Tag Archives: China

     The Department of Health (DH) today (June 8) appealed to the public not to buy or consume a slimming product named Leisure Slimming Capsule as it was found to contain an undeclared and banned drug ingredient that might be dangerous to one’s health.     

     Acting upon intelligence, a sample of the above product was purchased via a social media network platform for analysis. The test result from the Government Laboratory revealed that the sample contained the banned drug ingredient sibutramine. The DH’s investigation is continuing.  

     Sibutramine is a Part 1 poison under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance (Cap. 138) (the Ordinance), which was once used as an appetite suppressant. Since November 2010, pharmaceutical products containing sibutramine have been banned in Hong Kong because of an increased cardiovascular risk.

     According to the Ordinance, all pharmaceutical products must be registered with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board of Hong Kong before they can be legally sold in the market. Illegal sale or possession of unregistered pharmaceutical products or Part 1 poisons are criminal offences. The maximum penalty for each offence is a fine of $100,000 and two years’ imprisonment.
          
     The DH spokesman strongly urged members of the public not to buy products of unknown or doubtful composition, or to consume products from unknown sources. Members of the public who have purchased the above product should stop consuming it immediately. They should consult healthcare professionals for advice if feeling unwell after consumption. 

     The spokesman added that weight control should be achieved through a balanced diet and appropriate exercise. The public should consult healthcare professionals before using any medication for weight control. They may visit the website of the Drug Office of the DH for “Health messages on overweight problem and slimming products” and “Information on slimming products with undeclared Western drug ingredients” for more information.
   
     The public may submit the above product to the Drug Office of the DH at Room 1801, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai, during office hours for disposal.

  

     A Government spokesman said today (June 8) that the vetting work of the Retail Sector Subsidy Scheme under the first round of the Anti-epidemic Fund has been completed. The Government has notified all of the approximately 93 000 applicants on the vetting results.

     About $5 billion of subsidies have been approved so far for nearly 62 000 eligible retailers. The Government is now processing some appeal cases. It is expected that some more applications would be approved after review.
 
     The Scheme’s telephone hotline (1836 111) will cease operation at 6pm this Friday (June 12), and the enquiry email box of the Scheme (enquiry@retailsubsidy.hk) will continue to operate until June 30 (Tuesday). If applicants have any questions on the Scheme, they may send an email to enquiry@retailsubsidy.hk. read more

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:      As at noon today (June 8), no COVID-19 confirmed patient was discharged from hospital in the past 24 hours. So far, a total of 1 049 patients with confirmed or probable… read more

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) has announced that as of 4pm today (June 8), the CHP was investigating an additional confirmed case of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), taking the number of cases to 1 108 in Hong Kong so far (comprising 1 107 confirmed cases and one probable case).

     The newly reported case announced today involves a 34-year-old woman who had a travel history during the incubation period. The CHP’s epidemiological investigations and relevant contact tracing on the confirmed case are ongoing. For case details and contact tracing information, please see the Annex.
 
     Meanwhile, the CHP has been proactively conducting epidemiological investigations and carrying out preventive control measures in regard to the cluster in Luk Chuen House, Lek Yuen Estate, Sha Tin. As of 4pm today, 1 382 deep throat saliva samples had been collected in Luk Chuen House, among which eight samples need to be collected again owing to leakage, while 1 374 samples have had testing for COVID-19 completed. Except for the four confirmed cases announced on June 2 with positive results, other samples have tested negative.
 
     The CHP is also following up with the residents in Luk Chuen House who have not yet returned their deep throat saliva samples. The CHP strongly appeals to those who have not got in touch with the CHP to contact the CHP personnel according to the medical test order issued and return their samples to the CHP as soon as possible for early testing.
 
     Meanwhile, as of 4pm today, the CHP had collected and tested 2 115 samples for Luen Yuet House, Kwai Luen Estate, with no positive results.

     The CHP again urged members of the public to maintain an appropriate social distance with other people as far as possible in their daily lives to minimise the risk of infection. In particular, they should go out less and avoid social activities such as meal gatherings or other gatherings to reduce the chance of contacting infected persons who may not present any symptoms, and minimise the risk of outbreak clusters emerging in the community.
 
     A spokesman for the CHP said, “Given that the situation of COVID-19 infection remains severe and that there is a continuous increase in the number of cases reported around the world, members of the public are strongly urged to avoid all non-essential travel outside Hong Kong.

     “The CHP also strongly urges the public to maintain at all times strict personal and environmental hygiene, which is key to personal protection against infection and prevention of the spread of the disease in the community. On a personal level, members of the public should wear a surgical mask when having respiratory symptoms, taking public transport or staying in crowded places. They should also perform hand hygiene frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes.

