'We Will Hand Out Self-test Kits Once We Have Enough'

Health Secretary Sophia Chan says the government will roll out a self-test scheme for Covid-19 once it gets its hands on enough kits for everyone in Hong Kong.

Speaking on an RTHK programme on Monday, Chan said the administration is also drawing up guidelines and making the relevant preparations.

“We are trying to buy the kits as quickly as possible for everyone in Hong Kong. We have to make arrangements and accommodations. When so many people are doing it at the same time, what do we do with the positive results? For the overall arrangements, we have to issue guidelines,” she said.

Her comments came after Chief Executive Carrie Lam said every person in Hong Kong will be given one kit to test themselves at home, but Chan did not give any dates for this.

“When we manage to procure [the kits], we will begin.”

However, a medical expert says one kit per person is far from enough to pick up Covid carriers and curb outbreaks, because individuals may test themselves days apart while still moving about in the city and potentially spreading the virus.

Ricky Chiu, adjunct associate professor of biomedical sciences at the Chinese University, said it could, however, be treated as a pilot scheme for people to get used to testing themselves regularly at home – which he says may become a norm in future.

“Quick test is already a mainstream procedure in many places around the world. We all know Covid will not disappear in the near future and it may even stay with us forever. We must learn this new skill of collecting specimens for ourselves,” he said.

Chiu said it would be best for everyone to take a test within a short timeframe, so as to pick up patients and cut any transmission chains, but conceded that this could only be done when there’s enough supply of self-test kits.