Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
    Opinion
    Home / Opinion / Op-Ed Contributors

    Measures urgently needed to stop virus spreading in HK

    China Daily Asia | Updated: 2020-01-24 11:26
    Share
    Share - WeChat
    Employees in protective suits work at the fever clinic at Tongji Hospital affiliated with the Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, Hubei province, on Tuesday. TONG XUAN/CHINA NEWS AGENCY

    The Wuhan pneumonia outbreak has taken a turn for the worse with a sudden surge in the number of infections over the past two days. Confirmed cases worldwide have surpassed 600, with 17 fatalities, by press time. Thursday’s confirmation of two cases of infection in Hong Kong brought back bad memories of the deadly SARS epidemic in 2003, stoking fear among local residents.

    It is reassuring that the city’s health authority has responded swiftly and decisively, drawing on lessons learned from the SARS pandemic.

    The Department of Health immediately put a mainland man in quarantine after he was detected with fever symptoms at the West Kowloon rail terminus on Tuesday. The health authority’s swift response demonstrated not only the efficacy of epidemic control at entry ports but also the smooth operation of our health alert notification system.

    In another sign of the health authority’s readiness, the Centre for Health Protection has set up a hotline to track individuals at risk of infection. It has also set aside two holiday villages as quarantine centers. A special steering committee has also been set up to study other precautionary measures.

    Yuen Kwok-yung, a specialist in infectious diseases and a professor at the University of Hong Kong, explained that the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus has undergone three stages. These are: transmission from animals to humans; a mini-outbreak in the neighborhood; and a large-scale outbreak in households and hospitals. He said the third stage was similar to the 2003 SARS outbreak. And clearly, there has been an outbreak on the mainland.

    Although there are no signs of a communitywide outbreak in Hong Kong yet, we need to be on high alert as the risk of the virus spreading from imported cases is high. To prevent the virus spreading further, Hong Kong should boost efforts and precautionary measures in four areas.

    First, health measures must be enhanced at all boundary control points. The health declaration requirement for incoming passengers should extend from the airport to all boundary control points, including the high-speed railway station. More health officers should be assigned to boundary control points to implement stricter body-temperature checks on passengers. This can be done both automatically and manually by increasing the number of staff patrolling entry points in order to spot possible flu patients. Every patient suspected of pneumonia must be quarantined immediately on the spot.

    Second, a command center should be set up for optimizing the contingency strategy and quarantining virus carriers effectively. The Hospital Authority should be tasked to form the command center by recruiting some relevant experts. But if things get worse, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor is expected to take charge.

    The Hospital Authority should designate a number of hospitals with sufficient beds for accommodating pneumonic patients, and prepare place for quarantines. To prevent cross-infection, patients with respiratory symptoms should be treated at designated clinics. The health authority should also formulate a set of precautionary guidelines for public places such as hotels and shopping malls.

    Third, the health authority should step up publicity efforts to alert all resident to the looming epidemic. An intensive publicity campaign is necessary to mobilize members of the public and keep them away from threat of the virus. The SAR government should realize that the public can only feel reassured when they are provided with timely and transparent information. As such, the government should be the only authorized source of anti-epidemic information. The government should also make public hygiene facilities, such as hand sanitizer dispensers, easily accessible where there are dense crowds — such as schools and shopping malls. To prevent panic purchases and steep price rises, the authority should also ensure a sufficient and steady supply of personal hygiene products, including surgical masks.

    Fourth, the health authority must spare no effort to prevent an outbreak in hospitals; doctors and nurses must be sufficiently protected. Professor Yuen has warned that the city’s overcrowded public hospitals, with the bed occupancy rate often exceeding 100 percent during flu seasons, might fall short of protecting their medical teams in case of a major outbreak. Dr Zhong Nanshan, a mainland expert on anti-respiratory epidemics, has voiced the same concerns. Zhong said it is vital to prevent hospitals becoming a venue for virus transmission. The outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome in 2015 in South Korea, for example, saw some 30 doctors and nurses being infected at their workplaces.

    To the relief of the public, the Wuhan virus is said to be much less virulent than the SARS one. With the lessons learned and experience gained from the 2003 SARS pandemic, the health authorities both in Hong Kong and the mainland are in a much better position to cope with the latest outbreak. With the cooperation of the public, the authorities are likely to get on top of this crisis soon. There is no need for Hong Kong residents to panic.

    The author is a veteran current affairs commentator.

    The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

     

    Most Viewed in 24 Hours
    Top
    BACK TO THE TOP
    English
    Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
    License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

    Registration Number: 130349
    FOLLOW US
    东京热加勒比无码少妇| а天堂中文在线官网| 最近中文字幕高清字幕在线视频 | 中文字幕乱码久久午夜| 亚洲av无码专区国产乱码在线观看| 中文字幕av无码一区二区三区电影| 无码精品黑人一区二区三区| 一本本月无码-| 无码AV中文字幕久久专区| 无码乱码观看精品久久 | 国产成人无码18禁午夜福利p | 国产乱子伦精品无码码专区| 中文精品99久久国产| 91中文字幕在线观看| 日韩免费a级毛片无码a∨| 精品久久久久久久无码| 无码无套少妇毛多18PXXXX| 无码播放一区二区三区| 中文字幕毛片| 亚洲av午夜国产精品无码中文字 | (愛妃視頻)国产无码中文字幕| 天天爽亚洲中文字幕| 久久99久久无码毛片一区二区| 无码精品国产VA在线观看DVD| 超清无码熟妇人妻AV在线电影| 合区精品久久久中文字幕一区| 亚洲中文字幕在线乱码| 一区二区三区无码高清视频| 久久久久无码精品| 日韩电影无码A不卡| 惠民福利中文字幕人妻无码乱精品| 久久亚洲AV成人出白浆无码国产| 亚洲中文久久精品无码| 亚洲国产精品无码中文字| 亚洲成A人片在线观看无码不卡| 中文字幕精品无码一区二区三区| 国产品无码一区二区三区在线蜜桃| 伊人久久无码精品中文字幕| 国精品无码一区二区三区在线蜜臀| 精品多人p群无码| 无码国产精品一区二区免费16|