     “As for household environmental hygiene, members of the public are advised to maintain drainage pipes properly, regularly pour water into drain outlets (U-traps) and cover all floor drain outlets when they are not in use. After using the toilet, they should put the toilet lid down before flushing to avoid spreading germs.”
 
     Moreover, the Government has launched the website “COVID-19 Thematic Website” (www.coronavirus.gov.hk) for announcing the latest updates on various news on COVID-19 infection and health advice to help the public understand the latest updates. Members of the public may also gain access to information via the COVID-19 WhatsApp Helpline launched by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer. Simply by saving 9617 1823 in their phone contacts or clicking the link wa.me/85296171823?text=hi, they will be able to obtain information on COVID-19 as well as the “StayHomeSafe” mobile app and wristband via WhatsApp. 

     To prevent pneumonia and respiratory tract infection, members of the public should always maintain good personal and environmental hygiene. They are advised to:
 
• Wear a surgical mask when taking public transport or staying in crowded places. It is important to wear a mask properly, including performing hand hygiene before wearing and after removing a mask;
• Perform hand hygiene frequently, especially before touching the mouth, nose or eyes, after touching public installations such as handrails or doorknobs, or when hands are contaminated by respiratory secretions after coughing or sneezing;
• Maintain drainage pipes properly and regularly (about once a week) pour about half a litre of water into each drain outlet (U-trap) to ensure environmental hygiene;
• Cover all floor drain outlets when they are not in use;
• After using the toilet, put the toilet lid down before flushing to avoid spreading germs;
• Wash hands with liquid soap and water, and rub for at least 20 seconds. Then rinse with water and dry with a disposable paper towel. If hand washing facilities are not available, or when hands are not visibly soiled, performing hand hygiene with 70 to 80 per cent alcohol-based handrub is an effective alternative;
• Cover your mouth and nose with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing. Dispose of soiled tissues into a lidded rubbish bin, then wash hands thoroughly; and
• When having respiratory symptoms, wear a surgical mask, refrain from work or attending class at school, avoid going to crowded places and seek medical advice promptly. read more

     The Census and Statistics Department maintains a computerised Central Register of Establishments which contains information relating to some 420 000 active establishments in Hong Kong. Information kept in the Register is updated on a quarterly basis through feedback from various surveys of the department and administrative returns from relevant government departments. Information in respect of the first quarter of 2020 of the Register is now updated.
 
     The Register serves mainly as the sampling frame for various economic surveys conducted by the department. In addition, many other government departments and private organisations also make use of the disclosable particulars kept in the Register for their surveys, publicity, business promotion, customer classification and research work. These disclosable particulars cover the name, address, type of business and employment size class of the establishments. They are available to the public in the following two forms.
 
20% sample listing
 
     A sample listing containing 20% of the records randomly selected from the Register, together with disclosable particulars of the establishments, is available to users. Users may apply for all or part of the records in the 20% sample listing in writing by providing the following information:
 
* Particulars of the applicant (including name, position, organisation, address, telephone, fax and email);
 
* Details of the project (including name, purpose, expected completion date, and specifications of information required such as industries, employment sizes and districts); and
 
* Medium of delivering the information (e.g. photocopy or CD-R and file format such as Visual FoxPro, Excel or text, if applicable).
 
     The application can be faxed to 2827 2296, emailed to cre@censtatd.gov.hk or posted to the Employment Statistics and Central Register of Establishments Section, Census and Statistics Department, 20/F, Wanchai Tower, 12 Harbour Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.
 
     The information can be supplied in the form of CD-R or photocopies at the following rates:
 
* CD-R – a charge of about $1,630 per listing, compiled to the user’s requirements (exact amount depending on the complexity of the job concerned);
 
* Photocopies – a ready standard listing is available for photocopying (in part if desired). A charge of $1.30 per page is levied.
 
Matching operation with specified establishments
 
     Users may apply to conduct matching operations for a list of establishments in their databases and then extract disclosable particulars for the matched establishments from the Register. The matching operation will be done using the application program supplied by the user and conducted on the computing facilities in the department. Both the name and address of establishment will be used as matching keys.
 
     Users may apply for this service item by submitting a proposal of the matching operation to the department. The proposal should cover the intended use of the information derived from the matching operation, the specifications of the establishment database provided by the user, the details of the matching process and the specifications of the output data.
 
     The information can be supplied in the form of CD-R. A charge will be levied at the following rates:
 
* a minimum charge of about $5,100 for the service required (exact amount depending on the complexity of the matching operation conducted); plus
 
* $1 per matched record with information supplied to the user.
 
Enquiries
 
     Further details about the above service items can be obtained from the Employment Statistics and Central Register of Establishments Section of the department at Tel: 2582 4760; fax: 2827 2296; or email: cre@censtatd.gov.hk. read more