Hong Kong police catch fugitive COVID-19 patient

HONG KONG - Hong Kong police late on Sunday caught a COVID-19 positive patient who escaped on Friday from one of the city's largest hospitals while undergoing treatment.

Li Wan-keung, 63, initially identified as patient 7379, was admitted to the isolation ward of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on December 14 after it was confirmed he had COVID-19.

However, police said the man escaped the ward via a stairwell on Friday, wearing a jacket over hospital clothes.

Police said on its Facebook page late on Sunday Li was caught in the working class neighborhood of Mong Kok at around 2300 (1500 GMT) and sent to hospital for treatment.

Police said persons who escape quarantine may face a HK$5,000 ($645) penalty and up to two months imprisonment.

Hong Kong has so far reported more than 8,000 coronavirus cases and 130 deaths. —Reuters