Police today (March 12) appealed to the public for information on a woman who went missing in Yau Ma Tei.

     Lip Mo-king, aged 78, went missing after she left her residence on Pitt Street yesterday afternoon (March 11). Her family made a report to Police on the same day.

     She is about 1.6 metres tall, 50 kilograms in weight and of fat build. She has a round face with yellow complexion and short black hair. She was last seen wearing a red jacket, gray trousers and pink shoes.

     Anyone who knows the whereabouts of the missing woman or may have seen her is urged to contact the Regional Missing Person Unit of Kowloon West on 3661 8038 or 9020 6542 or email to rmpu-kw@police.gov.hk, or contact any police station.
 

  

     The Government has all along been providing convenient testing services to members of the public through various channels, including a free testing service, and encouraging them to make good use of various means such as community testing centres (CTCs) and mobile specimen collection stations located in various districts for testing, with a view to achieving "early identification, early isolation and early treatment", and cutting transmission chains in the community as early as possible.
 
     Apart from continuing to provide service for persons subject to compulsory testing, the Government will maintain free testing service at CTCs/mobile specimen collection stations for persons undergoing voluntary testing to reduce the risk of virus transmission in the community.
 
     CTCs provide booking and walk-in services. Members of the public only need to provide simple personal information on the 24-hour booking system (www.communitytest.gov.hk/en). The system shows the booking status of the centres for the coming two weeks to facilitate the public's planning and selection of a suitable testing centre and a time slot for testing. The testing centres will accord priority to serve individuals with advance bookings. As of 6pm today (March 12), there was around 87 per cent availability for booking places for the coming 14 days. Members of the public may call the testing centres for enquiries on the availability of bookings or walk-in quotas before visiting the centres.

     Starting tomorrow (March 13), the Government will reopen the mobile specimen collection station at the Hard-surfaced Soccer Pitch of Kwai Chung Sports Ground. 

     Separately, ticketing machines have been installed in a number of service points for on-site ticket arrangement. Members of the public who have obtained a ticket can visit the CTC website (www.communitytest.gov.hk/en) to check the real-time queueing ticket status.
 
     To enable the working population to undergo testing on their rest days or before/after work, the CTCs are open daily from 8am to 1.30pm and from 2.30pm to 8pm, even on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The opening dates and operating hours of the mobile specimen collection stations are stated in the Annex.
       
     The Government urges all individuals who are in doubt about their own health conditions, or individuals with infection risks (such as individuals who have been in contact with confirmed cases), to undergo testing promptly for early identification of infected persons.

     The Government announced today (March 12) that the dedicated hotline for those living or working in areas with positive sewage signal to report their positive rapid antigen test (RAT) results will cease operation from tomorrow (March 13) noon.
      
     The Government announced earlier that whoever tested positive by RAT should be considered as positive cases, be they were using kits distributed by the Government or on their own purchase. A dedicated platform namely the Declaration System for individuals tested positive for COVID-19 using Rapid Antigen Test (the Declaration System) was launched in parallel to allow people to register their positive result tested with RAT, thus enabling the Government to provide them with the most appropriate support. The hotline 2280 4772 serving those who reside or work in areas with positive sewage signal will hence cease operation from tomorrow noon onwards.
      
     Those who reside or work in areas with positive sewage signal may, as for other members of the public, make use of the Declaration System which can be accessed via www.chp.gov.hk/ratp to declare their RAT positive result. Should there be any difficulties in using the online platform, they may call the automated system at 1836 119 to register their identification document and telephone number. The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health will subsequently contact them to finish the report procedure.
      
     Members of the public may obtain anti-epidemic information and medical assistance through the COVID-19 Thematic Website (www.coronavirus.gov.hk), the 24-hour "StayHomeSafe" hotline (1833 019) set up by the Home Affairs Department, as well as hotline of the Hospital Authority (1836 115).

     The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, visited the Chinese Medicine Telemedicine Centre Against COVID-19 of the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) today (March 12) to learn more about the free Chinese medicine prevention and treatment services provided by the university for COVID-19 patients, their close contacts and carers. She thanked the HKBU for its swift mobilisation in forming a Chinese medicine team and continuous service enhancement, working together with the Government in fighting the virus.

     Mrs Lam, accompanied by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, visited the HKBU Chinese Medicine Telemedicine Centre Against COVID-19. She was briefed by the Chairman of the Council of the HKBU, Dr Clement Chen, the President and Vice-Chancellor of the HKBU, Professor Alexander Wai, the Associate Vice-President (Chinese Medicine Development) cum Director of the Clinical Division of the School of Chinese Medicine of the HKBU, Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, etc, on the Free Online Consultation Service for COVID-19 Patients launched by the Chinese medicine team of the HKBU last month. It provides free online advisory and consultation service, as well as Chinese medicine delivery service, for people undergoing home isolation or quarantine, benefitting over 10 000 patients, close contacts and carers so far. In view of the overwhelming response of the public, the HKBU set up the HKBU Chinese Medicine Telemedicine Centre Against COVID-19, with its classrooms and lecture theatre transformed, early this month to centrally handle appointments, consultations and medicine delivery in order to serve more people.

