(To watch the full press briefing with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Hospital Authority will enhance the COVID-19 testing arrangements for patients attending day care centres and receiving day services as well as healthcare staff.

The authority’s Chief Manager (Clinical Effectiveness & Technology Management) Dr Linda Yu made the remarks at a press briefing this afternoon, adding that day patients will have to undergo virus testing before they receive the services.

“The Hospital Authority will further strengthen the infection control measures in hospitals by performing screening for day patients.

“When day patients need to receive service in the day wards, they will be arranged to have COVID-19 testing before they have the service."

Regular day admissions will be recommended to repeat the COVID-19 test on a weekly basis, Dr Yu added.

“We will also minimise patients’ need of having meals in hospitals and if needed, we will provide light meals instead of full meals to decrease patients’ time for not wearing a mask.”

The authority plans to arrange regular tests for targeted staff providing care for vulnerable patients in the coming two weeks.

The initial target staff groups include those working in day centres providing chemotherapy for cancer patients, outreach teams visiting institutions such as Community Geriatric Assessment Teams and Psycho-geriatric Outreach Teams, Palliative Care Outreach Teams and staff of oncology wards and haemodialysis centres.