One of 2 COVID cases at Hong Kong party was false positive

HONG KONG (AP) — One of two people who attended a large gathering with senior Hong Kong officials and was believed to be infected with COVID-19 turned out to be a false positive. Hong Kong media say that means about 80 of more than 180 attendees may no longer face a lengthy quarantine. Microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung told reporters Saturday that a woman at the party who was a preliminary positive case tested negative in two subsequent tests and had no symptoms. The birthday party at a restaurant on Monday evening has roiled officialdom, drawing a rebuke from city leader Carrie Lam who criticized officials for setting a bad example as Hong Kong battles the omicron variant.