Covid clinics open, as over 4,000 new cases expected

Health authorities on Wednesday urged Covid patients with mild symptoms not to rush to seven new designated clinics without first making a booking, warning that doing so could overwhelm the system.

Starting Wednesday, seven public clinics across the territory will only treat Covid-19 patients with relatively mild symptoms, as Hong Kong’s overloaded health system struggles to accommodate thousands of new patients.

Sources told RTHK that authorities are set to confirm 4,285 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, with more than 3,000 more preliminary positives. The sources also say some 12,000 people who have already tested positive have not been admitted to hospital as of Tuesday.

Some of them turned up at the clinics – at Shau Kei Wan, Kennedy Town, San Po Kong, Kowloon Bay, Kwai Chung, Sha Tin and Tin Shui Wai – without an appointment on Wednesday morning.

But the director of strategy and planning for the Hospital Authority (HA), Dr Libby Lee, said that’s not a good idea.

“I strongly advise patients or citizens [not to do that], because it will overwhelm our system and defeat the whole purpose, and then will make those [who] really require medical consultation not to have a consultation at all,” she said.

“But in any case, if those people arrive at the clinic, we will actually screen their symptoms, and then we will handle it case by case.”

Other people who had prior bookings for non-Covid related ailments also turned up at the clinics, before they were turned away.

Authorities expect the seven clinics to collectively treat up to 1,000 patients per day, and Lee said the HA is prepared to boost the capacity further if needed.

She also said patients who don’t have many symptoms don’t need to rush to get appointments, because their symptoms would likely subside in a few days anyway – particularly for the vaccinated.

Lee stressed that these clinics are necessary to avoid any further delays in treating Covid patients.

Asked about the health risk posed by people infected with Covid having to make their way to these clinics, Lee said they should take all necessary precautions for now, before a new taxi service specifically set up to serve them is launched on Friday.

“For these two days, we have to tide over… So we strongly recommend, if you have a secured appointment…you have to find a way for direct transfer from your home to the clinic, and we highly recommend to reduce any social activities,” she said.

Authorities also say a new remote consultation service will soon be set up for Covid patients staying at home to seek advice from doctors.

The HA is also working with the Innovation and Technology Commission to launch a platform for Covid patients to report their test results and symptoms daily to health authorities.

This service is expected to be in place by the end of February.
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Last updated: 2022-02-16 HKT 14:58