Time To Test For People For Virus Immunity: Expert

An infectious disease expert said on Monday that Hong Kong authorities should consider conducting random testing to see how many people have built up immunity to the new coronavirus along with screenings for new infections.

Speaking as concerns rise over a possible third wave of infections coming to Hong Kong, this time from Guangdong, Malik Peiris from the University of Hong Kong said people given a so-called "immunity passport" could resume a normal life.

On RTHK's "Hong Kong Today" programme, he said it wasn't an issue of trying to test everyone.

"If you take an appropriate random sample of the population across age groups you certainly can extrapolate [as] to what's going on across the population," Peiris said.

"You don't have to test every single person."

Peiris said the funding for developing such a test is needed as it has to be started from the scratch.

On Sunday, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) confirmed another 28 cases of Covid-19, bringing the total tally in Hong Kong so far to 890. That compares with 17 new cases reported on Saturday.

However, Chuang Shuk-Kwan, from the CHP said that while the number of new cases has come down in recent days, it’s far too early to say that the rate of infections is declining.