Yuan Guoyong, a government expert advisor and chair professor of the Department of Microbiology of the University of Hong Kong, said in a radio show on Thursday (13th) that there has been no geometric increase in confirmed cases, reflecting that the epidemic is under control.
If the chain of transmission with confirmed cases is maintained, the fifth wave of the epidemic is expected to stop around the Lunar New Year.
After a large-scale testing work was carried out in Tuen Mun recently, all the identified persons tested in the "restricted area" completed the tests, and only one person had to be sent to hospital due to uncertain test results, and no confirmed cases have been reported. , is undoubtedly good news for the epidemic control work.
However, Liang Zichao, a specialist in the respiratory system, has reservations about Professor Yuan's statement, because if he lacks a sense of crisis, he has the opportunity to make the anti-epidemic work fall short.
Achieving complete control of the epidemic still requires the concerted efforts of all parties.
According to data from the Centre for Health Protection, as of January 13, 2022, the number of daily reported cases in Hong Kong has also begun to show an upward trend.
However, the contractor responsible for the testing station in Tuen Mun said on Friday (14th) that nearly 30% of all the people who made appointments for testing did not show up, which reflected that some citizens may have taken the epidemic lightly.
There was a long queue at the Tuen Mun Testing Center
The scourge of stealth transmission cannot be underestimated
Hong Kong people should use foreign examples as a reference to remind themselves to be vigilant.
According to the latest forecast report on the new coronavirus released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday (12th), it can be seen that in the week ended January 8, the number of Omicron strain infections in the United States accounted for 98.3 of the total number of new crown cases in the United States. %, a significant increase from 71.6% and 92.3% of the top two, reflecting that the Omicron virus is spreading. With the accelerated spread of Omicron strains in the United States, the epidemic situation in the United States has rebounded sharply, and many epidemic indicators have also hit new highs, which is enough to prove the epidemic There is definitely a chance that a case will explode rapidly.
Even if there are currently no cases of unknown origin in Hong Kong, there may still be patients in the incubation period, and it is hard to say that the chain of transmission has been completely cut off.
Hong Kong citizens must avoid following the footsteps of the United States and curb the deterioration of the epidemic as soon as possible. They must not relax at this stage. Measures such as the extension of the gathering restriction order to the third day of the first year and the cancellation of the flower market have been introduced one after another. Even if the public may not welcome it, it is still impossible to meet the needs of epidemic prevention. be lacked.
The voluntary testing mechanism needs to be optimized
The government should also improve the anti-epidemic work in different areas, especially when there are still a small number of people in the society who have not been vaccinated, the testing mechanism is even more important.
The Tuen Mun test can also be used as a negative teaching material. Since the government’s initial support for large-scale compulsory inspections was not ideal, residents in Tuen Mun needed to wait in long queues, and the reservation system was difficult to operate, which had a negative impact on citizens’ willingness to test.
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) on Tuesday (11th) suspected that there was a hidden transmission chain in Tuen Mun, and called on all people living in Tuen Mun and working in Tuen Mun to be tested, but the citizens who responded were still unable to enter the venue after waiting for the last six hours.
The long waiting time is obviously the first reason for citizens to resist voluntary testing. Therefore, the Government must improve the voluntary testing package to increase the incentives for citizens to conduct testing.
Yuan Guoyong personally demonstrated the difference between different methods.
(File photo/Photo by Zhang Haowei)
Secondly, since many places require compulsory testing but the testing locations are different, if residents have visited more than one location, it is easy to be confused about the number and time of testing. Voluntary testing efforts have a greater impact.
A primary school student had to undergo a total of eight tests within 19 days because he had visited two compulsory testing sites, while his parents had visited one compulsory testing site and had to undergo six tests, but because the reservation system could only Registering for one person makes it difficult for the parents to cooperate with the mandatory testing time.
Therefore, at present, only the father has successfully made an appointment for testing, which reflects the need to update the voluntary testing registration system so that the public can plan and complete the testing work.
It has been more than two years since the development of the epidemic, and citizens may have already felt fatigued from epidemic prevention, but when everyone hopes to clear customs as soon as possible, the epidemic prevention and anti-epidemic work must not be slack.
Leading the fight against the epidemic requires credibility. The government must keep the responsibility in check. Is Hong Kong capable of doing large-scale testing?
The epidemic has come to the fifth wave of anti-epidemic measures not to stop at the previous reopening of community vaccination centers to meet the needs of citizens for vaccines