Chief Executive Carrie Lam of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) met with Zhang Yurun, deputy head of the health commission of Guangdong Province, and mainland epidemiologists, on Sunday, and discussed the fight against COVID-19 in the HKSAR.

Lam thanked the central government and Guangdong Province for supporting the anti-pandemic efforts in the HKSAR following their inspection of the local work. She also thanked a group of epidemiological experts from the mainland for their constructive advice, including the online launch of "Communicable Disease Public Interface" platform for patients to report their information.

At the meeting, Lam and the participating officials discussed with Zhang and the expert team the recent progress in the HKSAR in terms of risk assessment and optimum use of COVID-19 testing resources, including wider adoption of rapid antigen tests and persistent "restriction-testing declaration" operations targeting buildings with higher risk.

The participants agreed that it is necessary to strengthen the multi-tiered approach of providing treatment based on the patients' conditions to reduce severe cases and casualties, so that medical resources could be more effectively allocated to imminent cases.

Lam said the mainland's rich experience in combating COVID-19 helped the HKSAR fully examine its existing anti-pandemic strategies and measures and adjust them to local actualities in pursuit of the goal of "dynamic zero infection."

"We will continue to leverage the staunch support of the central government to stabilize the pandemic as soon as possible for safeguarding the lives and safety of the public at large," she said.

Hong Kong reported a record 26,026 daily COVID-19 infections on Sunday and 83 deaths, showed official data. 

Mobile laboratories and mobile cabin hospitals

Mobile laboratories, nicknamed "Falcon," built with mainland's support, were put into operation on Friday in Hong Kong's Kowloon to conduct mass testing.

The temporary labs consist of five air-inflated chambers each and can handle 80,000 testing samples per day. 

Besides, the construction of four temporary community isolation and treatment facilities, or mobile cabin hospitals, for COVID-19 patients, began on Tuesday in Hong Kong with the support of the central government.

Around 14,000 to 17,000 isolation units will be available when these facilities at Tsing Yi, San Tin, Yuen Long and Hung Shui Kiu are fully put into operation. 

(With input from Xinhua)