New Covid Hotline Sees Strong Response: Fire Services

The Fire Services Department says there’s been a strong response to a hotline it set up to assist Covid-19 patients who wish to go into a community isolation facility.

Speaking on an RTHK programme on Monday, an assistant director of the department, Wong Chun-yip said it had received over 4,000 requests for help just half a day after its launch, and around 300 cases had been passed onto a designated team for follow up.

Under the mechanism, anyone who tests positive and is experiencing mild or no symptoms can send an email, Whatsapp or Wechat message to the department.

“Many people who have done a rapid test urgently want to go to a community isolation facility, because they don't want to stay at home or their living environment isn’t suitable for home isolation,” Wong said.

“We set up this hotline in the hope of helping these patients, so isolation facilities can be arranged for them as soon as possible, and they won't have to put themselves or their family members at risk. So we urge the public to make good use of this platform,” he added.

Wong said they will try to send the patients to isolation facilities as soon as possible, adding officials will also consider the availability of isolation rooms and the family situation of the patients.

Wong also admitted ambulance services had been badly affected by the outbreak, saying the department managed to hit its response time target only for around 20 percent of emergency calls in recent days,

He noted a patient had to wait over 30 hours before an ambulance arrived.

He explained that it’s because around one-third of ambulance staff had been unable to work because they were either infected or quarantined.

Wong said the department had adopted measures, such as rearranging manpower, to maintain ambulance services.