Hong Kong hospitals ‘overwhelmed’ by asymptomatic Covid-19 patients, while residents scour shops for rapid test kits
- Residents who test positive are being forced to wait in makeshift outdoor holding areas for up to 16 hours, nurses’ association head says
- Post check of branches of Watsons, Mannings and Fortress find test kits are sold out and people advised to line up before they open in morning
Residents have also rushed to buy up rapid antigen test kits, with those receiving positive results flocking to hospitals rather than staying at home to await official instructions, adding even more pressure to the system.
Until recently, health authorities had insisted on admitting all asymptomatic cases to hospital to prevent them from spreading the virus in the community. Officials only announced on Monday that those with mild or no symptoms could be isolated in quarantine facilities instead.
Dr Tony Ling Siu-chi, president of the Hong Kong Public Doctors’ Association, said public hospitals were struggling with manpower shortages.
“Medical workers are showing signs of exhaustion,” he told a radio programme on Tuesday. “We are dealing with our regular high workload in addition to the sudden surge of coronavirus cases, but with less staff.”
As of Tuesday, hospitals were treating a total of 1,853 confirmed cases. One of the patients was listed as critical, two were in serious condition, while the rest were stable.
To better detect cases, authorities have distributed rapid test kits to cleaning workers and property management staff in areas where sewage samples tested positive for the coronavirus. They will also give a kit to every resident once new shipments arrive, but the rapid tests cannot replace the nucleic ones required for compulsory screening orders.