Health education enhanced

January 18, 2021

Centre for Health Protection Health Promotion Branch Head Dr Raymond Ho:

The ethnic minority groups, because of their cultural and social background, may have some behaviour that may put them more at risk. That's why we need to do more rounds of promotion to let them understand how this COVID-19 infection is being transmitted. And then also, we are lately getting the NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to help us to spread the health education messages through their network. Some NGOs have actually got clinics in the area, at service points. And they can also use WhatsApp and network. Their community leaders can also help to spread the messages. Like all public education, we need to do it in repeated rounds and reinforce the messages. So the most important thing is hand hygiene, face mask, social distancing, and lately, (if there’s) any symptom, if they're worried about themselves, get tested. I think those are the four main messages that we have to keep promoting, not just for EM (ethnic minority) groups but for everybody. Because of their unique nature and the cultural background, we need specific channels to reach them. That's why we not only use mass media, but we need to use their network and the key opinion leaders in the community to help us get the messages across to them.

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

The Centre for Health Protection today said it is stepping up promotion of COVID-19 prevention to the ethnic minority community after more than a quarter of the 661 locally transmitted cases reported since January 4 came from ethnic minority groups.

Centre for Health Protection Health Promotion Branch Head Dr Raymond Ho told a press briefing that the key messages on the dedicated page for COVID-19 are translated into Hindi, Nepali, Urdu, Thai, Indonesian, Tagalog, Sinhala, Bengali and Vietnamese.

He said the centre had written to all consulates in Hong Kong to update them on the pandemic’s latest developments.

Other initiatives include a health talk targeting ethnic minorities in the Yau Tsim Mong district and a promotional video in Nepali and Urdu, in collaboration with non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Dr Ho said the centre has sought help from NGOs and community leaders to help relay anti-epidemic messages to the ethnic minority community.

“The ethnic minority groups, because of their cultural and social background, may have some behaviour that may put them more at risk. That is why we need to do more rounds of promotion to let them understand how this COVID-19 infection is being transmitted.

“Also, we are lately getting the NGOs to help us to spread the health education messages through their network.

“Some NGOs have actually got clinics in the area, at service points. And they can also use WhatsApp and network. Their community leaders can also help to spread the messages.”

Dr Ho added that the centre will continue its efforts in promoting anti-epidemic messages to the whole community.

“Like all public education, we need to do it in repeated rounds and reinforce the messages.

“So the most important thing is hand hygiene, face mask, social distancing, and lately, if there is any symptom, if they are worried about themselves, get tested. I think those are the four main messages that we have to keep promoting, not just for ethnic minority groups but for everybody.

“Because of their unique nature and the cultural background, we need specific channels to reach them. That is why we not only use mass media, but we need to use their network and the key opinion leaders in the community to help us get the messages across to them.”