Health expert renews call to remove rapid testing requirement for students

A health expert on Monday said a rapid testing requirement for Hong Kong students could be canceled if the Covid situation at schools has not gone sideways after the full resumption of in-person classes.

Mike Kwan Yat-wah, an honorary clinical associate professor of pediatrics and adolescent medicine at the University of Hong Kong, told a radio program on Monday that the Covid situation in the city remains under control with no increase in severe cases for children.

He believed that after the full resumption of in-person classes, the rapid testing requirement for students could be lifted if there is no change in the Covid situation following an “observational period”.

Meanwhile, Kwan noted that the vaccination rate for young kids aged 6 months to three years old at only 25 percent is not ideal, and that parents should arrange for their kids to get jabbed.

Parents should also take sick leaves for their children should they develop symptoms of Covid to avoid transmission at schools, he added.

Separately, Kwan said some children in Hong Kong who caught Covid-19 have developed long-term symptoms which would take around 6 to 9 months for them to fully recover.

He noted that a small number of children were still experiencing loss of taste and smell nine months after their infection.