Hong Kong to set up 141 swab collection sites for COVID-19 screening

Source: Xinhua| 2020-08-28 19:49:05|Editor: huaxia

CHINA-HONG KONG-COVID-19-SWAB COLLECTION SITES (CN)

Secretary for the Civil Service of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government Patrick Nip (3rd R) and Secretary for Food and Health of the HKSAR government Sophia Chan (3rd L) attend a press conference in Hong Kong, south China, Aug. 28, 2020. (Xinhua)

HONG KONG, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government said Friday that 141 swab collection centers will be set up for a massive community testing program that starts on Sept. 1.

The centers across Hong Kong will operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Secretary for the Civil Service of the HKSAR government Patrick Nip said, adding that the samples will be sent to testing labs directly and the privacy of those who volunteer for the tests will be protected.

Secretary for Food and Health of the HKSAR government Sophia Chan said over 420,000 samples from high-risk groups have been tested, and 83 turned out positive for the novel coronavirus.

Nip urged residents to participate in the program actively and help identify silent COVID-19 carriers as soon as possible so as to find and break the chain of transmission of the virus. Enditem

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