No nail in the coffin for mass testing, says health chief

13-04-2022 13:49 HKT

Hong Kong’s health chief said authorities have yet to give up on a plan to test the entire city’s population for coronavirus, noting that the timing to execute the plan is everything.

The SAR government said in early March that the plan has been indefinitely postponed as the city prioritizes vaccinating the elderly and reducing fatalities amid its worst outbreak that saw a surge in its death toll.

Speaking at a virtual Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday, lawmaker Michael Tien Puk-sun said many of the city’s health experts have suggested authorities “finish off” the city’s epidemic with compulsory universal testing, in order to achieve zero Covid.

Tien also questioned if authorities were incapable of carrying out the plan.

In response, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said the compulsory universal testing drive was still in the cards, but the exact timing would depend on the city’s epidemic situation.

She also noted that the SAR government will mobilize all available resources when the plan commences.

At the same meeting, lawmakers also slammed authorities' ineffective measures on rodent control, after official statistics revealed yesterday showed taxpayers pouring HK$720 million to kill or trap just over 67,000 rodents last year, which accounts for more than HK$10,000 for each rat.

Lawmaker Kitson Yang Wing-kit told the meeting that authorities' budget for rodent control has increased by 70 percent last year, but many districts have, in fact, faced even more severe rodent infestation than in the previous year.

Lawmaker Bill Tang Ka-piu also questioned the accuracy of authorities’ statistics, with the government’s Rodent Infestation Rate for Kwun Tong district remaining at zero after more than 6,000 rats were caught in the district last year.

Chan admitted that the city’s rodent infestation is of concern and pledged to step up education and law enforcement to improve the situation.

“Authorities will also update the Rodent Infestation Rates from time to time to keep the public informed,” she added.