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Author Archives: hksar gov

Government announces arrangements for persons pending admission to hospitals or isolation facilities

     â€‹The Government announced today (February 15) that it has made appropriate arrangements for citizens who are pending admission to hospitals or isolation facilities, including those who test positive in COVID-19 nucleic acid tests, during the waiting period, with a view to allaying relevant citizens’ concerns, focusing resources in the medical system for handling more urgent cases to protect citizens’ lives and public health, and seizing time for further enhancing the handling capacities in hospitals and isolation facilities.
     
     The recent epidemic situation in Hong Kong has been very severe. Despite a significant increase in handling capacities on various fronts earlier, the fifth wave involves the Omicron mutant strain with an extreme transmission speed. A tsunami of new cases has far exceeded the enhanced capacities of Hong Kong on various fronts including testing, tracing, quarantine, isolation and treatment. Hospital Accident and Emergency Departments, wards and community treatment facilities under the Hospital Authority (HA) are facing immense pressure, and cannot admit all cases tested preliminarily positive or confirmed for COVID-19. It is necessary to prioritise the handling and care of patients with higher risks and more serious conditions. At the same time, community isolation facilities of the Government are not yet adequate to enable immediate transfer of all persons with no or mild symptoms from home to these isolation facilities for centralised isolation. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government is striving to further enhance its handling capacities by making the best use of the support rendered by the Central Government, including significantly increasing community isolation and treatment facilities with a view to isolating and treating confirmed cases as early as possible.
     
     During the period before the aforementioned handling capacities are adequately increased, the Government understands that citizens who are pending admission will feel anxious. The following arrangements aim to offer guidelines to relevant citizens and allay their concerns.
     
     When citizens test positive/preliminarily positive upon COVID-19 nucleic acid testing at community testing centres/mobile specimen collection stations (hereinafter referred to as “infected persons”), relevant cases will be added in the COVID-19 Admission Allocation System. However, as hospitals cannot admit all cases at present, the handling of individuals with higher risks or serious conditions will thus take priority in view of patients’ welfare. The HA will conduct risk assessments based on the information available in the system, and transfer those patients in need to hospitals and other infected persons to community isolation facilities in an orderly manner.
     
     Infected persons with no or mild symptoms should stay calm while waiting for admission. They should continue to monitor their physical conditions, and there is no need to panic. Although overseas experience shows that most adults infected with the Omicron mutant strain develop milder symptoms than those with the Delta mutant strain, the elderly, chronic patients and children may still develop more severe symptoms and complications. COVID-19 vaccines can reduce the possibility of hospitalisation and serious infections, and are crucial in the lowering of severe cases or even deaths.
     
     As infected persons may need to wait for a longer time before admission can be arranged, they should take personal protective measures by performing hand hygiene regularly and observing cough manners to reduce the risk of virus transmission as far as practicable during the period. If household conditions are permissible, infected persons should stay in their own room and close the door, and avoid face-to-face contact, dining and sharing personal items with other household members. They should wear well-fitted surgical masks properly whenever they leave the room.
     
     As for environmental hygiene, it is recommended to keep the place well ventilated by keeping windows open as far as feasible. Daily cleaning of the household environment with disinfection using 1 in 49 diluted household bleach should be conducted. If toilets are shared, cleaning and disinfection should be done immediately after every use. About half a litre of water should be poured in each floor drain outlet at least once per week.
     
     Infected persons should make every effort to stay home and avoid going out when they are waiting for admission. If going out is strictly necessary (e.g. for seeking medical attention), they should take personal protective measures and use point-to-point transport as much as possible.
     
     The Government understands that certain infected persons may develop symptoms while waiting for admission. To cater for the medical needs of these persons, the HA established a hotline yesterday afternoon (February 14) to address enquiries for persons in need and offer medical advice. The HA has also prepared to launch designated clinics in phases to assist in the handling of infected persons with milder conditions, so that they may receive appropriate diagnosis and treatment. The HA will issue a press release later today to outline the designated clinics and other relevant arrangements. The Government is exploring with the taxi industry on arranging designated automobiles for transporting these persons to designated clinics.
     
     If infected persons develop severe symptoms (e.g. prolonged fever at 38 degrees Celsius or above, or signs such as shortness of breath, palpitations and chest pain), one should urgently call the 999 hotline for arranging ambulance transfer to hospital as early as possible.
     
     Rapid antigen tests are designed to directly detect virus proteins in respiratory specimens. There are rapid test kits from different manufacturers currently available in the market. They are easy to use, and the results are usually available within 30 minutes. When using rapid test kits, please pay attention to and follow the instructions from the manufacturer to perform the test and read the result properly. It is advisable to record the result by taking a photo immediately after reading the test. Citizens should wash their hands before and after performing the tests, and minimise non-essential items in the specimen collection area. While taking the respiratory specimen, they should observe personal and environmental hygiene and do so in a well-ventilated place. If collecting the specimen at a place in the absence of other persons is not possible, please keep a distance of at least 2 metres from other people. If the household environment is contaminated during the specimen collecting process, disinfection should be conducted with 1 in 49 diluted bleach solution. For metallic surfaces, 70 per cent alcohol can be used to disinfect the area.
      
