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Many citizens were shocked when an emergency siren and long buzzes sounded on their phones yesterday evening.
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In fact, it was from the official HK$150 million emergency alert system announcing that Queen Elizabeth Hospital has been turned into a designated Covid hospital.
Many mobile users received the alert at 5.55pm with a siren lasting about 10 seconds. Some received a second alert minutes later.
The message: "HKSAR government alerts you that starting from March 9 Queen Elizabeth Hospital of the Hospital Authority has been converted into a 'designated hospital' to receive Covid-19 patients. A&E of QEH will admit mainly Covid-19 patients and patients in life-threatening conditions. Other patients are advised not to go to QEH. Thank you for the cooperation."
It was the first emergency message - in Chinese and English - sent by the system during the pandemic, though it was launched on November 26, 2020 at a cost of HK$150 million.
It fits in a system whereby local mobile network operators disseminate important messages during emergency situations that may endanger lives and properties, such as extreme weather, serious public safety and health-related incidents.
But some people whose smartphones software systems have not been updated to the latest version did not receive the alert.
And many of those who did were shocked. "It gave me a fright as suddenly everyone's phones were ringing in the shopping mall," one netizen said.
"I would have thought it was an earthquake if I hadn't read the message."
Another asked: "What is the point of the alert? People cannot even get admitted to a hospital now."
Legislator Kenneth Fok Kai-kong argued that the alert system should only used in very urgent times.
"Actually, people will see it with the alert logo," he said. "It's not necessary to come with an alarm as elderly people and children will get frightened."
The executive director of catering operation LH Group, Simon Wong Kit-lung, said the alert freaked him out.
"I thought it's Putin launching a nuclear missile," Wong said, referring to the Russian president. "In Hollywood movies this kind of alert is issued by the US president when aliens invade Earth," he added.
Some people said they would turn off the message-receiving function.
But some businesses newsjacked the alert to promote themselves.
Furniture giant IKEA wrote on its Facebook page it was "an urgent reminder" to people that it was in the last days of sales.
"Other people please go there," it said.
Asia Television promoted its mobile app, writing: "I was scared by a message received just now Turns out it's ATV app that costs only costs HK$118 a year or HK$15 a month."
The alert was based on plans to turn Queen Elizabeth Hospital into a designated hospital for Covid patients. It will become the third designated Covid hospital following Tin Shui Wai and North Lantau hospitals.
"The aim of doing so is that we hope by concentrating Covid patients and concentrating the expertise [and] resources we will be able to provide better clinical outcomes for Covid patients," said Hospital Authority chief executive Tony Ko Pat-Sing.
Around 380 patients will be transferred between hospitals in the coming few days.
Authorities also said yesterday they would adapt more hospitals for Covid patients including Ruttonjee Hospital, TWGHs Fung Yiu King Hospital and Haven of Hope Hospital.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said an additional 9,000 public hospital beds - half of the Hospital Authority's capacity - will be reserved for Covid patients, as she announced a series of new measures to boost the SAR's ability to treat the infected. Non-Covid patients in designated Covid hospitals will be transferred to private hospitals.
Lam also said more isolation facilities at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal and seven sports centers will soon be opened for elderly patients with mild symptoms.
The measures will means around 16,000 beds for Covid patients.
The administration will also the central government for medical teams from the mainland to help with operations at the North Lantau Hospital Hong Kong Infection Control Centre and the AsiaWorld-Expo's treatment facility.
And a 1,000-bed temporary hospital at the Lok Ma Chau Loop is expected to go into service next month, which will be operated by mainland medical teams.
Lam said she met with private hospitals representatives on Tuesday when she made requests including asking them to spare beds for non-Covid patients and to offer online medical consultation. There was general agreement they would do so.
Authorities also have procured sufficient oral Covid drugs from German pharmaceutical giant Pfizer's Paxlovid to arrive in Hong Kong next week, and American drug company MSD's Molnupiravir.
Legislators Michael Tien Puk-sun believes Hong Kong will need 1.6 million doses of the antivirals on the assumption 20 percent of the population have been infected.
Meanwhile, sources told The Standard that the orthopedics department on the ninth floor at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan will be switched to a Covid ward from today in addition to nine wards recently designated for such patients.
