in Hong Kong and five preliminarily positive cases, 26 specified premises are included in a compulsory testing notice.

The notice also covers another 36 specified premises as some of the hamster samples of a pet shop tested positive earlier.

The Government will set up or reopen mobile specimen collection stations at various locations to provide free services for people subject to mandatory testing. The service period of several stations will also be extended to February 3.

For information and health advice on COVID-19, visit the Government's dedicated webpage.