     Since rapid antigen testing can only serve as a reference, it cannot replace the nucleic acid testing that is at present the gold standard for diagnosis of COVID-19. If citizens test positive through using rapid test kits on their own, they should further undergo nucleic acid testing for confirmation. For the sake of prudence, they should take personal protective measures, stay home and avoid going out as far as practicable. They should invite relatives or friends to obtain and deliver deep throat saliva specimen collection packs through existing channels. If the result is still positive, the Department of Health and the HA will treat the case as tested positive/preliminarily positive under the aforementioned mechanism. Should these persons begin to develop symptoms before results are available, they may consult their family doctors for advice according to their needs. When the aforementioned severe symptoms are developed, members of the public are urged to call the 999 hotline for arranging ambulance transfer to hospital as early as possible. read more

Matrimonial and Family Arrangement between Mainland and Hong Kong comes into operation

     The Mainland Judgments in Matrimonial and Family Cases (Reciprocal Recognition and Enforcement) Ordinance (Cap. 639) (Ordinance) and the “Arrangement on Reciprocal Recognition and Enforcement of Civil Judgments in Matrimonial and Family Cases by the Courts of the Mainland and of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR)” (Matrimonial and Family Arrangement) came into operation today (February 15).

     Under the new mechanism of the Matrimonial and Family Arrangement, the courts of the two places may recognise and enforce reciprocally effective civil judgments in matrimonial and family cases that are made by the courts of the other place and are covered by the Matrimonial and Family Arrangement. This reduces the need for parties to re-litigate the same dispute in the Mainland and Hong Kong courts respectively, thereby saving their time and costs, as well as relieving their emotional distress. It also allows parties convenient and timely access to effective judicial relief, with their rights better protected. The Ordinance was enacted for the purpose of implementing the Matrimonial and Family Arrangement in the HKSAR through local legislation. The new mechanism applies to judgments given by Hong Kong or Mainland courts from today onwards in cases covered by the Matrimonial and Family Arrangement and also to divorce certificates issued from today onwards by a civil affairs department in the Mainland.

     The Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC, remarked, “Under the principle of ‘one country, two systems’, Hong Kong and the Mainland have established an effective system for mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters. Today, we witness together the coming into operation of the Matrimonial and Family Arrangement. The Matrimonial and Family Arrangement signifies a new milestone in mutual legal assistance in civil and commercial matters between the two places. It also represents another innovative initiative that adheres to the upholding of the principle of ‘one country’ while leveraging the advantages of ‘two systems’.”

     The Supreme People’s Court and the Department of Justice (DoJ) co-organised a webinar on “New Mechanism for Reciprocal Recognition and Enforcement in Matrimonial and Family Cases between the Courts of Mainland and the HKSAR” today to explain the Matrimonial and Family Arrangement as well as the Ordinance, including the applicable rules, specific procedures, etc. Members of the public may also read the promotional leaflet on the Ordinance for more details. The DoJ will host another seminar on cross-boundary family mediation tomorrow (February 16). Please visit the relevant website for registration. read more

CHP closely monitors two human cases of avian influenza A(H5N6) in Mainland

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (February 15) closely monitoring two human cases of avian influenza A(H5N6) in the Mainland, and again urged the public to maintain strict personal, food and environmental hygiene both locally and during travel.

     The first case involves a 50-year-old man living in Baise City in Guangxi, who had exposure to live poultry. He developed symptoms on January 12, and was admitted for treatment on January 13. The patient is in critical condition.

     The second case involves a 35-year-old man living in Zhenjiang City in Jiangsu Province, who had visited live poultry market before onset. He developed symptoms on January 15, and was admitted for treatment on January 19. The patient is in critical condition.

     From 2014 to date, 67 human cases of avian influenza A(H5N6) have been reported by Mainland health authorities.

     “All novel influenza A infections, including H5N6, are notifiable infectious diseases in Hong Kong,” a spokesman for the CHP said.

     Travellers to the Mainland or other affected areas must avoid visiting wet markets, live poultry markets or farms. They should be alert to the presence of backyard poultry when visiting relatives and friends. They should also avoid purchasing live or freshly slaughtered poultry, and avoid touching poultry/birds or their droppings. They should strictly observe personal and hand hygiene when visiting any place with live poultry.

     Travellers returning from affected areas should consult a doctor promptly if symptoms develop, and inform the doctor of their travel history for prompt diagnosis and treatment of potential diseases. It is essential to tell the doctor if they have seen any live poultry during travel, which may imply possible exposure to contaminated environments. This will enable the doctor to assess the possibility of avian influenza and arrange necessary investigations and appropriate treatment in a timely manner.

     While local surveillance, prevention and control measures are in place, the CHP will remain vigilant and work closely with the World Health Organization and relevant health authorities to monitor the latest developments.

     The public should maintain strict personal, hand, food and environmental hygiene and take heed of the advice below when handling poultry:
 

  • Avoid touching poultry, birds, animals or their droppings;
  • When buying live chickens, do not touch them and their droppings. Do not blow at their bottoms. Wash eggs with detergent if soiled with faecal matter and cook and consume the eggs immediately. Always wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling chickens and eggs;
  • Eggs should be cooked well until the white and yolk become firm. Do not eat raw eggs or dip cooked food into any sauce with raw eggs. Poultry should be cooked thoroughly. If there is pinkish juice running from the cooked poultry or the middle part of its bone is still red, the poultry should be cooked again until fully done;
  • Wash hands frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes, before handling food or eating, and after going to the toilet, touching public installations or equipment such as escalator handrails, elevator control panels or door knobs, or when hands are dirtied by respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing; and
  • Wear a mask if fever or respiratory symptoms develop, when going to a hospital or clinic, or while taking care of patients with fever or respiratory symptoms.
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     The public may visit the CHP’s pages for more information: the avian influenza page, the weekly Avian Influenza Reportglobal statistics and affected areas of avian influenza, the Facebook Page and the YouTube Channel. read more