     Mrs Lam expressed her gratitude to the HKBU for not only providing online consultation service for patients undergoing home isolation, but also actively participating in the Chinese Medicine Services for Residential Care Homes for the Elderly programme co-ordinated by the Hospital Authority (HA) to provide distance Chinese medical consultation service or outreach Chinese medical service for the infected residents and staff members of 30 residential care homes for the elderly (RCHEs) in order to ease the pressure on public hospitals.

     With the support of the Government, the HA has been promoting anti-epidemic Chinese medicine treatment through various means. They include providing Chinese medicine rehabilitation service for discharged patients and people who have completed isolation; offering Chinese medicine treatment for in-patients; setting up hotlines to provide free Chinese medicine consultation service for those undergoing isolation and members of the public; and taking the lead to mobilise Chinese medical service providers in society, covering universities, the Chinese medicine sector, Chinese medicine associations and non-government organisations, etc, to provide online Chinese medicine consultation service or outreach Chinese medicine service for the infected residents and staff of the RCHEs.

     Mrs Lam said, "Upon the severity of the fifth wave of the epidemic and the highly transmissible Omicron variant, hundreds of thousands of people have been infected. I am pleased to see that treatment and disease prevention with the use of Chinese medicine has been given full play against the epidemic. The full support by the Central Authorities for Hong Kong has included the donation of 450 000 boxes of proprietary Chinese medicines for distribution by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to people in need, and the Government has also procured proprietary Chinese medicines. I am deeply encouraged by the participation of universities, the Chinese medical sector and related organisations in the anti-epidemic team to enhance the application of Chinese medicines, and provide telehealth service, in response to the keen demand of members of the public. The Government will continue to further leverage the advantages of Chinese medicines in the prevention and control of the epidemic and consolidate Chinese medicine as an integral part of the medical system in Hong Kong."

          

     The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr John Lee, this morning (March 12) visited the third community isolation facility (CIF) constructed with Mainland support on the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities Island of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. 

     Upon arrival, Mr Lee attended a handover seminar with Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (LOCPG) Mr Yin Zonghua and the Chairman of the contractor, China State Construction International Holdings Limited. Also joining the seminar were the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan; the Secretary for Development, Mr Michael Wong; the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; the Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Ricky Lau; the Director of Architectural Services, Ms Winnie Ho; and the Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority, Dr Tony Ko.

     Afterwards, Mr Lee visited the newly constructed units and facilities of the CIF, and was briefed by representatives of China State Construction International Holdings Limited about the close co-operation between the construction team and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government, including the Development Bureau, the Architectural Services Department and the Security Bureau. Together they raced against time and overcame the challenges with the support of the Central Government in various aspects such as the transportation and customs clearance of construction materials, enabling the completion and delivery of the CIF within the shortest possible time.

     The CIF on the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities Island of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge provides around 400 rooms and around 1 200 beds for emergency isolation.

     Mr Lee said, "The completion of this isolation facility represents the Central Government's full support for the anti-epidemic work of the HKSAR as well as the LOCPG's effective co-ordination to press ahead with the work. It also represents the achievements after overcoming difficulties with the tireless efforts of the construction personnel of China State Construction International Holdings Limited.

     "I thank the Central Government, the LOCPG and China State Construction International Holdings Limited for making the completion of the isolation facilities happen quickly. The success of the project represents perseverance and pride. It also represents the construction personnel's hard work, great efforts and touching contributions. The construction personnel have worked round the clock and will provide continuous maintenance services after the facilities come into operation. Their passion, dedication and tireless efforts are worthy of recognition and appreciation.

     "At present, the room occupancy rate of the two handed-over projects in Tsing Yi and San Tin has reached around 80 per cent. The facility on the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities Island of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will come into operation today immediately after the handover, while projects in Ma Sik Road, Fanling; Hung Shui Kiu; and Tam Mei, Yuen Long, will be handed over to the HKSAR Government within this month. These six facilities will provide about 20 000 additional beds for emergency isolation.

     "I would like to thank the Security Bureau's anti-epidemic task force for its proactive assistance in solving problems, improving admission arrangements and taking care of the daily needs of occupants, including adopting a small-district management approach and increasing contact with the occupants, streamlining the admission process, and providing newspapers, toys for children and free online entertainment platform services for the occupants."

     Mr Lee also thanked the Board of Directors of Yan Chai Hospital for the donation of anti-epidemic kits to help in taking care of the occupants during their stay.

     Mr Lee said, "As more community isolation and treatment facilities are completed with the support of the Central Government and handed over to the HKSAR Government for operation, we will make the best use of the facilities to isolate infected persons as early as possible to avoid the spread of the virus at home and in the community so as to cut transmission chains and to safeguard lives and health and stabilise the epidemic situation as soon as possible."