The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     Regarding an earlier announcement on a cluster of patients infected with Influenza A in a medical ward, the spokesperson for Haven of Hope Hospital (HHH) made the following update today (March 26):
 
     Following a contact tracing investigation, six more female patients (aged 72 to 89) in a medical ward have tested positive for Influenza A. Two of them are transferred to United Christian Hospital and Tseung Kwan O Hospital for further medical care in isolation respectively, and are in serious condition due to their underlying diseases. The remaining four patients are being treated in isolation at HHH and are in stable condition.
 
     Infection control measures have already been stepped up according to established guidelines. All other patients in the ward are under close surveillance.
 
     The cases have been reported to the Hospital Authority Head Office and the Centre for Health Protection for necessary follow-up.
 
 

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:
　　
     The Hospital Authority (HA) announced the service arrangements for Easter and Ching Ming Festival public holidays today (March 26), which includes strengthening public holiday general out-patient clinic (GOPC) services and Chinese medicine out-patient services, and implementing special refund arrangements in accident and emergency (A&E) departments to cope with the medical service demand of the public during the long holidays.
 
     The HA spokesperson said, "The HA will closely monitor patients' demand for consultation at A&E and inpatient services during and after the public holidays, and the statistics on patients infected with COVID-19 and influenza, so as to flexibly mobilise resources to cope with the service demand. It is anticipated that more patients will need consultation service towards the end of the public holidays, that is April 1 to April 7. The HA will flexibly mobilise manpower to enhance GOPC service volume on weekdays, and continue to mobilise hospital beds and enhance support for discharge procedures in order to expedite hospital bed turnover. The geriatric departments will provide assessment and discharge support to elderly people at A&E departments. The community geriatric assessment team will provide tele-consultations to elderly people who are in need and living in residential care homes."
 
     During Easter and Ching Ming Festival holidays, public holiday GOPC services will provide for a total quota of about 10 000. Apart from the 14 public holiday GOPCs, four GOPCs will provide additional services on April 1. The list and service hours of the GOPCs operating during public holidays are set out in Annex I. Members of the public can make appointments for the next 24 hours through the telephone appointment system, or the "Book GOPC" function in the "HA Go" mobile application where necessary.
 
     Chinese Medicine Clinics cum Training and Research Centres (CMCTRs) located in the 18 districts will enhance the government-subsidised Chinese medicine out-patient services providing for a total quota of 12 000 in the period of Easter holidays and the first week of April. Please refer to Annex II for the list of CMCTRs operating during Easter holidays (March 29 to April 1) and their service hours. Concerning the need for consultations during and after the holidays, CMCTRs will also increase their daily quota for episodic appointments by 10 per cent on April 2 and 3 and April 5 and 6. Appointment could be made via phone during service hours or through the "18 CM Clinics" mobile application (applicable to patients who have registered for 18 CMCTRs service).
 
     The Health Bureau has collated information of private hospitals, healthcare facilities, family doctors and Chinese medicine clinics which will be in operation during the holiday across the city. The information (including addresses, phone numbers and operation hours) of the relevant hospitals and clinics have been uploaded to the online portal (www.map.gov.hk/gm/s/hhbclinic/all) for public reference in collaboration with the Spatial Data Office of the Development Bureau and the Lands Department. Such a move aims to enable citizens in need to look for suitable hospitals or clinics for medical treatment. Citizens can also simply access this online portal via the HA webpage as well as the mobile applications of eHealth and "HA Go".
      
     The HA spokesperson said, "Learning from the experience of the implementation of the special refund arrangement in A&E departments during Chinese New Year which could facilitate patients with mild symptoms to seek alternative consultations at other medical institutions, so as to alleviate pressure on public hospitals, the HA will implement the arrangement again from March 28 to April 7. The arrangement has been enhanced. Patients who have not been attended to by doctors may make a refund application within 24 hours after registration through the 'HA Go' mobile application, apart from applying from healthcare staff. Eligible applicants will receive the refund in approximately one month by cheque in mail, credit card or electronic wallet."
      
