A total of 50 nucleic acid testing personnel from various public hospitals in Guangdong Province have arrived in Hong Kong to help carry out more extensive nucleic acid testing, Guangdong provincial health authorities said on Friday.
A mass screening for COVID-19 in Hong Kong will begin from September 1 and aims to complete the testing in no more than two weeks in an effort to bring the severe epidemic situation under control, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Chief Executive Carrie Lam told reporters on Friday.
Even as cases of new infections are steadily falling, Lam warned residents not to be complacent.
Since July, Hong Kong has been experiencing a new round of coronavirus outbreak in multiple communities, and local authorities have asked the central government for support in fighting against the outbreak.
In accordance with the deployment arrangement of the National Health Commission, Guangdong has set up the first mainland nucleic acid testing support team to aid Hong Kong's anti-epidemic work, of which 10 medics were first dispatched to Hong Kong in early August.
Zou Weiming, deputy leader of the mainland nucleic acid testing support team, said that all members of the team have been trained in various aspects. Among the 50 people, 60 percent were lab personnels who had previously supported Beijing and Wuhan in fighting the epidemic, and have the necessary experience and skills.
The HKSAR government said earlier that the large-scale testing that may cover millions of people in Hong Kong will be conducted for free and on a voluntary basis.
All asymptomatic Hong Kong residents aged above six can participate in the testing, Secretary for the Civil Service of the HKSAR government Patrick Nip said, adding that the process is scheduled to last seven days and can be prolonged to up to two weeks.
The HKSAR government will set up testing stations in all 18 districts of Hong Kong where trained medical staff will collect samples of deep throat saliva or nasopharyngeal swab, Nip said, stressing that personal information of the participants will be well protected and will not be transferred out of Hong Kong.