London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

Coronavirus: first Delta Plus infection found in Hong Kong

Coronavirus: first Delta Plus infection found in Hong Kong

Whole genome sequencing of the patient’s sample by a public laboratory found a match with a sub-lineage of the Delta strain, known as AY.4.2.

Health authorities have reported Hong Kong’s first coronavirus infection involving the “Delta Plus” strain, which experts warn may be more transmissible than the original variant.

While overseas evidence suggests the latest version of the virus may spread more easily among household members, local public health experts urged residents not to panic, with authorities stressing the strain was not significantly more resistant to Covid-19 vaccines.

The Delta Plus diagnosis, involving a 62-year-old man who arrived from Britain on Monday via British Airways flight 027, was revealed by the Centre for Health Protection on Friday. Whole genome sequencing of the patient’s sample by a public laboratory found a match with a sub-lineage of the Delta strain, known as AY.4.2 to the medical community.

The patient, who lives in Block 21 of Baguio Villa in Pok Fu Lam, had travelled to Britain on October 16. The airport testing centre detected his infection upon arrival, and the man’s sample was sent for full sequencing analysis.

The man arrived in Hong Kong via a British Airways flight.


The patient, who is employed at the Hong Kong Football Club in Happy Valley, last went to work on October 14, according to the centre. His workplace and residential block, as well as locations he visited during the virus incubation period, have been issued with a mandatory testing notice. No local cases have been found so far.

Experts said detection of the Delta Plus case was unlikely to thwart the city’s long-running bid to convince Beijing to restart quarantine-free cross-border travel.

Earlier on Friday, city leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor struck a confident note when she told business leaders at a forum that major cross-border business events could be held by February next year. She revealed to the Post on Thursday that a preliminary reopening starting with Shenzhen could come as early as next month.

Asked whether the Delta Plus case would affect the prospect of the border reopening, government pandemic adviser Professor David Hui Shu-cheong said: “Not unless it leads to community outbreaks, which is unlikely.”

He also said the current restrictions placed on UK arrivals – 21 days of hotel quarantine along with six Covid-19 tests – were sufficient, despite Delta Plus cases rising in the country. “Don’t panic,” he said.

Respiratory medicine specialist Dr Leung Chi-chiu also cautioned against overreaction.

“The additional mutations were found in other variants and do not appear to confer too much survival advantage for the virus,” he said. “[We] just need to observe at the moment.”

The single new infection confirmed on Friday involved an arrival who travelled on the same flight as the Delta Plus case.

The 46-year-old woman, who received BioNTech jabs in Hong Kong on March 19 and April 24, had been quarantining at the Nina Hotel Island South in Wong Chuk Hang since her arrival.

Investigations were continuing into whether she was also a Delta Plus case. The city’s overall infection tally now stands at 12,360, with 213 related deaths.

Last week, the World Health Organization warned that AY. 4.2 had been detected in at least 42 countries and said it was closely tracking the subvariant to determine whether it was more transmissible than the original strain.

The sub-lineage has three additional mutations compared with the original Delta variant, including two in the spike protein – the part of the virus that latches on to human cells – which could affect transmissibility.

Some 93 per cent of all detected cases are in Britain, according to data uploaded to the GISAID global science initiative.

“It was reported that AY.4.2 might be more transmissible than other Delta strains, especially among household members,” the centre said. “So far, preliminary analysis in the United Kingdom does not find significant reduction in vaccine effectiveness for AY.4.2 compared with other Delta strains.”

Leung said it was not yet a certainty that Delta Plus would become the dominant strain globally, replacing the original Delta variant. “Even if it does, it is not likely to occur in a short time.”

Meanwhile, the government said 24,500 people, or 1.3 per cent of the 1.86 million given priority access as elderly and vulnerable groups for a third dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, had signed up on Friday, the first day bookings opened.

Inoculations will begin on Thursday after officials this week adopted recommendations by expert committees to boost waning immunity levels of some recipients after six months.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
UK Home Secretary Apologizes Over Child Grooming Failures
Trump Organization Launches 5G Mobile Network and Golden Handset
Towcester Hosts 2025 English Greyhound Derby Amid Industry Scrutiny
Gary Oldman and David Beckham Knighted in King's Birthday Honours
Over 30,000 Lightning Strikes Recorded Across UK During Overnight Storms
Princess of Wales Returns to Public Duties at Trooping the Colour
Red Arrows Use Sustainable Fuel in Historic Trooping the Colour Flypast
Former Welsh First Minister Addresses Unionist Concerns Over Irish Language
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
France Bars Israeli Arms Companies from Paris Defense Expo
King Charles Leads Tribute to Air India Crash Victims at Trooping the Colour
Jack Pitchford Embarks on 200-Mile Walk to Support Stem Cell Charity
Surrey Hikers Take on Challenge of Climbing 11 Peaks in a Single Day
UK Deploys RAF Jets to Middle East Amid Israel-Iran Tensions
Two Skydivers Die in 'Tragic Accident' at Devon Airfield
Sainsbury's and Morrisons Accused of Displaying Prohibited Tobacco Ads
UK Launches National Inquiry into Grooming Gangs
Families Seek Closure After Air India Crash
Gold Emerges as Global Safe Haven Amid Uncertainty
Trump Reports $57 Million Earnings from Crypto Venture
Trump's Military Parade Sparks Concerns Over Authoritarianism
Nationwide 'No Kings' Protests Challenge Trump's Leadership
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Trump's Anti-War Stance Tested Amid Israel-Iran Conflict
Germany Holds First Veterans Celebration Since WWII
U.S. Health Secretary Dismisses CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee
Minnesota Lawmaker Melissa Hortman and Husband Killed in Targeted Attack; Senator John Hoffman and Wife Injured
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
×