'Ramped Up Virus Tests Pushing Labs To The Limit'

The president of the Hong Kong Public Doctors' Association on Tuesday called on people to seek coronavirus tests only when it is necessary, saying the labs are going through a "very difficult situation" as authorities ramp up daily test numbers to fight the new wave of Covid cases.

The call from Arisina Ma came after the Centre for Health Protection issued a statement in the early hours of Tuesday morning, apologising for a test mix-up that resulted in a woman being mistaken as Covid-positive and sent for isolation, while another female patient who carries the coronavirus was classified as negative.

The authorities explained that overworked staff had wrongly input the information, and will review test workflow to prevent similar cases from happening again.

Ma said the city's laboratories have been overwhelmed and going through a "very difficult situation", with 9,000 daily tests being ordered in recent days by the authorities.

"It’s really reaching the maximum capacity of the labs," Ma said.

She urged the public to get coronavirus tests only if they're showing symptoms or are close contacts of confirmed patients.

Meanwhile, the Hospital Authority has warned that the availability of quarantine beds may reach a critical point this week because of the Covid-19 situation.

The authority's chief manager on cluster performance, Ian Cheung, told an RTHK radio programme on Tuesday that quarantine beds at public hospitals are almost 80 percent filled as of now.

He expressed worries that public hospitals may not be able to cope with demand, despite its best efforts to free up quarantine facilities.

Cheung said the city's public hospitals have been trying to make room for quarantine facilities by cutting down on regular surgeries, check-ups, and clinical services.