Hong Kong - Wuhan experts to assist in converting exhibition centre into a COVID-19 shelter hospital - August 2, 2020

[Mary Wilson]

Hong Kong turns exhibition centre into makeshift hospital amid new wave

China has offered to send mainland testing staff to the city to carry out 'large-scale nucleic acid testing'.

ByAgence France-Presse1 August 2020 • 8:43am

Hong Kong opened a temporary field hospital with 500 beds on Saturday to house stable Covid-19 patients as the city battles a new wave of virus infections.

The financial hub had been a poster child for tackling coronavirus, with local transmissions all but ended by early summer.

But since July the pathogen has returned, with some cases brought in by the tens of thousands of people who were exempted from a mandatory quarantine imposed on most arrivals.

The opening of the hospital comes a day after city leader Carrie Lam announced the postponement of upcoming legislative elections for a year, saying that the decision is purely protecting public health and has "nothing to do with politics".

More than 2,000 new infections have been detected since the start of July - 60 per cent of the total since the virus first hit the city in late January.

... China has offered to send mainland testing staff to the city to carry out "large-scale nucleic acid testing".

In a statement on Saturday, the National Health Commission of China said it had set up a team comprised of 60 clinical laboratory staff, and an "advance unit" would arrive in the city on Sunday.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/08/01/hong-kong-turns-exhibition-centre-makeshift-hospital-amid-new/

[sharon sanders]

Wuhan team will rush to Hong Kong to build a shelter hospital


August 02, 2020 05:51 Source: Changjiang Daily to




　　The central government decides to send mainland inspectors to Hong Kong for work
　　Wuhan team will rush to Hong Kong to build a shelter hospital
　　Changjiang Daily (Reporter Zhang Jian, Correspondent Du Weiwei) The prevention and control situation of the new crown pneumonia epidemic in Hong Kong is severe. At the request of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, the central government has decided to send mainland inspectors to Hong Kong to carry out work in the near future. The central government provided the necessary support for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to fight the epidemic in the first time, fully demonstrating the central government’s importance to Hong Kong compatriots, and laying confidence in Hong Kong society in winning the battle against the epidemic.
　　As of 0:00 on August 1, Hong Kong had more than 100 new confirmed cases in a single day for 11 consecutive days. At present, Hong Kong's nucleic acid testing capabilities are no longer sufficient, the medical system is close to saturation, and isolation and quarantine facilities are becoming increasingly tight. The SAR government sought assistance from the central government and received a positive and quick response.

　　The National Health Commission quickly established the "Mainland Nucleic Acid Testing Support Team". The Guangdong Provincial Health Commission selected clinical laboratory technicians from a number of public hospitals in the province. Some of the "advance team" members will go to Hong Kong on August 2 to assist Carry out laboratory work. At the same time, the National Health Commission has also set up an "inner local cabin hospital support team." Hubei Province will send experts with practical experience to provide technical support to Hong Kong.
　　The "Inner Local Cabin Hospital Support Team" is selected by Wuhan City, Hubei Province and has 6 experts with actual combat experience in the "Square Cabin Hospital", including the hospital director, hospitality, nursing, architecture and design experts. They will provide technical support for the design, operation and management experience of the Hong Kong Asia World Expo to be transformed into a "square cabin hospital".
　　The main personnel of the "Inner Local Cabin Hospital Support Team" assigned to support Hong Kong's fight against the epidemic is the core member of Wuhan University People's Hospital to take over the Wuchang Fangcai Hospital, including Wan Jun, the vice president of Wuhan University People's Hospital and the president of Wuchang Fangcai Hospital , Ma Yonggang, deputy dean of Wuchang Fangcai Hospital, deputy director of the medical department of Wuhan University People’s Hospital, Cheng Yujia, director of the Office of Infection Prevention and Control Office of Wuhan University People’s Hospital, and Liu Chunying, deputy director of the nursing department of Wuhan University People’s Hospital. The other two experts of the support team came from Zhongnan Architectural Design Institute Co., Ltd. and Wuhan CITIC Architectural Design Institute Co., Ltd.
　　According to Director Ma Yonggang, the Wuhan University People’s Hospital team held a video conference with the Hong Kong Medical and Health Bureau under the auspices of the National Health Commission on July 23 to exchange and share information on the operation and management of Wuchang Fangcang shelter hospital . Ma Yonggang learned on July 27 that he and several colleagues would be sent to Hong Kong.
　　After receiving the task, the People's Hospital of Wuhan University paid great attention to it. Since Wuchang Fangcai Hospital was closed on March 10, several months have passed since now. In order to make full preparations, the "Inner Cabin Hospital Volunteer Team" re-examined the organization and management experience of Wuchang Fangcai Hospital. Regarding the possibility that Hong Kong may set up a shelter hospital in the Hong Kong AsiaWorld-Expo, the team also obtained a floor plan of the venue for research. Experts in architectural design will carry out the renovation of exhaust and ventilation ducts and the renovation of three zones and two passages based on the conditions of the venue.
　　In order to avoid possible situations, the People's Hospital of Wuhan University has prepared customized suitcases for each member, containing clothes, shoes, various personal protective materials and various drugs.
　　Ma Yonggang introduced that the "Mainland Nucleic Acid Testing Support Team" composed of the Guangdong Medical Team has a Hong Kong pass endorsed stay time of one month, while the "Mainland Cabin Hospital Support Team" can stay in Hong Kong for half a year. In addition, a team of 60 people from Guangdong Nucleic Acid Testing has set off for Hong Kong.
　　Ma Yonggang's child is in a critical period of early childhood promotion this year, and he and his wife frankly confessed that there is no way to share housework. "We don't know when we will come back, but we will definitely stick to the day when Hong Kong's war epidemic is triumphed and the shelter hospital is closed smoothly."
　　It is also reported that Wan Jun, the leader of the "Inner Local Cabin Hospital Support Team", the vice president of Wuhan University People’s Hospital and the president of Wuchang Fangcai Hospital, went to Shenzhen on July 30 to participate in a coordination meeting organized by relevant state departments. The content of the meeting was involved The scale and staff composition of the Hong Kong shelter hospital. At around 15:30 on August 1, he had returned to Wuhan by train and will assemble with the team to wait for the departure order.
　　The Wuchang shelter hospital, which was taken over by the People's Hospital of Wuhan University, is the first batch of construction in Wuhan, the first to treat patients with mild new coronary pneumonia, and the last shelter hospital to be suspended. A total of 1,124 people were admitted in 35 days, achieving zero deaths of patients, zero infections in medical care, and zero return of patients.

http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2020/08-02/9254161.shtml