HONG KONG -- Hong Kong has detected two cases of the new "unusual" COVID-19 variant that is raising alarm worldwide, just as the city prepares to resume quarantine-free travel with mainland China.
The B.1.1.529 strain was found in two passengers quarantining at the Regal Airport Hotel. One man, who wore a face mask with a valve that blocks incoming air but may allow infectious exhalations to escape, is believed to have infected a second person in another room. Both carriers were fully vaccinated.
