Hong Kong detects COVID traces in sewage, tightens surveillance to identify patients

Amidst spiralling coronavirus cases in China, neighbouring Hong Kong has adopted a unique method to detect infected patients. According to local media reports, city authorities have distributed rapid antigen tests (RAT) to sanitation workers after traces of coronavirus infection were found in sewage. On Sunday, the government officially announced that it gave 200,000 sets of COVID tests to sanitation workers, residents and property management staff working in the areas with positive sewage testing results in order to identify coronavirus patients.

Hong Kong has reported a total of 1,204,510 cases since the start of the pandemic. On Sunday, the city-state registered 119 new COVID-19 cases by nucleic acid tests, and 181 additional cases through self-reported RATs, official data showed, as per Xinhua News Agency. Meanwhile, in efforts to combat COVID-19, the HKSAR government’s Environmental Protection Department and the Drainage Services Department, in collaboration with a cross-disciplinary team of the University of Hong Kong, have strengthened the sampling of sewage in all districts of Hong Kong for COVID-19 virus testing.

China's Zero COVID policy 

China, last month, implemented a notorious zero-COVID policy in order to eliminate all infections by enforcing strict lockdowns and transferring all patients to secure institutions. Now, in a recent report, AP has said that volunteers and government workers in Shanghai have erected metal barriers in multiple districts to block off small streets and entrances to apartment complexes. Meanwhile, the World Bank and some investment banks recently issued warnings about the damage caused by the intolerant COVID policy to the country's economy's growth. 

Beijing has ordered mass testing for its 21 million people after Monday’s nucleic acid tests of 3.5 million residents revealed 32 positive cases, while the eastern metropolis of Shanghai has reported 52 more deaths, taking the toll during the current outbreak to 190, officials said. The Chinese capital, which is battling the spread of the Omicron variant in the city, similar to Shanghai, has ordered mass testing from Tuesday in 11 of its districts, virtually covering all of its 21 million population. The country has reported some 214,243 cases of the deadly viral infection since the pandemic started. 

(Image: AP)