3000 medical workers sign-up for Hong Kong-wide COVID testing

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Around 3000 medical workers have been recruited to help with Hong Kong’s mass COVID-19 testing commencing on 1 September.

The centres will operate between 8am and 8pm on a daily basis – an hour out of the 12 will be used to disinfect and clean a centres.

"Medics who are responsible for taking samples will also be provided with suitable equipment," said secretary for the Civil Service Patrick Nip Tak-kuen on Sunday in a televised interview.

“It’s not appropriate for medics in personal protective gear to take samples outdoors for a long period and so the Department of Health and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department will follow up on the problem of air exchange,” he added.

Thousands of existing and retired civil servants will also be helping with administrative tasks such as registrations.

The secretary’s statements came amid strong calls from officials for members of the public to get tested. Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Chiu-chee has requested that all medical employees support the programme.

The testing will run for one to two weeks from 1 September with the target of covering five million people to pick up asymptomatic COVID-19 carriers as the third wave of local outbreaks has eased to less than 30 daily cases for five consecutive days.

Image courtesy The Standard