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Rachel Yeo

Joyce Ng

Hong Kong kicked off a three-day voluntary mass coronavirus testing exercise on Friday in an attempt to sever community transmission chains amid the city’s fifth wave of infections, but resistance and challenges had already surfaced.
Some among the elderly lamented it as pointless since they were “dying anyway”, while a community group said it expected many to not know how to make a report online should they test positive for Covid-19.
In the lead-up to the three-day exercise that started on Friday, the Society for Community Organisation reached out to thousands of seniors and taught them how to use rapid antigen test (RAT) kits. WhatsApp videos were also put together for the more tech-savvy ones to view on their smartphones.
However, reception among the elderly has been mixed.
What you need to know about Hong Kong’s 3-day voluntary mass testing for Covid
Sze Lai-shan, the organisation’s deputy director, said the government’s self-reporting platform could be a stumbling block for elderly people unfamiliar with technology.
“If they test positive, they may have to call us and we have to see how to help them submit their information online,” she said. “Of course, there are elderly people who don’t want to do the tests, some don’t even want to wear masks any more. Others may feel all of this is too troublesome, since they are dying anyway.”
The mass testing scheme is voluntary, and residents who test positive can choose to register their results online. People without internet access or who do not know how to use the platform can call a 24/7 hotline for support at 1836 119.
Still, Sze said there were some elderly residents who were taking part in the drive since they had already received free rapid tests in the government’s anti-epidemic service bags.
Hong Kong elderly ‘should get fourth Covid jab’; 2,644 cases logged
Authorities have been distributing the bags to some 3 million households since last Saturday. Each bag contains 20 rapid tests, 20 KN95 masks and two boxes of proprietary traditional Chinese medicine.
But not every resident living in subdivided units has received them, and some complained only one pack was provided for a whole unit that housed different families, according to Sze.
That meant those Hongkongers would have to go to other designated centres to collect their packs instead, she said. As of Friday, more than 50,000 of the packs had been picked up from distribution centres.
Housewife Siu Fun, who lives in a subdivided unit with her family of six in Sham Shui Po, said she had not received one of the packs, and had repeatedly tried ringing a hotline, but to no avail. However, the 38-year-old and her family were still taking part in the exercise at their own cost, which Siu described as a “huge” expense given they were unemployed.
“It costs HK$50 a day for the five of us, excluding my 10-month old son. Some organisations gave us a few RAT kits but those were used up quickly,” she said, adding that their test results were negative so far.
A 68-year-old retiree surnamed Lau, who lives with her 75-year-old husband in a subdivided unit in Sham Shui Po, took part in the three-day exercise. She said she took the test everyday during the fifth wave outbreak out of fear of falling sick in her small flat.
The couple have tested negative so far, but Lau said she was unaware of the reporting procedure in case she was infected.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor on Friday urged the public to take part in the testing scheme so that social-distancing measures could begin to be relaxed starting from April 21.
Without a large number of participants, she added, authorities would not be able to gauge the overall pandemic situation and asymptomatic patients would go unidentified.
Lam pointed to a University of Hong Kong study in which 0.56 per cent of 10,000 volunteers who screened themselves on April 6 tested positive for Covid-19. If that percentage was extrapolated to the city’s entire population, Lam said, it would mean at least 40,000 people were currently infected.
Even if a quarter of those people had tested themselves and were aware of their status, she continued, “there are still 30,000 who are infected and undetected”.
“If we are able to identify these people in these three days and quarantine or treat them, we will be able to cut all the chains of transmission,” she said. “Why not do it?”

Dr Albert Au Ka-wing, a principal medical and health officer at the Centre for Health Protection, recommended people conduct the RAT tests as soon as they woke up in the morning, as mucus that developed overnight would ensure the sample collection was accurate.
“In general, for recovered patients, they don’t have to participate in daily RAT tests again,” Au said, noting they would still have immunity against the coronavirus. “But if you show symptoms again, do a test and see a doctor.”
Hongkongers, meanwhile, appeared to have mixed feelings about the scheme.
A teacher who gave her name as YC Cheung said she would not be joining the three-day exercise as she tested herself frequently.
“I’ve already been doing those tests regularly every third and fourth day after going out as a way of protecting my dad, who lives with me and who cannot get vaccinated yet due to a recent heart surgery,” she said.
“Those days happen to fall on April 7 and 8, which is close to the government schedule. I don’t see the point of doing it again on April 9 and 10.”
She also said she was not convinced how figures from the mass testing would help the government gauge the situation, given that the rapid test results might not be accurate.


Civil servant Alice Cheung was also undecided on whether to join the exercise.
“It is indeed convenient since the kits are delivered to your doorstep for free. I don’t mind doing that, but I don’t understand why we have to do it three days in a row. That’s troublesome. I’ll think about it,” she said.
Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, said the voluntary testing scheme should not be a hassle for restaurant operators, some of whom were already getting employees to take rapid tests every day before reporting for work.
“I don’t think 100 per cent of catering staff will take the tests, but we would encourage them to do so anyway as a precautionary measure,” he said, adding that the test kits provided in anti-epidemic packs should help employers struggling to afford them for their staff.
Additional reporting by Lo Hoi-ying, Kathleen Magramo and Sammy Heung


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Coronavirus Hong Kong

Coronavirus: hurdles for Hong Kong voluntary mass testing amid scepticism from some, elderly’s uncertainty with online system

The mass Covid-19 testing scheme is voluntary, and residents who test positive can choose to register their results online. Photo: Jelly Tse

Each anti-epidemic service bag contains 20 rapid tests, 20 KN95 masks and two boxes of proprietary traditional Chinese medicine. Photo: Jelly Tse

People pick up their anti-epidemic supply kits at the Sham Shui Po Kaifong Welfare Association on Thursday. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Coronavirus Hong Kong: ‘residents who test positive in mass voluntary screening can isolate at home’ as city records 2,777 cases

Volunteers pack anti-epidemic supply kits to be used in a mass at-home testing exercise later this week. Photo: Dickson Lee

Authorities say anti-epidemic supply packs have already been distributed to 2.65 million households. Photo: May Tse

Hong Kong should offer incentives to encourage participation in mass at-home Covid testing exercise, medical experts say

Some medical experts say Hongkongers should be offered incentives to encourage participation in mass at-home testing. Photo: Dickson Lee

Dr Ho Pak-leung from the University of Hong Kong. Photo: Nora Tam

News

Hong Kong

Health & Environment

Coronavirus

Health & Medicine


Many among the elderly are unsure how to use the government’s online self-reporting platform, others find the scheme futile
Chief Executive Carrie Lam had called for Hongkongers to take part in a three-day self-testing drive from April 8 to 10



Many among the elderly are unsure how to use the government’s online self-reporting platform, others find the scheme futile.


Coronavirus pandemic

Coronavirus pandemic: All stories

Coronavirus: hurdles for Hong Kong voluntary mass testing amid scepticism from some, elderly’s uncertainty with online system

Many among the elderly are unsure how to use the government’s online self-reporting platform, others find the scheme futile Chief Executive Carrie Lam had called for Hongkongers to take part in a three-day self-testing drive from April 8 to 10

Many among the elderly are unsure how to use the government’s online self-reporting platform, others find the scheme futile

Chief Executive Carrie Lam had called for Hongkongers to take part in a three-day self-testing drive from April 8 to 10