A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau (FHB) thanked foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) and employers for their co-operation in undergoing compulsory testing for fighting the virus together today (May 9).

     During the period from May 1 up to 6pm today, nearly 340 000 FDHs have been tested at 21 community testing centres (CTCs) and mobile specimen collection stations or submitted deep throat saliva specimen. Moreover, it is estimated that around 40 000 FDHs have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, such that they are exempt from compulsory testing.

     The Government has been adopting the new direction for fighting the pandemic since mid-April. Targeted border control and infection control measures were introduced to safeguard Hong Kong against imported cases and prevent cases from spreading locally.

     The spokesman said, "For local cases with unknown sources of infection involving mutant strains, the Government has to be decisive in adopting swiftly stringent testing and quarantine measures, with an aim to cutting the transmission chains as soon as possible. Otherwise, the whole society will have to bear significant consequence when there is a major outbreak."

     Testing has been an integral part of the strategy in preventing and fighting the virus. The Government has been implementing the Targeted Group Testing Scheme for high-risk and high-exposure groups and essential staff of critical infrastructure and services, etc since mid-2020. Around 3.4 million tests have been conducted so far. Among them, all FDHs were offered a one-off free test on a voluntary basis at CTCs from mid-December 2020 to end February this year. Over 34 000 FDHs, equivalent to less than 10 per cent of the total number of FDHs in Hong Kong, had received voluntary testing at CTCs during the period. Under the new direction for fighting the pandemic, high-risk or high-exposure groups such as staff members of residential care homes for the elderly, residential care homes for persons with disabilities and nursing homes, as well as most of the frontline staff of catering businesses, are required to undergo regular testing if they have not completed a COVID-19 vaccination course.

     "The Government requested on April 30 that all FDHs in Hong Kong who had yet to complete a COVID-19 vaccination course to receive testing on a compulsory basis on or before May 9. In accordance with the established practice, the relevant decision was made solely on public health grounds after detailed risk assessment. The factors that have been taken into account include that two recent cases involving N501Y mutant strain were FDHs, the transmissibility of mutant strains is higher, the sources of infection of the cases were not known, and that the confirmed case had gatherings and contacts with other FDHs during the incubation and infection periods, etc.

     "In view of the surge in testing demand within a short period of time, the Government has substantially increased the booking quotas of 21 CTCs, set up additional mobile specimen collection stations in various districts and extended the service period of mobile stations. The Government would like to express gratitude to all those who received test, including FDHs, for their patience and understanding, and to frontline staff including staff of service providers, relevant government departments and venues for their full co-operation. The Government and service providers will continue to serve the public with concerted efforts and ensure the quality of testing at the same time. We also encourage them to get vaccinated as soon as possible to protect themselves and their family members."

     "In view of the threat posed by the mutant strains, it is imperative for us to get vaccinated. While there is still shortage in COVID-19 vaccines internationally, the two vaccines procured by the Government are sufficient for all Hong Kong people to get vaccinated. At present, there are still plenty of unutilised quotas in the 29 community vaccination centres and over 1000 private clinics. We call on the public to treasure the vaccine supply in Hong Kong and get vaccinated as soon as possible."

     Having reviewed the usage and public demand for the COVID-19 testing service, the Government has decided to extend the service period of the mobile specimen collection station at carpark of Quarry Bay Community Hall to May 16 (Sunday).
 
     The opening dates and operating hours of the mobile specimen collection stations in various districts providing free COVID-19 nucleic acid testing services for the general public are stated in Annex. Persons of certain targeted groups (including employees of scheduled premises and catering businesses, construction site personnel, school staff), persons subject to compulsory testing, as well as persons with "LeaveHomeSafe" COVID-19 exposure notification or SMS notification from the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) reminding them to undergo testing as soon as possible may receive free testing at community testing centres or mobile specimen collection stations (if service scope is applicable).

     People whose test results are negative will be informed by SMS message through their mobile phones. Persons subject to compulsory testing must properly keep the relevant records. If any specimen tested shows a preliminarily positive COVID-19 result, the specimen will be referred to the Public Health Laboratory Services Branch of the DH for a confirmatory test. Confirmed cases will be followed up and announced by the CHP.

     The Government reminds the public that they can undergo COVID-19 testing through various means. For details, please refer to the following webpage: www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/early-testing.html. If a person has symptoms, he or she should seek medical attention immediately and should not attend the mobile specimen collection stations or community testing centres.

     The Government spokesman urges all individuals who are in doubt about their own health conditions, or individuals with infection risks (such as individuals who visited places with epidemic outbreaks or contacted confirmed cases) to undergo testing promptly for early identification of infected persons.

     The COVID-19 Vaccination Programme has been implemented for the 73rd day since February 26, 2021.
 
     So far, about 1 741 700 doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered for members of the public (please see Annex 1). Among them, about 1 071 500 persons have received their first dose, with about 477 000 persons receiving the Sinovac vaccine and about 594 500 persons receiving the BioNTech vaccine. About 670 200 persons have received their second dose, with about 341 500 persons receiving the Sinovac vaccine and about 328 700 persons receiving the BioNTech vaccine.
 
