Update on anti-epidemic medical supplies from Mainland

     The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau said today (March 8) that the task force of ensuring medical supplies has been working closely with its Mainland counterparts and various kinds of medical supplies are arriving in Hong Kong in batches.
      
     The task force has so far procured more than 29 million rapid antigen test (RAT) kits from the Mainland. More than 12 million RAT kits have been distributed to frontline anti-epidemic personnel, patients confirmed to have contracted COVID-19, persons undergoing home quarantine under the "StayHomeSafe" Scheme, persons with higher infection risks (such as residents subject to "restriction-testing declarations" or living in areas tested positive under sewage tracing), persons of high-risk industries (such as cross-boundary goods vehicle drivers, property management staff, cleansing staff and staff of residential care homes for the elderly) through the Department of Health (DH), the Home Affairs Department and various government departments as well as local organisations continuously.
      
     More than 650 000 pulse oximeters have been received by the task force so far. Most of them have been distributed to the DH and the Hospital Authority (HA) for patient use.
      
     Also, the task force has received over 54 million N95 masks, KN95 masks and surgical masks. About 1.1 million of them have been delivered to frontline staff of the DH and the disciplined services. The task force is also receiving various personal protective equipment, including 70 000 protective coveralls, 20 000 protective gowns, 190 000 goggles, 1.1 million face shields, 235 000 pairs of shoe covers and over 1.9 million pairs of surgical/examination gloves, which will be distributed to frontline staff through various government departments according to their needs.
      
     The task force is receiving a total of 450 000 boxes of anti-epidemic proprietary Chinese medicines, including the batch arriving in Hong Kong progressively. Among them, 170 000 boxes have been given to the Hong Kong Community Anti-Coronavirus Link and other local organisations for distribution to the community. Meanwhile, some of the proprietary Chinese medicines are being given to residents subject to "restriction-testing declarations" via the Food and Health Bureau.
      
     The remaining proprietary Chinese medicines are being distributed through relevant departments to those receiving treatment at 18 Chinese medicine clinics under the HA and people who had tested positive at isolation facilities, allowing citizens in need to obtain these proprietary Chinese medicines donated by the Central Government as soon as possible, in order to fight the virus together.
      
     The task force will continue to co-ordinate with various government departments and agencies on the medical supplies needed to ensure that resources can be expeditiously supplied to Hong Kong to cope with the epidemic.