The Universal Community Testing Programme (UCTP) has entered its seventh day. As of noon today, more than 1.16 million citizens have successfully registered online for the programme and the total number of people who have their specimens taken has reached 1.08 million. As of 5 September, 15 cases were tested positive for COVID-19 (including four cases where the patients had been tested positive earlier and then recovered from the disease). Newly confirmed patients have been isolated for treatment while contact tracing is being conducted.
The UCTP was launched to identify asymptomatic patients in the community. As medical experts put it, one asymptomatic case is too much given that merely one infected person can cause a major outbreak in the community. The programme which aims to cut the invisible transmission chain is an effective remedy to the epidemic.
Last Friday, after reviewing the data and experience from the operation of the Community Testing Centres (CTCs) as well as the public’s demand for the testing service, we announced extension of the programme for four days. 122 CTCs across all of the 18 districts will continue to provide free testing service to members of the public from 8 to 11 September.
The Government could not have successfully launched this extensive territory-wide community testing programme within an extremely short period of time without the participation of the civil service and your seamless cooperation with the medical teams. Your active participation, involvement and versatility have enabled the smooth operation of the CTCs where members of the public can safely receive fast and professional testing service. A total of around 4 000 Government colleagues (20% of which are retired civil servants) from 75 policy bureaux and departments have taken up administrative support and centre management duties at various testing centres across the territory and coordination duties at the Command Centre. Colleagues from various departments also work behind the scene to discharge the duties of planning, coordination, support and monitoring.
We can see from the operation in the last few days that the response of the general public has been very positive and encouraging! When I visited various CTCs, colleagues told me that many members of the public who had received the testing service came forward to express their appreciations. Some even presented thank-you cards and souvenirs! May I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude once again for all the hard work and efforts that our colleagues have contributed.
As the service period of the UCTP has been extended, and more and more people are taking part in the programme, the work of our colleagues is meant to become more challenging. However, I believe that we would not mind it at all if we can promptly identify the asymptomatic patients in the community and put an early end to the third wave of epidemic. We can only gradually relax the anti-epidemic measures, reopen venues, resume activities, and create favourable conditions for the general public to travel abroad, undertake business trips, visit relatives and lead a normal life again if the invisible transmission chain is cut off as soon as possible.
Last but not least, I appeal again to all civil service colleagues, especially those at the front line and in frequent contact with members of the public, to seize the opportunity in the next few days and come forward for yourself, your family and people who care about you to participate in the UCTP and take the test at the CTCs. I also encourage you to bring your family (and domestic helpers) to take the test together so that everybody could be free of worry. Heads of Departments will allow flexibility for colleagues in this regard.
I look forward to seeing you at the CTCs, whether you are on duty or there to have your specimens taken.