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Government completes testing exercise for residents and staff members of all local residential care homes for elderly/nursing homes
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     ​The Government announced today (June 6) that the phased testing exercise aiming to enhance the overall capability of residential care homes for the elderly (RCHEs)/nursing homes in fighting against the epidemic has completed. Over 18 900 residents had undergone nucleic acid testing during the period. Apart from about 90 non-infectious re-positive cases identified, no new infection cases were found among residents.

     A spokesman for the Government said that the elderly, especially those living in residential care homes, are at the highest risk in the epidemic. The Government attaches great importance to the anti-epidemic work in safeguarding the elderly and puts the elderly as the focus of protection. RCHEs/nursing homes are also designated as the key institutions requiring enhanced protection against the epidemic. In early May, in order to strengthen the anti-epidemic capability of RCHEs/nursing homes, the Government started to conduct nucleic acid testing by four phases for those staying in RCHEs/nursing homes across the city at the time when the fifth wave began to subside in a steady manner. At the same time, all staff members of RCHEs/nursing homes were required to undergo daily rapid antigen tests (RATs) or regular nucleic acid tests. The testing aimed to identify silent transmission in RCHEs/nursing homes and helped to achieve the goal of "early identification, early isolation and early treatment", and to prevent transmission of the COVID-19 virus. The last phase of the testing exercise was completed in late May.

     This territory-wide special testing exercise for RCHEs/nursing homes covered close to 800 of them. Except those who had received positive results from nucleic acid tests or RATs within three months prior to the exercise, all other residents of RCHEs/nursing homes, amounting to over 18 900 in total, were arranged to undergo nucleic acid tests. As of May 30, the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health has identified about 90 cases with high Ct values, i.e. positive cases with low viral load, and has contacted the RCHEs/nursing homes for follow-up. All these cases were defined as non-infectious re-positive cases and no new infection case was found. During the same period, as staff members of RCHEs/nursing home had undergone regular RATs or nucleic acid tests, individual positive cases of some staff members infected in the community were found in time, and thereby prevented the spread of virus in RCHEs/nursing homes which may have caused new infection of residents.

     In order to strengthen the anti-epidemic barrier of RCHEs/nursing homes, the Government will continue to encourage residents and staff members of RCHEs/nursing homes to receive COVID-19 vaccination, especially the third dose of vaccine. The Government completed three phases of outreach COVID-19 vaccination in RCHEs from March 18 to May 10. As of May 31, 66% of residents of RCHEs/nursing homes had received at least two doses of vaccine, and 15% of them had received at least three doses. On the other hand, as of early May, 99% of staff members of RCHEs/nursing home had received at least two doses of vaccine, while 47% had received at least three doses. At the same time, the Government will continue to conduct regular RATs for residents of RCHEs/nursing homes, and require all staff members of RCHEs and residential care homes for persons with disabilities (RCHDs) to undergo daily RATs or regular nucleic acid tests. These measures can strengthen the anti-epidemic barriers of RCHEs/nursing homes and RCHDs and identify any silent transmission as early as possible so as to empower the RCHEs/nursing homes in tackling the possible sixth wave or the rebound of the fifth wave of the epidemic more effectively.
 
Ends/Monday, June 6, 2022
Issued at HKT 22:13
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