The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health today (October 8) reported that the suspected case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) pending results yesterday (October 7), upon preliminary testing, tested negative for MERS Coronavirus.
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) today (October 8) announced that the department tested 107 water samples collected from cooling towers in 94 buildings in its routine inspections in September this year. Five samples were detected to have a total legionella count at or above the upper threshold, which is 1 000 colony-forming units per millilitre. The latest statistics are set out in Annex 1.
The cooling towers in which the five samples were collected in September are located at 17-19 Electric Road, North Point; 386 Portland Street, Mong Kok; 70 Fa Yuen Street, Mong Kok; 49-51 Woosung Street, Yau Ma Tei and 34 Mong Kok Road, Mong Kok. The EMSD has issued nuisance notices under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance to the owners of the cooling towers requiring appropriate disinfection work to be done. Disinfection of the cooling towers in these five cases has already been completed by the owners. Details of these five cases can be found in Annex 2. The EMSD publishes the latest statistics of the above information on a half-monthly basis on its website
(www.emsd.gov.hk/en/other_regulatory_services/cooling_towers/water_sampling/index.html).
The EMSD reminds the owners of fresh water cooling towers that they have the responsibility to design, operate and maintain cooling towers properly. They should arrange regular inspections, timely maintenance and periodic testing of the water quality in their cooling towers in accordance with the Code of Practice for Fresh Water Cooling Towers issued by the department to prevent the proliferation of legionella.
With the launch of the Vaccination Subsidy Scheme (VSS) 2018/19 this Wednesday (October 10), the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health (DH) today (October 8) reminded eligible persons to receive subsidised seasonal influenza vaccination (SIV) in a timely manner to better protect themselves in the coming winter influenza season.
The coverage of the VSS in 2018/19 has been extended from elderly persons aged 65 or above to Hong Kong residents aged 50 or above, increasing the number of beneficiaries of the scheme by about 1.8 million. The subsidy for SIV under the VSS will also be increased from $190 to $210 per dose for all eligible groups.
The eligible groups are Hong Kong residents who are:
Eligible groups can receive subsidised vaccination from enrolled private doctors in their clinics. Enrolled doctors should display the designated logo near the entrance of their clinics and a pricing poster in the clinic showing their charges. The list of enrolled doctors and their service fees after deducting the government subsidy has been uploaded to the eHealth System (Subsidies) (apps.hcv.gov.hk/SDIR/EN).
"Influenza can cause serious illnesses in high-risk individuals and even healthy persons. Given that influenza vaccines are safe and effective, all persons aged 6 months or above, except those with known contraindications, are recommended to receive SIV for personal protection," a spokesman for the CHP said.
"Based on past epidemiological patterns, the winter influenza season usually occurs from January to March/April each year. As it takes about two weeks to develop antibodies, we urge eligible persons to receive SIV early for protection against seasonal influenza. Vaccination among family members is key to protecting their personal and family's health."
The public, especially eligible groups, may call the CHP's hotline (2125 2125) for enquiries during office hours or visit the CHP's Vaccination Schemes page for more information.
The Education Bureau (EDB) today (October 8) welcomed the announcement by the Ministry of Education on the detailed arrangements of the Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong Students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions for 2019. The number of Mainland higher education institutions participating in the Admission Scheme will increase to 109 (listed in the Annex). The quota on the number of students nominated by each school under the School Principal Nomination Scheme (SPNS) will also increase to eight.
"There will continue to be enhancements to the Admission Scheme in 2019. Compared with 2018, there are seven more institutions participating in the scheme, namely the Central Conservatory of Music, the Central Academy of Drama, the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Hubei University, Guangdong Ocean University, Chang’an University and Lanzhou University. The EDB welcomes more renowned institutions in the Mainland to participate in the scheme, thus providing students with a wider choice," a spokesman for the EDB said.