     The HA spokesperson emphasised that patient safety and their clinical situations remain the major concerns of healthcare staff, and they will not allow patients who are clinically indicated for further management to leave. The spokesperson also appeals to non-urgent patients to avoid attending A&E departments. They are advised to attend GOPCs, CMCTRs, private doctors and Chinese medicine practitioners or 24-hour clinics of private hospitals as far as practicable.

     Meanwhile, the HA appeals to members of the public to stay vigilant to personal and environmental hygiene to avoid spreading disease during public holidays. Members of the public should get vaccinated early for seasonal influenza and COVID-19, especially high-risk groups, to reduce the chance of getting infected for themselves and their family members, as well as to reduce critical cases and deaths. Members of the public may find details on the Centre for Health Protection COVID-19 Vaccination Programme website (www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/106934.html) and the Vaccination Schemes website (www.chp.gov.hk/en/features/17980.html).
 
     The HA will continue to closely monitor the situation and flexibly deploy resources and manpower when necessary, and will keep increasing its service volume in order to provide appropriate service for patients.

     The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) announced today (March 26) that it has completed the Rodent Activity Survey (RAS) for the first half of 2024 in five districts. The Rodent Absence Rate (RAR) of the five districts are tabulated below:
 

 
     The spokesman said, "The aim of the RAS is to assist the FEHD in monitoring the situation and trend of rodent infestation in each district, enabling adjustments to anti-rodent strategies and allocation of resources. Based on the survey data, the FEHD will implement targeted rodent prevention and control measures, including the use of rodenticides and trapping devices as well as filling rat holes, in areas with frequent rodent infestation. If there are facilities or venues managed by other government departments, private buildings or housing estates in the vicinity, the FEHD will also invite relevant government departments, organisations or property management groups to conduct joint operations, thereby strengthening the effectiveness of rodent control."
      
     The FEHD has fully adopted thermal imaging cameras with artificial intelligence technology for conducting the RAS, replacing the original Rodent Infestation Survey from 2024 onwards. The RAS will be conducted in 19 districts of the FEHD across the territory once every six months. Compared with the traditional survey method using sweet potato baits, the new method has greater sensitivity and precision, with a more comprehensive coverage and a lower risk of interference by environmental factors. Therefore, it is more effective in reflecting the distribution and severity of rodent infestation in districts.
 
     When conducting the RAS, the FEHD will take into account a basket of factors, including information verified from investigation of rodent-related complaint cases, the number of live rodents caught and dead rodents collected, inspection results and the views of local representatives. This is done to identify about 300 locations with potential rodent problems in each district as the sampling frame. For each survey, based on factors such as geographical distribution and verified complaint figures, etc, approximately 100 locations will be selected from the sampling frame via stratified random sampling for installation of thermal imaging cameras, in order to effectively deploy resources and ensure the representativeness of the sampled locations. The thermal imaging camera will capture two thermal images at every two-minute interval from 7pm to 7am the following day for three consecutive nights. Artificial intelligence will be utilised to analyse the images and identify the presence of rodents. The FEHD will consolidate the analysis results of artificial intelligence for each individual district and enumerate an RAR for that district. The RAR is calculated by the following formula:
 

     The RAS of the first half of 2024 in other districts is still underway. After collating and analysing the data, the FEHD will announce the results in the second and third quarters of this year progressively.

     The spokesman stressed that effective rodent prevention and control hinges on co-operation between government departments, relevant sectors, stakeholders, as well as members of the public to strengthen anti-rodent work from their respective areas. Members of the public should maintain environmental hygiene and eliminate the three fundamental survival conditions of rodents, namely food, harbourage and passages, i.e. the elimination of the food sources and hiding places of rodents as well as blockage of their dispersal routes.

     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, today (March 26) expressed his deep sorrow over the passing of Dr Eddy Li.

