HKSAR chief executive meets with mainland health official, epidemiologists on combating COVID-19

HONG KONG -- Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Carrie Lam met with the deputy head of the health commission of Guangdong province and mainland epidemiologists Sunday on the fight against COVID-19 in Hong Kong.

Lam expressed gratitude to the central authorities and Guangdong province for their support for the anti-COVID efforts in Hong Kong following their inspection of the local anti-epidemic work.

She was also grateful for the constructive advice given by the delegation of mainland epidemiological experts, including the "Communicable Disease Public Interface" platform being launched online for patients to report their information.

At the meeting, Lam and the participating officials discussed with Zhang Yurun and members of the expert delegation the recent improvements to the HKSAR government's COVID-19 testing-related measures with regard to the risk assessment and optimum use of testing resources.

These included wider adoption of rapid antigen tests and persistent "restriction-testing declaration" operations targeting buildings with higher risk.

The participants agreed that it is necessary at present to strengthen the multi-tiered approach of providing treatment based on the patient's conditions to reduce severe and death cases so that medical resources could be more effectively allocated to imminent cases.

Lam said the mainland's rich experience in combatting COVID-19 helped Hong Kong fully examine its existing anti-epidemic strategies and measures so as to adjust them considering Hong Kong's actual circumstances in pursuit of the goal of "dynamic zero infection."

"We will continue to leverage the staunch support of the central authorities to stabilize the epidemic as soon as possible for safeguarding the lives and safety of the public at large," she said.

Hong Kong recorded 26,026 new COVID-19 cases and 83 deaths on Sunday, showed official data.