Hong Kong and the mainland implemented the first phase of quarantine-free customs clearance last Sunday (8th), but all people who want to enter the mainland must have a 48-hour negative nucleic acid test result.
"Hong Kong 01" received complaints from citizens that they were rejected when they brought their 2-month-old children to community testing centers and clinics for testing, saying that the young children were too young to be tested.
A person in charge of a testing contractor said that at present, the Bureau does not have any guidelines for testing young children. He bluntly stated that "it is impossible for a two-month-old family to do it." Usually, they will be referred to private hospitals and private laboratories.
The Medical and Health Bureau replied to the inquiry and reiterated that other people, including children under the age of three, can have swab samples collected by professionals at community testing stations for testing. Professional medical staff will assess whether individual people are suitable for swab sampling to Ensure sampling procedures are performed under safe conditions.
▼On January 17, there was a long queue at the Tsuen Wan Park Testing Station▼
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Parents suspected of bringing two-month-old baby back to the mainland to visit relatives 2 private hospitals refused to test
"Hong Kong 01" received a complaint from a citizen, Mr. Xu, that he wanted to bring his young child back to the mainland to visit relatives, but he was refused when he brought his 2-month-old baby to the community testing center and clinic for testing. Too young to be tested.
Mr. Xu said that starting from the day before yesterday (16th), he went to two private clinics to inquire whether the test could be done, but both were rejected.
Yesterday morning (17th), he went to the community testing center of Yuen Long City East Community Hall and the community testing center of Tuen Mun Siu Lun Community Hall, but he was still refused to do nucleic acid.
He bluntly said that he was "decided to lose the lawsuit" at that time, "I thought that if I didn't do it, I would not be able to go back to the mainland for the New Year." Fortunately, after inquiring about several community testing centers, I found the Wong Tai Sin Tung Tau Community Testing Center Willing to test the baby.
He hopes that the government can have a list of which testing centers allow young children to be tested, so as to prevent the public from being overwhelmed.
▼On January 17, there was a long queue at the MacPherson Testing Station in Mong Kok▼
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Director of the Inspection Center: It is impossible for a large department to do it in two months
Huang Libao, director of the Hong Kong Center for Molecular Pathology Testing, said that at present, the Bureau does not have any guidelines for testing young children. He bluntly said that "it is impossible to do it for two months." Usually, they will be referred to private hospitals and private laboratories. .
He explained that it is very difficult to test children under one year old, and there must be certain requirements for sampling techniques. It is best for medical staff to take care of the sampling. "
Huang Libao said that at present, the bureau does not have any guidelines for testing young children, bluntly saying that "it is impossible to do it for two months."
(File photo/photo by Zhang Haowei)
Medical and Health Bureau: The medical staff at the testing station will evaluate whether it is suitable for swab sampling
The Medical and Health Bureau reiterated that except for some individuals who may not be suitable for respiratory sample collection (such as those who have undergone surgery on the throat or nasal cavity), other people, including children under the age of three, can be tested by professionals at community testing centers/testing stations. Collect swab samples for testing (including "throat swab" nucleic acid testing at their own expense for entering the Mainland).
If necessary, professional medical staff at community testing centers/testing stations will assess whether individuals (especially infants under one year old) are suitable for swab sampling to ensure that the sampling procedure is carried out under safe conditions.
For example, nasal swabs may be considered for those who have had throat surgery.
At the same time, some private hospitals and private laboratories also provide testing services according to the needs of the public.
The Faculty of Medicine of CUHK has previously collected stool samples from children for COVID-19 testing.
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The "stool sample" test does not meet the requirements for entering the Mainland
For children under the age of 3 and those who are not suitable for respiratory sampling, it is possible to consider collecting stool samples for COVID-19 testing, but the government stopped collecting stool samples for testing earlier.
In reply to the inquiry, the Medical and Health Bureau explained that according to the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council, all people entering the mainland from Hong Kong must have a negative result of the new crown nucleic acid test taken within 48 hours before travel before entering the mainland.
The relevant test samples must be "throat swabs", "nasopharyngeal swabs" or "combined nasal cavity and throat swabs" collected by a person, and "stool samples" cannot be tested. There are many uncertainties, and it will take a long time for the sample to complete the test, so it is unlikely to meet the above-mentioned 48-hour test time requirement.
The Education Bureau announced that teachers and students will maintain the daily pre-school quick test after the New Year’s holiday until February 28. A large number of citizens rush to collect reports at the end of the year To 20,000 Lin Shixiong: The demand is very high before the Chinese New Year. 9 housing estates, such as Laijing Cuiyao Court and Ngau Chi Wan Xiaohui Garden, have positive sewage. The government calls on 35,000 people to quickly test the epidemic. 5 strains