     Mr Chan said, "Over the years, Dr Li had been committed to promoting  Hong Kong's commercial and industrial developments. Dr Li served as the President of the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, the President of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Association, and in various advisory and statutory bodies of the Government. He actively provided wise counsel and supported the Government's administration of policies, and made valuable contributions to the development of Hong Kong's industrial and business community. I am deeply saddened by Dr Li's passing. I extend my sincere condolences to his family."

     The Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, today (March 26) led a Hong Kong delegation to attend the Mainland and Hong Kong Construction Forum 2024 in Guangzhou.
 
     With the theme of "Deepening the Collaboration of the Construction Industry in the Mainland and Hong Kong, Building a High Quality Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Taking Forward the Belt and Road Initiative Together", the forum was jointly organised by the Centre of Science and Technology Industrial Development (CSTID) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD), the Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of Guangdong Province (DHURDGP) and the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, under the steer of the MOHURD, the People's Government of Guangdong Province and the Development Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government.
 
     Speaking at the opening ceremony, Ms Linn said that Hong Kong's infrastructure development has been widely acclaimed and is one of the keys to maintaining the city's competitiveness. As one of the priority industries of Hong Kong, the construction industry must be strengthened to create strong impetus for Hong Kong's development and economic growth, and to contribute to the country. Hong Kong's construction industry has rich experience in undertaking large-scale infrastructure projects, and its professional engineering service standards have been well recognised internationally. Hong Kong construction and engineering-related professionals participated in numerous overseas infrastructure projects in the past, working together with Mainland enterprises in support of the Belt and Road Initiative. She hoped that the forum would serve as a cross-regional and high-level exchange platform for the construction industry of the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao to draw on collective wisdom, with a view to enhancing the construction and infrastructure standards of the Greater Bay Area (GBA).
 
     Before the forum, Ms Linn met with Vice-Minister of the MOHURD Mr Wang Hui, and Vice-Governor of the People's Government of Guangdong Province Mr Zhang Shaokang, to exchange views on various areas of co-operation for construction works.
 
     The Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), Mr Ricky Lau, and Deputy Director-General of the DHURDGP Mr Liu Genghui, signed the Letter of Intent on Strengthening Guangdong-Hong Kong Cooperation in Construction and Related Engineering Sectors on behalf of both sides.
 
     Ms Linn said, "The Letter of Intent will deepen the co-operation in construction and engineering sectors between Guangdong and Hong Kong on various fronts, including promoting synergistic development of the Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) industry in the GBA to build a Guangdong-Hong Kong industry chain. Going beyond encouraging application, it enhances research and development, quality accreditation and international marketing for MiC. The Letter of Intent will also support the joint formulation of GBA standards for technologies and products as well as personnel training in the construction and engineering sectors between Guangdong and Hong Kong." The Letter of Intent will also support the two places to explore further facilitation for relevant Hong Kong enterprises and professionals to set up businesses in GBA Mainland cities; and promote the selection of more suitable GBA projects to adopt Hong Kong's project management model and draw on Hong Kong's international experiences, so as to enhance the quality of construction and project management in the GBA together and foster high-quality development of the GBA.
 
     In addition, industry representatives of Guangdong and Hong Kong signed a number of co-operation agreements, including the Memorandum of Understanding between the University of Hong Kong and the CSTID of the MOHURD, the co-operation agreement between the Construction Industry Council and several training institutes in Guangdong Province, and the joint advocacy statement by construction and engineering associations, institutes and chambers of commerce from the two places.
 
     The forum attracted over 800 industry practitioners from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. Government representatives from 26 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions also attended the forum. The Hong Kong delegation comprised more than 350 members, including representatives from the construction industry, relevant chambers of commerce and professional institutes. The Director of Civil Engineering and Development, Mr Michael Fong, and the Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Eric Pang, also attended the forum.
 
     Ms Linn said that Guangdong and Hong Kong will further strengthen co-operation in promoting the compatibility of rules and alignment of mechanisms to higher standards, in a wider range of areas, and to a deeper level, in order to foster joint development of enterprises in Hong Kong and other GBA cities, and build the GBA into an internationally renowned bay area and a pioneer for advanced construction industry.
 
     Ms Linn returned to Hong Kong this afternoon after the visit.