The Hong Kong Department of Health and the Hospital Authority held a press conference on the epidemic today (22 February) afternoon. Au Ka Wing, chief physician of the Infectious Diseases Division of the Centre for Health Protection, announced that as of 00:00 today, there were 14,152 new confirmed cases in Hong Kong, of which 4,296 were confirmed by nucleic acid testing, and the remaining 9,856 cases were reported as effective cases of rapid antigen testing.
Hong Kong's new confirmed cases remained below 15,000 for two consecutive days, and Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor announced the suspension of universal testing and the relaxation of social distancing measures in stages from April 21.
In response to Hong Kong's suspension of nucleic acid testing for all employees, Liang Wannian, head of the expert group of the National Health commission's leading group for epidemic response and handling, said today (22nd) that the Hong Kong SAR government's decision to temporarily not conduct full testing is based on the priority requirements of epidemic prevention and control, which does not mean "lying flat". He stressed that Hong Kong has been fighting the epidemic around the strategic deployment of "three reductions, three weights, one priority and four concentrations" and has achieved positive results.
"There is a problem of timing and conditions for nucleic acid testing for the whole people," Liang Wannian said, according to the experience of the mainland for more than two years and the international situation, the most effective time to implement the national test is the earliest and better. In the early stages of the epidemic, the use of nucleic acid technology for large-scale detection, all sources of infection are identified and controlled, and the epidemic can be quickly stopped. There is also a situation that in the later stage of the epidemic, the testing has reached the goal of "dynamic clearance" on the social surface.
Leung said that there is still a question of whether the corresponding conditions are met for hong Kong's national testing. For example, after testing, it is necessary to have a corresponding tracing system for infected people and close contacts, as well as the corresponding space and human resources for isolation observation. Comprehensive judgment shows that the Hong Kong SAR Government's decision not to conduct universal testing for the time being is evidence-based and is based on the priority requirements for epidemic prevention and control.
Liang Wannian stressed that "we cannot think that the prevention and control of the epidemic has been relaxed without national testing", Liang Wannian said that Hong Kong is precisely based on the changes in the epidemic situation, through the determination of priorities, more scientific to improve the revision and optimization of corresponding measures. In addition, Leung also said that Hong Kong is further expanding its testing capacity, especially the nucleic acid testing capacity, in addition to fixed distribution points, it also has set up mobile testing points. In terms of testing strategy, in addition to nucleic acid testing, antigen testing is also used, so that the public can self-test at home, and through the corresponding reporting system, so that possible infected people can be detected earlier. These measures are of great significance to the prevention and control of the epidemic in Hong Kong.
HKU research: Three doses of the vaccine are more than 90% effective in preventing severe illness and death
Source: Hong Kong "Point News"
Professors at HKU School of Medicine also provided recommendations on the best implementation time for universal testing based on the epidemic development model.
The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong held a press conference today (22 February) to update the model of the development of the fifth wave of the epidemic in Hong Kong. Leung Cheuk-wai, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of HKU, said that the fifth wave of the epidemic is expected to fall to triple digits if there is no new variant virus around April 21, or no large-scale increase in the number of trips and a significant relaxation of social distancing measures.
He also said that if the zero-clearing policy is adhered to at that time and the quarantine measures are done well, it can return to the pre-fifth wave level. He also said that universal testing is the best time to implement when daily new additions are in the low digits.
Liang Zhuowei said that if you can get three injections, it doesn't matter which vaccine you get, if it is too late to get three injections, for example, the citizens who have only taken one injection of Kexing, it is recommended that the second injection can be considered to retake The Phyto.
At present, Hong Kong provides two novel coronavirus vaccines for the public to choose from, and the analysis of the patient data admitted to the hospital by the HKU Medical College shows that those who receive three doses of the Fu bi thai or Koxing vaccine have a similar effective rate in preventing death and severe illness.
The University of Hong Kong School of Medicine analyzed the data of admitted patients as of March 8, among which the effective rate of preventing deaths found that among patients aged 60 or above, the effective rate of death prevention with one injection of Fubixil was 73%, that of one injection of Kexing was 51.2%,92.3% of the two-dose Fubitai, 77.4% of the two-dose Kexing; 98.1% of the three-dose Fubitai and 98.3% of the third-dose Kexing.
As for the effectiveness of severe disease prevention, among the group aged 60 or above, the one-needle Fu bi tai was 65.6%, the one needle Kexing was 40.4%,the two needle Fu Bi Tai was 89.6%, the two needle Ke Xing was 72.2%,, the three needle Fu Bi Tai was 98%, and the three needle Ke Xing was 97.9%.
Chen Zhaoshi: The flight circuit breaker mechanism still needs to be maintained before the next month to review the specific arrangements
Although the number of confirmed cases has a downward trend, it is still not to be taken lightly. In response to the Hong Kong SAR government's announcement yesterday (21 April) that the "no-fly order" in 9 countries will be lifted from April 1, the Secretary for Food and Health, Chan Siu-chiu, said today (22 February) that there is still a need to continue to maintain the flight circuit breaker mechanism, and the government will continue to review and decide on the degree and specific arrangements of the circuit breaker before next month.
Source | Internet
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