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Government gazettes compulsory testing notice

     The Government exercised the power under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons) Regulation (Cap. 599J) and published in the Gazette a compulsory testing notice, which requires any person who had been present at a specified premise during the specified period (persons subject to compulsory testing) to undergo a COVID-19 nucleic acid test.

     A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau said, “Since a confirmed case with unknown sources visited a fitness centre in North Point for multiple times, all persons who had been present at the concerned fitness centre at any time during the specified period have to undergo compulsory testing, in order to break the transmission chain in the community early.”
    
     Details of the compulsory testing notice are as follows:

     Any person who had been present at GO24 Fitness, Shop UG01, Worfu, 21-53 Wharf Road, North Point at any time during the period from March 11 to March 26, 2021, have to undergo testing by March 29, 2021. If persons subject to compulsory testing have previously undergone testing between March 25 and March 27, 2021, they would be taken to have complied with the requirements set out in the compulsory testing notice.
  
     The spokesman reminds the public that in accordance with the compulsory testing notice issued earlier, all household members of close contacts are required to undergo compulsory testing. Any person who had lived with a person placed under quarantine pursuant to section 22 of the Prevention and Control of Disease Regulation (Cap. 599A) (person under quarantine) in the same residential unit on the date of commencement of quarantine or during the 14 days before that day, and who becomes aware of the quarantine of the person under quarantine when the relevant quarantine has not yet been completed, have to undergo testing within two days of he/she becoming aware of the person under quarantine has been placed under quarantine and report to the Government the result of the test by phone (at 6275 6901), fax (at 2530 5872) or email (ct@csb.gov.hk) within three days of undergoing the test.

    The Government will set up a mobile specimen collection station at Tong Shui Road Garden in North Point tomorrow (March 28) for workers and visitors of GO24 Fitness subject to compulsory testing.

    The service period of the mobile specimen collection stations at Plaza of Sha Tin Town Hall and Hankow Road in Tsim Sha Tsui will be extended to March 31 (Wednesday) and April 1 (Thursday) respectively, and open to all members of the public for testing. The service period of the mobile specimen collection stations at Wong Chuk Hang Recreation Ground and 100 Granville Road, Tsim Sha Tsui East will be extended to April 4 (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 the Annex. Apart from mobile specimen collection stations, persons subject to compulsory testing can also choose to attend any of the community testing centres in all districts to receive testing free of charge. Persons with “LeaveHomeSafe” COVID-19 exposure notification or SMS notification from the Centre for Health Protection 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).

     Persons subject to compulsory testing may choose to undergo testing via the following routes:

1. To visit any of the mobile specimen collection stations (see the list and target groups (if applicable) at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/early-testing.html) for testing;
2. To attend any of the community testing centres (see the list at www.communitytest.gov.hk/en/);
3. To obtain a deep throat saliva specimen collection pack from any of the 121 post offices, vending machines set up at 20 MTR stations or 47 designated general outpatient clinics (GOPCs) of the Hospital Authority and return the specimen to one of the designated specimen collection points (see the distribution points and times, and the specimen collection points and times, at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/early-testing.html);
4. To undergo testing at any of the GOPCs of the Hospital Authority as instructed by a medical professional of the Hospital Authority;
5. To self-arrange testing provided by private laboratories which are recognised by the Department of Health (DH) and can issue SMS notifications in respect of test results (see the list at www.coronavirus.gov.hk/pdf/List_of_recognised_laboratories_RTPCR.pdf); or
6.To use a specimen bottle distributed to the relevant specified premises by the Centre for Health Protection (if applicable), and return the specimen bottle with the sample collected as per relevant guidelines.

     The spokesman cautioned that testing received at accident and emergency departments of the Hospital Authority or during hospital stays, or testing provided by private laboratories which cannot issue SMS notifications in respect of test results, does not comply with the requirements of the aforementioned compulsory testing notice.

     “If persons subject to compulsory testing have symptoms, they should seek medical attention immediately and undergo testing as instructed by a medical professional. They should not attend the mobile specimen collection stations or the community testing centres.”

     Persons subject to compulsory testing must keep the SMS notification containing result of the test for checking by a law enforcement officer when the officer requires the persons to provide information about their undergoing the specified test.

     Furthermore, persons subject to testing under the compulsory testing notices should, as far as reasonably practicable, take appropriate personal disease prevention measures including wearing a mask and maintaining hand hygiene, and, unless for the purpose of undergoing the specified test, stay at their place of residence and avoid going out until the test result is ascertained as far as possible.

