Calls for Hong Kong total lockdown mount

CITYWIDE tests for the coronavirus disease 2019 ( Covid- 19) is the best and ultimate way to curb Hong Kong’s outbreak of the Covid-19, but the city’s limited ability to conduct extensive testing and people ignoring virus prevention measures were holding back this option, said University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital chief Lo Chung-mau, noting that he hoped the mainland’s assistance would help plug the loophole.

“I think citywide test is the ultimate and best way [to curb the coronavirus]… It’s like a forest that has been swept by fire; massive testing will help find those without symptoms and prevent fire erupting again under the ashes,” Lo said in an exclusive interview with the GlobalTimes.

Lo said there had been too few tests, the results had been slow and the quality of the tests had been unsatisfactory. It took an average of two to three days to get test results, while in the mainland it took only a few hours, and these issues were in part why citywide testing was not practical, he added.

The Hong Kong government has reported an average of 115.9 cases per day between July 28 and August 3. There have been 3,592 total infections and 37 deaths in Hong Kong since the pandemic began.

Lo said unlike Chinese mainland where people receive throat swab test from medical employees on site, Hong Kong residents were given little containers to collect their saliva, which they returned to medical staff for test.

This method has several shortcomings, as hospital employees might mix up samples, the containers could be easily broken while residents transported them to a hospital; and some people might choose not to return the containers at all, said Lo.

He cited the example of one residential community where 3,000 containers were given to residents but only 1,000 were returned. According to Hong Kong’s Department of Health, the city’s average daily testing capacity was only 3,646 in June, and the number increased to 8,454 in July, when community outbreaks were spotted.

Lo said massive nucleic acid testing was necessary as it helped people see the spread of the virus, and will lead to more timely quarantine and treatment of people who are infected.

He stressed that the central government had very successful and abundant experience in curbing contagion in cities like Wuhan and Beijing, which also endowed it with an ability to help a virus-hit Hong Kong.

He is confident that the arrival of a mainland medical team, and help from three mainland testing agencies, will greatly boost the city’s testing.

Seven medical experts from the mainland arrived in Hong Kong on Sunday. Yu Dewen, the team leader from neighboring Guangdong Province, told the Xinhua News Agency that the arrival of nucleic acid testing technicians from the Chinese mainland was likely to boost the daily testing capability to 200,000 from the city’s current 10,000 per day.

Yu said before engaging in testing, he and his team would talk to the liaison office of the Chinese central government in Hong Kong, the city’s bureau of health, food and hospital authority. The team will also discuss the equipment and the work procedure of three mainland testing agencies, including the BGI Group.

Lo pointed out that building temporary hospitals was also necessary as Hong Kong had quarantined people with mild symptoms at home: “Most Hong Kong residents live in confined spaces. So once one member of a household is infected, it poses great danger to other family members. And if those members move around in the city, it poses a great risk all over the city.”

Temporary medical facilities like Fangcang hospital will help the city isolate people who test positive, and relieve pressure of strained hospital beds. As a Hongkonger, Lo said, “We are always ready to support Hong Kong, and ready to go at any time.”