Domestic Worker, Baby With COVID-19 Slept Outside Hospital After Being Denied Entry

A domestic worker and her 3-month-old baby, both of whom tested positive for COVID-19, were left to wait outside a hospital in Hong Kong overnight before they received any treatment.

The mother, who goes by the pseudonym Anika, was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in an ambulance with her infant after their rapid antigen tests returned with positive results Tuesday evening, the Hong Kong Free Press reported, citing Bethune House, a migrant workers' charity.

Anika had developed a fever and cough, and her infant was also feeling unwell, according to the outlet.

However, they were told by the hospital that they could not wait inside, which resulted in Anika and her child spending the night outside the medical facility, Bethune House executive director Edwina Antonio-Santoyo said.

Anika reportedly slept on a chair in a covered area as Tuesday saw bouts of rain and the temperature dipped below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit).

"There were also other preliminary-positive patients there. Maybe the hospital did not consider that it was cold," Antonio-Santoyo said.

Volunteers reportedly brought supplies, including warm clothes and food, for Anika and her child the next morning.

The two were allowed to enter Queen Elizabeth Hospital at around 11:20 a.m. Wednesday and were given a ticket for the queue, according to Antonio-Santoyo.

They were issued medicine five hours later and were administered swab tests by hospital staff.

Hong Kong saw a record 8,674 new COVID-19 infections Wednesday, a report by CNA said.

Daily new infections could reach 180,000 next month as the city's testing, treatment and isolation capacities are stretched to the maximum, according to University of Hong Kong researchers.

Domestic workers have been particularly affected by Hong Kong's current coronavirus outbreak.

NGOs have been fielding calls from domestic workers who are seeking help after testing positive for COVID-19, reports said. Most cases involved workers who had finished or terminated their contracts before they were able to leave Hong Kong.

Domestic workers in Hong Kong are legally required to stay with their employers, which meant they have nowhere to go and self-isolate once they are no longer employed.

Since June 2021, Anika and her baby have been living at Bethune House, a shelter that takes in migrant workers abused by their former employers.

Other NGOs such as Help for Domestic Workers and Mission for Migrant Workers are also continuing to coordinate volunteer efforts and settle displaced migrant workers

"We hope the government will do something about it. It’s not just this mother and child, it could be many who will be suffering from this kind of condition," Antonio-Santoyo said.