Second group of mainland medical experts arrives in Hong Kong

By: 3 years ago

The second group of mainland medical personnel leaves Shenzhen for Hong Kong, Feb 19, 2022. (PHOTO/CHINA CUSTOMS via China Daily/Asia News Network)

HONG KONG — The second group of medical personnel from the Chinese mainland on Saturday arrived in Hong Kong via the Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint, to share their expertise in treating patients with severe COVID-19 symptoms and help the city increase its testing capacity for the coronavirus.

The 114-member group includes personnel from different hospitals in Guangdong province. Among them are four experts with rich clinical expertise treating COVID-19 patients. They will share their experience with their Hong Kong counterparts in treating patients on the mainland, especially those with severe symptoms. Another 110 professionals, led by the deputy director of the Guangdong Provincial Health Commission Zhang Yurun, will help carry out testing in the city.

Deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR Yin Zonghua, Hong Kong Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee and Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai welcomed them when they arrived.

On Saturday, Hong Kong recorded 6,063 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with about 7,400 preliminary positive cases.

The first group of mainland experts, comprising four epidemiologists, arrived on Thursday and will stay until Monday. In the past several days, they inspected the city’s anti-pandemic arrangements, talked to the city’s senior public health officials and experts, and shared the mainland’s experience in tackling the virus.

On Saturday, they visited the Contact Tracing Offices under the Centre for Health Protection and learned about the epidemiological investigation and contact-tracing methods by the Hong Kong government.

Along with the four epidemiologists, two mobile virus-testing vehicles and their supporting staff from the mainland also arrived on Thursday. The two vehicles were first deployed on Friday night to help with the compulsory testing at Shek Kip Mei Estate.

Macao also has sent manpower to support Hong Kong’s anti-pandemic fight. A team of eight virus-testing personnel arrived in the city on Friday. They will work in Yuen Long to strengthen the local testing capacity.