​The Government has been distributing free rapid antigen test (RAT) kits to elderly persons aged 60 or above through various elderly service units since mid-April. In the light of the gradual relaxation of social distancing measures and the increase in social activities, the Government announced today (May 27) the extension of the distribution arrangement till the end of June, with a view to encouraging elderly persons to undergo voluntary RAT testing from time to time and monitor own health condition.
A total of around 6 million RAT kits have been distributed by the Government through relevant channels since the launch of the distribution arrangement.
A spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau (FHB) said that given the high transmissibility of the Omicron mutant strain, members of the public must stay vigilant even though the epidemic situation has subsided a little recently, particularly elderly persons who have a higher COVID-19 infection risk. Making good use of RAT kits to conduct frequent testing allows early identification of infected persons, thereby achieving the goal of "early identification, early isolation and early treatment". This will help prevent the elderly from developing serious illness or even dying upon infection.
All elderly persons aged 60 or above (including members and non-members) may collect free RAT kits in person at the service units listed below. They should bring along any documents for proof of age, such as identification documents, Senior Citizen Cards or JoyYou Cards, for verification purposes. To allow more elderly persons to benefit from the distribution, only five sets of RAT kits in total will be provided each time. Recipients should not collect on behalf of other persons nor collect the RAT kits repeatedly on the same day.
* District Health Centres (DHCs) and DHC Expresses under the Primary Healthcare Office of the FHB;
* District Elderly Community Centres/Neighbourhood Elderly Centres/Social Centres for the Elderly subsidised by the Social Welfare Department (SWD);
* Elderly Health Centres under the Department of Health; and
* District-based Chinese Medicine Clinics cum Training and Research Centres (with visiting patients as the primary target recipients) operating on a tripartite collaboration model involving the Hospital Authority, non-government organisations and a local university.
"The supply of RAT kits is sufficient. There is no need for elderly persons to stockpile the RAT kits. To reduce the risk of infection, elderly persons should avoid collecting RAT kits from service units during peak hours if not attending medical consultation," the spokesman added.
The Day Care Centres/Units for the Elderly, Integrated Home Care Services Teams, Enhanced Home and Community Care Services Teams and Recognised Service Providers of the Pilot Scheme on Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly subsidised by the SWD will continue to provide free RAT kits to their service users aged 60 or above.
The Government is also providing free COVID-19 nucleic acid testing service to all elderly people aged 60 or above at community testing centres (CTCs) and mobile specimen collection stations. No advance booking is needed for the elderly. For locations of the CTCs and mobile specimen collection stations, please browse www.communitytest.gov.hk.
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