Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor holds a press conference at Central Government Offices on Sept 1, 2020. (PARKER ZHENG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG - Hong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor dismissed "unfounded claims" about the city’s free universal coronavirus testing after taking a test herself on Tuesday morning, which she described as “safe, simple, convenient and fast”.

About 10,000 residents have taken the the test, including high-ranking officials, Lam said at 10 am during a press conference on Tuesday, two hours after the two-week long program kicked off

About 10,000 residents have taken the the test, including high-ranking officials, Lam said at 10 am during a press conference on Tuesday, two hours after the two-week long program kicked off.

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Meeting reporters ahead of her weekly Executive Council meeting, Lam thanked about 6,000 medical professionals and 4,000 civil servants who are assisting with the testing.

She stressed the government’s support for the Hospital Authority (HA) which operates the city’s public hospitals and in a message to HA Employees Alliance, urged the group to see reason. The Alliance has called for a boycott of the testing, claiming the exercise is "useless".

An HA spokesperson said on Monday that the authority encouraged its staff to join the exercise and that large-scale community testing will also help reduce staff and in-patient infection risks.

Tung Chee-hwa, former Hong Kong chief executive and a current vice-­chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, told reporters that the procedure is quite simple and not painful at all after getting tested at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. He called for wider participation from residents, saying that mass testing is the best way to cut transmission chains.  

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Terming the process efficient, Artur Filipowcz, a Swiss finance practitioner who was tested at the same venue, said: “It didn’t take much time, so it was pretty hassle free.” 

Shirley, a clerk who didn’t give her surname, also took the test at the exhibition center. She said medical workers conducting the test were quite patient and considerate, as they clearly explained the process in advance and reminded her to take rest if she felt unwell.

A staff directs residents to the COVID-19 testing center at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center in Wan Chai, Sept 1, 2020. (PHOTO / CHINA DAILY)

David Hui Shu-cheong, a respiratory-medicine specialist and government advisor on COVID-19 control, and Gabriel Matthew Leung, chair of Public Health Medicine at the University of Hong Kong (HKU), took the tests in Sha Tin Tuesday morning. 

Hui said the procedure took only two minutes and he didn’t feel any discomfort. He described the venue as “quite spacious” and said there was no crowding.

A senior human resources manager in his 60s, who got tested at Aberdeen Sports Centre around 9 am, said the whole process took less than 10 minutes and he was comfortable with the swab-based specimen collection procedure.

He said medical professionals at the site implemented proper ventilation, disinfection and social distancing protocols.

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Hong Kong reported nine new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the second instance of a single-digit daily count since July 5 when the city saw a third wave of infections. 

Lam said those "hard-won numbers" came at the cost of normal business and social activities. She urged residents to register for the test, so that the third wave could be countered sooner.

As of noon, 615,000 Hong Kong residents had signed up for universal testing, according to official estimates.

With inputs from Gang Wen