Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee (centre) and Under Secretary for Food and Health Chui Tak-yi (right) welcome the arrival of a new batch of pandemic prevention and control experts from the Chinese mainland, led by Director of the National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Kan Biao (left), at the Shenzhen Bay Port on April 7, 2022. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
HONG KONG – Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee led city health officials in welcoming the arrival of a new batch of pandemic prevention and control experts from the Chinese mainland at the Shenzhen Bay Port on Thursday.
In a statement on Thursday night, the government said Chan, together with Under Secretary for Food and Health Chui Tak-yi and Director of Health Ronald Lam, welcomed the six-member delegation of health experts led by Kan Biao, Director of the National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The HKSAR government called on members of the public to show support in fighting the pandemic by conducting a rapid antigen test daily from April 8 to 10 and reporting positive cases within 24 hours
“The delegation will continue the work of five experts who arrived the city earlier to assist Hong Kong in conducting epidemiological investigations more effectively and precisely, and offer guidance on related anti-epidemic work,” the statement reads.
Chan said the mainland experts who arrived in batches in Hong Kong since mid-February had offered the SAR government constructive advice and recommendations, “providing us with strong support in containing the epidemic in Hong Kong.”
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"Despite the fact that the number of cases tested positive has shown a decreasing trend, the base still remains large,” she said.
“We believe that by continuing to leverage the experience of the mainland experts in fighting the epidemic and work with them in looking into the current strategies and measures of containing the fifth wave of the epidemic, it will help us put an end to local epidemic as early as possible,” she added.
The experts who arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday include Dean of the School of Public Health of Shandong University Li Shixue, Dean of the School of General Practice and Continuing Education of the Capital Medical University Wu Hao, Assistant Researcher of the Office of Public Health Management of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Tang Xiaozhe, Chief Physician of the Guangdong Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention Meng Ruilin, and Deputy Chief Physician of the Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention Ma Xiaowei.
Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee (fifth right), Under Secretary for Food and Health Chui Tak-yi (fourth left), and Director of Health Ronald Lam (fourth right) welcome the arrival of a new batch of pandemic prevention and control experts from the Chinese mainland, led by the Director of the National Institute for Communicable Disease Control and Prevention of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention Kan Biao (fifth left), at the Shenzhen Bay Port on April 7, 2022. (PHOTO/ HKSAR GOVERNMENT)
“I believe that Hong Kong's anti-epidemic team will also work tirelessly with the delegation led by Mr Kan Biao to continue the fight against the epidemic by learning from the experts, with a view to achieving the goals of reducing deaths, serious illnesses and infections, and safeguarding the lives and health of the citizens," Chan said.
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Meanwhile, the government called on members of the public to show support in fighting the pandemic by conducting a rapid antigen test (RAT) daily from April 8 to 10 and reporting positive cases within 24 hours.
This RAT exercise can help identify infected persons early for appropriate follow-up and cut transmission chains in the community as quickly as possible, the government said in a separate statement.
The tests will also facilitate the government's understanding of the pandemic situation in Hong Kong for formulation of anti-virus measures in the future, it added.
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