The fifth wave of the epidemic was out of control. After being diagnosed, a large number of patients were not sent to the hospital in time, and had to be isolated at home until they recovered. During this period, many voices criticized the government for changing the order, resulting in confusion of information and confusion for citizens, but there was a lack of a unified channel to announce the news.
In fact, the Communications Bureau under the Commerce and Economic Affairs Bureau spent $150 million to set up an "emergency alert system" as early as 2020. In case of emergencies, including public health incidents, important announcements can be sent to the public. However, the system design has never been activated. .
Some information technology experts bluntly stated that the government relies too much on the media to distribute information, and it is recommended to use this system to distribute anti-epidemic information.
"I don't know how to solve a system, but I've never used it."
▼On March 7, the online rapid test positive reporting platform was launched▼
In the early days of the outbreak, a large number of patients stayed at home and waited for notification from the Department of Health. However, there was no news for many days, and the telephone hotline was also blocked for a long time. In the end, the government announced the guidelines for home isolation belatedly, and the dilemma of the patients was solved.
Later, due to the overwhelming amount of nucleic acid tests, the government launched a "public platform for infectious diseases" to allow patients with positive nucleic acid tests to register.
However, news from all directions and suggestions from different experts have left the public at a loss.
Fang Baoqiao, honorary president of the Hong Kong Information Technology Chamber of Commerce, believes that due to the special circumstances of the epidemic, he suggested that the government should use the "emergency warning system" to release official information to the public in a unified manner.
He also agrees with the current chaos of anti-epidemic news, and believes that the government relies too much on the media to release news, saying, "The government has said one thing, and the experts have said another, how clearly will the public's points be divided? Every day depends on 430 (epidemic press conference), and the elderly are watching. come."
Fang Baoqiao said that the rapid test declaration platform helps the government to count the number of confirmed diagnoses and assist in triage.
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It is inefficient to rely on telecom providers to send messages one by one
Fang Baoqiao pointed out that in the past, during large-scale parades or social movements in Hong Kong in 2019, the police relied on telecommunications providers to send SMS messages to remind citizens to stay away from the parade area.
This method also has fatal loopholes. Foreigners may not be able to receive their mobile numbers in Hong Kong because their mobile numbers are from other places. On the contrary, overseas Hong Kong residents can still receive messages from Hong Kong from thousands of miles away as long as they keep their mobile numbers in Hong Kong.
Fang further explained that the "emergency warning system" disseminates information to the public through the base station, so theoretically all citizens of Hong Kong only need to be within the coverage area of the base station to receive the warning message.
He also pointed out that foreign countries use this method to remind the public, such as when a tornado occurs in the United States, or when the government conducts air defense exercises, etc., so he is puzzled: "I don't know how to solve a system, but it has never been used."
▼On March 4th, citizens bought the test reagents in large quantities▼
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OFCA: The system has not been used to send messages
Looking through the information, the government mentioned on the official website that the "Emergency Alert System" was launched on November 26, 2020 for emergencies such as extreme weather, serious public safety and health incidents.
The system will send urgent messages to users through the mobile network, and the mobile phone will send out sound and vibration prompts for about 10 seconds.
The website also pointed out that the message has two warning levels, namely "extremely urgent warning" and "urgent warning", and the authorities will set the level according to the severity.
"Hong Kong 01" asked the authorities and received a response from OFCA that the system can send important announcements and messages with urgent time limits to mobile phone users in emergencies, at a cost of about 150 million yuan.
This includes the purchase of equipment, installation and operation by the government and mobile network operators.
The bureau also admitted that the government has not yet used the system to distribute messages.
▼Hong Kong under the fifth wave of the epidemic on March 5▼
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The emergency alert system has nothing to do with the Food and Health Bureau and the Innovation and Technology Bureau
The public is generally unfamiliar with the "emergency alert system". Since the government has not activated the system for more than a year, one cannot help but wonder whether the epidemic does not fall into the category of "sanitary incidents".
In fact, the system is managed by the Communications Authority under the Commerce and Economic Affairs Bureau, and has nothing to do with the Food and Health Bureau, the main force in the fight against the epidemic, and the Innovation and Technology Bureau, which is in charge of innovation and technology.
What's more, as mentioned above, the "Positive Rapid Test Result Reporting System" was also designed by the IT staff of the Department of Health. Later, the Innovation and Technology Bureau dispatched the Logistics and Supply Chain Multi-Technology R&D Center for support. In the end, it was 10 days after the Centre for Health Protection announced on February 25 that it would recognize the rapid test results, and it was only possible to launch a declaration system with simpler functions and did not use strict identity authentication technology.
Epidemic ｜ The occupancy rate of Tsing Yi Fangcang shelter hospital is nearly 80%. The meal style increases with halal and vegetarian options. And there is room for modification in the diversion. Lin Wei-sun pointed out that the recent decline in the epidemic situation is an illusion and urged to allocate resources to the emergency department of public hospitals as soon as possible.
