Speaking solely in a personal capacity, Yau shared his views on the importance of domestically groomed talent, Hong Kong’s transition to a science and tech hub and its opportunity to host a top-tier maths conference in 2030, as China and the US vie for primacy in their tech race.

The Centre for Health Protection said on Friday that it had classified it as locally acquired after genome analysis found that the female patient, 55, shared the same source of infection as the first case, an 82-year-old woman who lives in Fung Tak Estate in Diamond Hill.

“Based on the epidemiological information for both patients, including their common locations of movement during the incubation periods, the [centre] considered that the 55-year-old female more likely acquired the infection in the vicinity of Fung Tak Estate,” it said.

“As her infection and onset of illness occurred prior to the commencement of the government’s ongoing large-scale mosquito control operations, this locally acquired case will not have a significant impact on the overall risk assessment.”

The first locally acquired case was reported on Sunday.

So far this year, the city had recorded a total of 52 chikungunya cases, comprising two local and 50 imported infections, the centre added.