(Fighting against New Coronary Pneumonia) Hong Kong Expert: There is no scientific evidence for "prone to outbreaks in markets" The focus is on raising public awareness of epidemic prevention
China News Service, Hong Kong, August 5 (Shi Bingyun) In Hong Kong, fewer than 100 new coronavirus patients were newly diagnosed for three consecutive days, but there have been many cases of group infections related to the market. In response to some experts worrying that the market may become the source of the outbreak, a Hong Kong medical expert told a reporter from China News Agency on the 5th that there is no scientific research evidence to prove this point.
The picture shows many elderly people buying vegetables at the San Hui Market in Tuen Mun. Recently, more than a dozen patients diagnosed with new coronary pneumonia have visited the market during the incubation period. Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Wei
On the 4th, Professor Yuan Guoyong of the Department of Microbiology of the University of Hong Kong went to Hung Hom Market and To Kwa Wan Market for observation and environmental sampling. There were 15 confirmed cases in Hung Hom Market, 4 of which were fishmongers at fish stalls. On the 5th, a Hong Kong expert pointed out that the "wet market" related to aquatic products was a "time bomb" of the new crown epidemic, and they were worried about a supergroup outbreak. In this regard, Zhou Bozhan, chairman of Hong Kong's private think tank Xiangjiang Zhihui, told reporters that although the appearance shows that there are multiple group cases in the market, there is no accurate scientific report to confirm that the "wet market" has a higher "risk factor". He called on citizens and vendors to strengthen awareness of prevention and pay attention to thorough disinfection.
Experts found that the anti-epidemic hygiene habits and awareness of migrant workers in the market need to be improved, and it is necessary to strengthen epidemic prevention education and publicity. Former legislative council member of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and chairman of the Hong Kong Medical Staff Federation, Pan Pei-chuan, in an interview with a reporter from China News Agency, described the scene he saw in the market this morning. He said that before 7 in the morning, many market stall owners and migrant workers were there Sort the goods out of the stall. Talking to people without wearing a mask, and some people wearing a mask but not covering their noses. "This is equivalent to not wearing it! It's useless at all." He pointed out, "Part of the reason they did this is indeed due to the nature of work. Wearing a mask is very hard." However, these lifestyle problems are very detrimental to epidemic prevention and easy Be infected without knowing it.
Zhou Bozhan suggested that the cleaning of the market should be "perfect". In addition to the daily routine cleaning steps, it is recommended to use 1:99 bleach for further disinfection. He pointed out that science has proven that viruses can survive on smooth surfaces such as metal countertops and plastic bags in markets for several days. These are all media for the survival and spread of viruses.
Zhang Zhujun, director of the Infectious Diseases Division of the Center for Health Protection of the Department of Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, pointed out at a press conference on the epidemic that many infected elderly people have the habit of going out to buy vegetables and tea in the market. In this regard, experts recommend that the elderly minimize going out and wear masks correctly. Pan Pei-chuan pointed out that although many elderly people wear masks, they will take off the masks when speaking because they are not used to it and feel uncomfortable, which increases the chance of infection. He suggested that education and publicity should be strengthened, and the citizens should be urged to correctly and strictly implement various epidemic prevention policies. (Finish)