     Any enquiries on compulsory testing arrangements may be addressed to the hotline at 6275 6901, which operates daily from 9am to 6pm. If persons subject to compulsory testing plan to conduct testing at any of the community testing centres, they can check the centre’s appointment status in advance. The hotlines of the community testing centres are available at www.communitytest.gov.hk/en/info/.

     The Government will continue to trace possibly infected persons who had been to the relevant premises, and seriously verify whether they had complied with the testing notices. Any person who fails to comply with the testing notices commits an offence and may be fined a fixed penalty of $5,000. The person would also be issued with a compulsory testing order requiring him or her to undergo testing within a specified time frame. Failure to comply with the order is an offence and the offender would be liable to a fine at level 4 ($25,000) and imprisonment for six months.

     Relevant officers of different government departments are empowered to perform certain functions under the relevant Regulations under the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance (Cap. 599), including requesting individuals to provide information and assistance when necessary. Any person who fails to comply with the relevant request commits an offence and would be liable to a fine at level 3 ($10,000). Collection and use of any personal data for conducting COVID-19 tests must meet the requirements under the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486). Government departments or testing service providers which handle the relevant information may provide the data to DH or other relevant departments for anti-epidemic purpose as necessary. The workflow does not involve the provision of any personal data to organisations or persons outside Hong Kong.

     The spokesman said, “The Government 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.” read more

East Asia

Government announces initial investigation results regarding packaging defects of BioNTech vaccine

     The Department of Health (DH) had earlier noticed that there was an accumulated number of cases of packaging defects (including loose vial caps, leakages from the vials, etc.) regarding the BioNTech vaccines (batch no. 210102). The DH immediately notified the vaccine supplier (Fosun Industrial Co., Limited (Fosun) and German drug manufacturer BioNTech) and requested for prompt follow-up. At the same time, in view that the supplier has launched an urgent and comprehensive investigation on the packaging defects, the Government agreed to the supplier’s recommendation and suspended vaccination of batch 210102 and 210104 of the BioNTech vaccines in Hong Kong for the sake of prudence and as a precautionary measure. The Government today (March 27) received the initial investigation results from Fosun.

     To ensure that the BioNTech vaccines supplied to Hong Kong are safe, efficacious and can meet the requirements of quality, Fosun and BioNTech have launched a comprehensive investigation covering all aspects of the supply chain to find out the potential causes that may lead to the packaging defects, including the filling and packaging processes at BioNTech’s plant in Germany, the procedures for transporting the vaccines from Germany to Hong Kong after packaging, the logistical arrangements and storage after arrival of the vaccines at Hong Kong, and procedures for checking and handling of the vaccines at Community Vaccination Centres. According to the investigations completed by Fosun and BioNTech so far, there is no indication of any obvious systemic factors during the processes from filling and packaging to administration that could have led to the relevant packaging defects. At this juncture, the investigation results do not rule out that the relevant situation is caused by environmental conditions during the long-haul transport process. That said, having regard to consolidated figures from the investigation, it is believed that the relevant situation is not related to cold-chain and logistical management. As regards the other vaccine doses which were delivered to Hong Kong, random sample testing of vaccine vials which are intact did not uncover any issue of vaccine leakage.

     According to the initial investigation results, Fosun and German drug manufacturer BioNTech considered that there is no evidence indicating any safety risks of the BioNTech vaccines delivered to Hong Kong (batch no. 210102 and 210104). Members of the public who have received the BioNTech vaccines do not need to worry. The subsequent investigation work will mainly target on ascertaining the integrity of the intrinsic properties of the relevant batches of vaccine, and that the batches are safe for use. The Government is actively following up with Fosun and German manufacturer BioNTech to strive to complete the investigation procedures within a week. The Government will also keep close liaison with the supplier on the supply of the remaining doses of vaccine, with a view to ensuring that implementation of the vaccination programme in Hong Kong can be continued.

     A Government spokesman said, “Ensuring that the COVID-19 vaccines meet the requirement of safety, efficacy and quality is the prime consideration of the Government when implementing the vaccination programme. We will continue to implement the vaccination programme based on scientific evidence and in adherence to the principles of openness and transparency, and at the same time allow the public to grasp the latest information on the relevant vaccines. Premised on the condition of safety, the Government will strive to resume the administration of the BioNTech vaccine for members of the public as soon as possible, so as to protect public health and the health of our citizens.” read more

East Asia