     In the last 24 hours ending at 8pm today (May 9), about 37 200 persons have received vaccination and about 8 900 new vaccination bookings have been made online, detailed as follows:
 
(i) About 3 800 persons received their first dose of the Sinovac vaccine, including about 3 300 persons vaccinated at Community Vaccination Centres (CVCs) and about 400 persons at private doctors and clinics participating in the programme;
 
(ii) about 3 300 persons received their second dose of the Sinovac vaccine, including about 3 000 persons vaccinated at CVCs and about 300 persons at private doctors and clinics;
 
(iii) about 12 100 persons received their first dose of the BioNTech vaccine at CVCs, and about 18 000 persons received their second dose of the BioNTech vaccine;
 
(iv) the overall percentage of people who have received the Sinovac vaccine at CVCs is about 94 per cent; while the overall percentage of people who have received the BioNTech vaccine at CVCs is about 96 per cent; and
 
(v) about 2 100 persons have made online bookings for receiving their first and second doses of the Sinovac vaccine, while about 6 800 persons have made online bookings for receiving their first and second doses of the BioNTech vaccine.
 
     In the last 24 hours ending at 0.00am today, there were 13 cases of ambulance transfers to hospitals. Among them, 10 persons were discharged, two persons were admitted for observation and one person was discharged against medical advice (please see Annex 2).
 
     As background information, in the last 24 hours ending at 0.00am today, there were 33 cases of stroke or myocardial infarction that required admission to the Intensive Care Unit, Acute Stroke Unit and Cardiac Care Unit of public hospitals. The state of new cases admitted to the wards concerned is provided as a cross reference to enhance fuller public understanding of cases of the kind recorded on vaccine recipients.

     The Government is highly concerned about the local COVID-19 cases involving mutant strain that appeared earlier and strongly appeals to all sectors today (May 9) including foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) and bar trade to fight the virus together. Following the inter-departmental joint operation last week, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) conducted joint operations with several Government departments this weekend again at popular places in different districts where FDHs commonly gathered, and visited bars with the police on Friday and Saturday to carry out publicity and educational work.

     The FEHD, in collaboration with the Hong Kong Police Force, the Labour Department, relevant District Offices and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, conducted joint operations in the past two days (May 8 to May 9) at the public places near popular FDH gathering places during weekends and public holidays, such as Tamar Park, Chater Road and Garden Road in Central, Victoria Park and Sugar Street in Wan Chai, the pedestrian footbridge at Mong Kok Road, and Lo Tak Court in Tsuen Wan. Apart from arranging cleansing contractors to strengthen the street cleaning services at the relevant spots, the FEHD also stepped up patrols to combat unlicensed hawking activities. During the operation, promotional leaflets in multiple-language were also distributed by the FEHD to appeal to FDHs to maintain environmental hygiene and refrain from conducting unlicensed hawking activities. FDHs were also reminded by other government departments to comply with the regulations on mask-wearing and prohibition of group gatherings in public places.　

     In addition, the FEHD and the Police also conducted joint operation from May 7 to May 8 to visit bar areas in Prince Edward, Soho and Wan Chai to carry out publicity and educational work. The two departments learnt from the bars how their business was going after their reopening, and conducted publicity and educational work on "vaccine bubble" to facilitate the operators to understand and adapt to the new regulation and measures.

     To minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission, the spokesman strongly appealed to all to stay vigilant and comply with the relevant regulations on prevention and control of disease in a concerted and persistent manner. The spokesman also reminded the operators and members of the public to exercise self-discipline and co-operate to fight the virus together.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:

     In relation to a news report today about some people claiming to help unemployed persons make applications for the 100% Personal Loan Guarantee Scheme (PLGS) using false instruments at a handling fee, the HKMC Insurance Limited (HKMCI) made the following statements to protect the interest of the applicants:
 

1. When banks review loan applications under the PLGS, they will exercise professional expertise, judgement and care in conducting customer due diligence and verifying the eligibility of the borrowers. The HKMCI will also conduct appropriate checks and strive to ensure that the approved applications meet the requirements. If the banks and the HKMCI discover any suspected illicit behaviour (e.g. producing false declaration or using false instrument), they will report to the law enforcement agencies for assistance.
    
2. We appeal to the public to pay attention that the participating banks will try their best to provide assistance to the applicants without levying any application fee or handling fee. The banks will remind the applicants that they need not make applications via a third party. If the borrowers pay any so-called fees to a third party during applications, they will suffer a direct financial loss. 
    
3. For enquiries, please contact the participating banks. A list of the banks and their enquiry hotlines is on the PLGS dedicated webpage (www.hkmc.com.hk/eng/our_business/plgs.html). The public may also call the PLGS hotline at 2536 0392.
    
4. The overall default rate of the PLGS is assumed to be 25%. As the HKMCI had no experience in providing 100% loan guarantee for unemployed persons, and considering that no credit assessment is required under the PLGS and the applicants are unemployed, the same assumption as for the Special 100% Loan Guarantee for small and medium enterprises is adopted.  Notwithstanding this, the actual default rate will depend on various factors, such as whether the economic environment will improve. Taking the 80% Guarantee Product under the SME Financing Guarantee Scheme as an example, although the overall assumed default rate is 12%, the actual cumulative default rate of the product is 3.8% since its launch in 2012.