Chinanews.com, August 30. According to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s press release, the spokesperson of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government on the 30th expressed extreme disappointment and regret when someone posted wrong information about the universal community testing program online and through social media, and emphasized again The plan will help identify patients with hidden new coronary pneumonia in the community, so that citizens' lives and economic activities can return to normal as soon as possible. The spokesperson called on the public to actively participate and show that the community is united in fighting the epidemic with practical actions.
Screenshot of the Hong Kong Government Press Bulletin.
The spokesman said that the SAR government has noticed that many exaggerated and untrue statements about the popularization of community testing programs have been circulating on the Internet and social media. Among them, there are fallacies in sampling methods, infection control, detection accuracy and effectiveness. Through press releases, press conferences, special websites, Tamar posts and related directors’ presence in radio and television programs, the SAR government has reason to believe that the recent fallacy is deliberately disseminating scary information with the intention of discrediting the popularization of community testing programs and misleading The public, reduce their willingness to participate in the plan.
The spokesman said: "These actions run counter to the spirit of the whole city to fight the epidemic. They have let down the medical staff who have worked hard to fight the epidemic, a large number of frontline anti-epidemic employees, companies and citizens supporting the plan. It is extremely disappointing and regrettable. The public should condemn this."
The spokesperson emphasized that the popularization of community testing is safe, convenient, fast and fully protects personal privacy. All 141 community testing centers in Hong Kong have implemented various infection control and social distancing measures. All personal data, including test samples and test results, are only used for testing in Hong Kong, and citizens can rest assured. The SAR government will handle the personal data of citizens very carefully, and the work process does not involve the provision of any personal data to foreign institutions or persons.
The spokesman said that data showed that one in four patients with new coronary pneumonia had no symptoms at all, and many patients thought they would not be infected before they were diagnosed. In fact, in the past month, the general outpatient clinic citizens' self-requested sample bottle testing and the voluntary testing arranged by various government departments for specific groups can identify these hidden patients with no symptoms. They are 62. And 87, accounting for 0.22% and 0.02% of the total detection volume.
The spokesperson added: "The above-mentioned limited testing shows that the hidden transmission chain in the community still exists, posing a continuing risk to the epidemic, and it is not conducive to the government's gradual relaxation of social distancing measures. With the full support of the central government this time, the SAR government has enough. Testing capabilities The implementation of a one-off universal community testing program to provide citizens with a service of "willing to do all inspections" is the "timely rain" and "strong heart" of Hong Kong's anti-epidemic work."
"The more people participate in the universal community testing program, the more opportunities there will be to find hidden patients in the community to receive isolation treatment, thereby cutting off the chain of transmission and allowing citizens' lives and economic activities to return to normal sooner."
The spokesperson also said that the SAR government is grateful to more than 400,000 citizens who have made appointments for testing online since yesterday, and will do their best to ensure that citizens go to the community testing center to receive samples in a safe and orderly manner; it also provides assistance to organizations that assist citizens in registering. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to regional organizations and companies that provide convenience for their employees to receive services in community testing centers.