Collective effort urged to break COVID-19 chain

Citywide free coronavirus tests will be effective in Hong Kong's battle against the third wave of the pandemic, but residents' cooperation is of paramount importance, medical experts stressed on Wednesday.

The remarks came as medical professionals revealed that the government will roll out the voluntary COVID-19 testing program in the two weeks starting on Sept 1, as part of a more widespread search for the virus.

Henry Yeung Chiu-fat, president of the Hong Kong Doctors Union, said medical experts will collect two samples from every resident at public venues, such as community halls and schools.

Each team of medical experts will consist of 18 members, including a team leader, seven deputy leaders and 10 specimen collectors, Yeung said, adding that the team leader will be a current doctor, a nurse or dental surgeon, with proven experience of leading a group.

Yeung told China Daily that a voluntary citywide testing program, though not perfect, is "the only way" to detect asymptomatic patients still in the community during the current outbreak.

Samuel Kwok Po-yin, president of the Association of Private Medical Specialists of Hong Kong, said the testing is what Hong Kong needs now, as asymptomatic carriers who transmit the virus to the community are a feature of the third wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Kwok said it is imperative to locate all asymptomatic patients and completely cut the transmission chain within the community.

Kwok said combating the virus is not "one man's work", and that the mass virus-testing program can be effective only if a large number of local residents are willing to take part.

"I sincerely hope the residents realize that the testing is nonintrusive, and relatively simple. Public health concerns us all. Residents' cooperation is much needed," Kwok said.

Leung Chi-chiu, chairman of the Hong Kong Medical Association's advisory committee on communicable diseases, agreed that a motivated public is key to effective testing.

The objective of the citywide testing is mainly to increase the accessibility, so that everyone who deems themselves at risk of exposure to the virus can try to avoid being the source of local transmission themselves, Leung said.

Warwick Wan Wo-tat, a North District councilor, said he learned some senior residents living in the district were not motivated to test themselves for the virus. "All of them believed that they have (a) low chance of infection after they stopped going to crowded public areas," Wan said.

To provide incentives for residence to take the tests, he suggested that the government distribute pandemic care packs or health certificates to those who do so.

Benny Wong Hiu-fung, a local businessman, said he will definitely register for the virus test in September, and called on his fellow residents not to rely on luck in combating COVID-19.