HK CE says test 'safe, simple, convenient and fast'

HONG KONG - Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor dismissed "unfounded claims" about the city's free universal coronavirus testing after taking a test herself on Tuesday morning, which she described as "safe, simple, convenient and fast".

About 10,000 residents have taken the the test, including high-ranking officials, Lam said at 10 am during a press conference on Tuesday, two hours after the two-week long program kicked off.

Meeting reporters ahead of her weekly Executive Council meeting, Lam thanked about 6,000 medical professionals and 4,000 civil servants who are assisting with the testing.

She stressed the government's support for the Hospital Authority (HA) which operates the city's public hospitals and in a message to HA Employees Alliance, urged the group to see reason. The Alliance has called for a boycott of the testing, claiming the exercise is "useless".

An HA spokesperson said on Monday that the authority encouraged its staff to join the exercise and that large-scale community testing will also help reduce staff and in-patient infection risks.

Hong Kong reported nine new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the second instance of a single-digit daily count since July 5 when the city saw a third wave of infections.

Lam said those "hard-won numbers" came at the cost of normal business and social activities. She urged residents to register for the test, so that the third wave could be countered sooner.

As of 8 am on Tuesday, 593,000 Hong Kong residents had signed up for universal testing, according to official estimates.