As Govt Screenings Wind Down, Some Get Retests Done

Many people were seen heading to Covid-19 test centres on the last day of the government's universal community test scheme, with some even getting tested for a second time.

Around 1.7 million people have taken part in the scheme so far, which began on September 1 and is slated to end on Monday.

The last remaining 57 test centres opened at 8am on Monday, with some people telling RTHK that they decided to get tested on the last day to avoid large crowds at the beginning of the exercise.

About 10 people were at the Tseung Kwan O Government Primary School in the morning and some said they just walked in and had not made an online appointment.

One housewife said no one in her area has contracted the virus, but she decided to take the test in the end because she has relatives staying in nursing homes and she wants to visit them.

An elderly woman who was at the Tseung Kwan O centre said she hadn't made an appointment online because she has no internet access.

So she decided to walk into the centre and get tested because she goes out a lot, and often exercises in the park where a lot of people remove their masks.

At the MacPherson Stadium in Mong Kok, some waiting in line said they decided to get tested before going to work as the process took less than five minutes.

One man said he was first tested under the scheme on September 2, but decided to submit a sample again because he was worried that he could be infected since.

He said that the MacPherson Stadium test centre is close to where he lives, and he decided to get retested on the last day of the scheme.

A woman at the stadium said she was tested for Covid-19 privately, but decided to give a sample under the government scheme for peace of mind and to help the officials track down any asymptomatic cases.

Meanwhile, the Hospital Authority has confirmed that a 77-year-old male patient passed away at United Christian Hospital on Monday morning, bringing the total number of coronavirus-linked deaths to 101. The deceased had a long-term illness and was admitted to hospital after reporting a fever and a cough late last month.

Sources have also told RTHK that health officials are expected to report 14 new Covid-19 cases on Monday. On Sunday, the city recorded 19 infections, bringing the total number of cases in Hong Kong to 4,957.