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

The three-day citywide rapid antigen test (RAT) exercise is effective in identifying people who are infected with COVID-19, but have not been identified because they do not have any symptoms, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said today.

On the second day of the self-testing exercise, Mrs Lam told a press conference that there would be an increase in the number of self-declared positive cases via the Centre for Health Protection’s online reporting system.

“I do not have the exact figures (of newly reported COVID-19 cases) in hand except that I was told that, by midnight yesterday, the number of self-declared positive cases, based on the Centre for Health Protection’s self-declaration online system, was a figure higher than that of the preceding day.

“Because if you look at the figures over the last two weeks, whether it is the number of PCR (polymerase chain reaction)-tested positive cases or the number of RAT-positive cases, the two figures are coming down. In the last few days or so, the two sources of the positive cases, put together, would give a figure of about two to three thousand every day.

“If we have not done this or encouraged people to do this daily RAT, one would expect the figures to continue to trend down, whether it is for the number of confirmed cases by PCR tests or RATs. But I am now telling you that for this afternoon's announcement by the Centre for Health Protection, as far as RAT-positive cases are concerned, it will be a figure higher than that of the preceding day.

“So that, sort of, illustrates that the daily RAT exercise does have its impact on identifying infected cases whom have not been identified because these people are without symptoms - they would not go forward to do a PCR test or RAT.”

The Chief Executive called on the whole community to continue to support the self-testing plan by conducting a RAT today and tomorrow and report positive cases accordingly.