(Fighting New Coronary Pneumonia) Hong Kong Medical Expert: Once the foreign domestic helper group breaks out, it will be a huge spread network
China News Service, Hong Kong, August 6th (Reporter Han Xingtong) A few days ago, a foreign domestic helper in Hong Kong was diagnosed and lived with more than 30 foreign domestic helpers during the incubation period, and most of the foreign domestic helpers involved have returned to their employers. Regarding the relevant incident, a reporter from China News Agency interviewed two Hong Kong medical experts on the 6th. They both believed that the dormitory of foreign domestic helpers is densely occupied and there are many group activities. Once the foreign domestic helper group breaks out, it will be a huge spread network.
The foreign domestic helpers involved left their old employers on July 20 and began to look for jobs everywhere. On July 22 and 23, they lived with about 28 foreign domestic helpers in a dormitory on Lockhart Road, Wan Chai; on July 30 and 31 with 4 The foreign helper lives in a commercial building in Causeway Bay. The domestic helper began to develop symptoms on August 1 and was diagnosed on August 4. 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, revealed that some of the foreign domestic helpers involved have returned to their employers' homes.
According to public figures from the authorities, the number of foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong is close to 400,000. Some foreign domestic helpers have not found a new job for one to two weeks after completing their contract with their employers, and are forced to stay in Hong Kong due to the epidemic, so they can only choose to live in the dormitory. According to Hong Kong media reports, there are currently about 6000 to 7000 foreign domestic helpers living in the dormitories.
"Dozens of them are crowded in a small unit. It is very crowded." Liang Zichao, chairman of the Infectious Disease Advisory Committee of the Hong Kong Medical Association, believes that this is a potential loophole in prevention and control. "The outbreak of foreign domestic helpers may not be large in scale, but it is spreading. The speed is very rapid." Foreign domestic helpers contact foreign domestic helpers and employers contact other people, and soon the virus will spread to the community, posing a serious risk.
To cut off the transmission chain and control group outbreaks between household contacts without involving the community, Liang Zichao believes that the SAR government must grasp the "prime time" and take effective measures to "race against time", such as establishing a set of foreign domestic helpers. The supervision and infection control system of the dormitories allows early screening of people with symptoms. The SAR government should also provide places for foreign domestic helpers to live temporarily.
Liang Zichao also suggested that the intermediary company should flexibly handle the transition period after the foreign domestic helpers finish their contract and help them to renew or sign a new contract as soon as possible. At the same time, it is best to establish a list system, and if necessary, the foreign domestic helpers and their employers can be quickly traced.
Tang Jisheng, vice president of the Hong Kong Medical Council Licensed Doctors Association, also expressed concern about the foreign domestic helper group. “The high density of foreign domestic helpers and the close distance between people, and some foreign domestic helpers do not wear masks in the dormitory, the risk of cross-infection is high” , The overall number of foreign domestic helpers is huge, and there are many group activities. Tang Jisheng believes that once this group breaks out, it will bring another huge communication network. He emphasized that it must be handled with special care.
Tang Jisheng suggested that employers try to make foreign domestic helpers wear masks at home, wash their hands frequently, and eat separately, because the virus has the highest chance of spreading during meals. At the same time, he also reminded that in this special period, before the foreign domestic helpers are tested and determined to be negative, try not to let them take care of the elderly and children with weaker resistance. (Finish)