"In addition, the quota on the number of students nominated by each school under the SPNS will increase from six to eight. The minimum entrance requirement adopted by the SPNS remains unchanged i.e. the attainment in the HKDSE Examination of a total score of 10 or above in the four core subjects i.e. Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Liberal Studies, and among which none of them is below 2.”
As in previous years, the Admission Scheme will admit Hong Kong students based on their results in the HKDSE Examination and exempt them from taking the Joint Entrance Examination for Mainland Institutions, hence relieving their pressure and enabling them to concentrate on their preparation for the HKDSE Examination. Candidates sitting for the HKDSE Examination in 2019 are welcome to enroll in the scheme.
The enrolment process of the Admission Scheme in 2019 will follow the practice of previous years, which consists of both online application and subsequent on-site confirmation of application. According to the admission procedure for 2019, students can apply online from March 1 to 20, 2019 and perform on-site confirmation and pay the enrolment fee at the China Education Exchange (HK) Centre from March 11 to 29, 2019 (except Sundays and public holidays). Institutions may arrange interviews based on the application information submitted by candidates. School admission will start in late July, 2019. Institutions will announce admission results and arrange supplementary enrolment based on their admission results at the end of July.
Details of the Admission Scheme are available at the EDB's website (www.edb.gov.hk/expo18).
To help students and parents gain a better understanding of the scheme, the EDB and the Ministry of Education will jointly hold the 2018 Mainland Higher Education Expo on December 1 and 2 this year.
During the event, there will be talks by the Ministry of Education on details of the application procedure and admission arrangements under the scheme, as well as briefing sessions conducted by representatives of the institutions on the characteristics and career prospects of individual programmes.
The 109 Mainland higher education institutions participating in the Admission Scheme for 2019 will set up exhibition booths and organise talks to provide information on areas such as features of the faculties and subjects, admission criteria, the number of places and tuition fees. There will also be sharing sessions during which some Hong Kong students who have graduated from Mainland institutions will talk about their study life on the Mainland. In addition, senior management members of sizable corporations will give talks on the career prospects of students after graduation from Mainland higher education institutions.
The Expo will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 10am to 7pm on December 1 (Saturday), and from 10am to 6pm on December 2 (Sunday). Admission is free.
The EDB, the China Education Exchange (HK) Centre and Hok Yau Club have jointly compiled the "Handbook on the Scheme for Admission of Hong Kong students to Mainland Higher Education Institutions". The handbook provides comprehensive information on the Admission Scheme and further studies on the Mainland, including information on all the institutions participating in the scheme, programmes offered, strategy on programme choices, and sharing by graduates of Mainland universities. The handbook will be distributed free of charge at the Expo. Its e-version will be uploaded on the website of the EDB (www.edb.gov.hk/expo18) after the Expo.
Eligible Hong Kong students enrolled in undergraduate programmes of designated Mainland institutions could apply for means-tested subsidy (a full-rate subsidy of HK$16,800 or a half-rate subsidy of HK$8,400 per annum) or non-means-tested subsidy (a subsidy of $5,600 per annum) under the Mainland University Study Subsidy Scheme (MUSSS). Application details of MUSSS for the 2019/20 academic year will be announced in mid-2019.
The Guangxi Liaison Unit (GXLU) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government moved to its new office today (October 8). The new office is located at Room 2306-01, Block B, China Resources Building, No.136-2, Minzu Avenue, Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The GXLU, under the purview of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong of the Government of the HKSAR, was set up in April 2017. It strives to strengthen the HKSAR Government's connections with the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region People's Government; promote economic and trade relations and foster cultural exchanges with Guangxi; organise activities to promote Hong Kong's advantages; liaise with Hong Kong people living, working or studying in Guangxi; and provide support for Hong Kong residents and enterprises in Guangxi.
The GXLU's office telephone number (86-771) 2611 228; fax number (86-771) 2611 913; email gxlu@gdeto.gov.hk; and the website www.gdeto.gov.hk remain unchanged.