To Hong Kong private doctor Fu Di, the city’s universal testing program is “absolutely the right thing” to do before a COVID-19 vaccine is available.
So when the recruitment call came in mid-August for volunteers to collect samples, the 30-something answered without hesitation.
The two-week citywide testing program, planned by the special administrative region government and supported by the central government, ended on Monday. Across the city, 141 sample collecting centers took samples from over 1.7 million Hong Kong residents who participated in the campaign.
All of these reminded me of the true Hong Kong — a pragmatic, rational society where people understand each other.
Fu Di, private doctor
At a testing center in Tai Kok Tsui, Fu worked four days, 12 hours each day, from 8 am to 8 pm, with a half-hour break at noon. He was one of 6,000 local medical professionals and students who helped sample the program.
“We wore protective gear for as long as possible, even the whole six hours during one shift,” Fu told China Daily. According to him, many volunteers avoided drinking water during the day to reduce bathroom use. “It takes a little time in the bathroom, but it’s a hassle to go through the whole disinfection and protection process every time we go,” he said.
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After four days of volunteer work, Fu did a swab at the testing center where he worked. “I felt a little nervous when I sat in a chair as a patient and an ordinary resident, and the whole process was actually a little less comfortable than I had expected,” said Fu, who felt surprised as he is used to seeing surgery.
The experience made him more impressed and moved by the cooperation from residents.
Many senior citizens with mobility problems came for the tests. Fu remembered an elderly man who arrived at the center, exhausted, sweating and panting, and had to take a long rest before he felt well enough to be tested.
“If I don’t do it, and you don’t do it, this thing (testing program) will not be possible. If the program fails, Hong Kong will never go back to normal,” the senior citizen said.
Fu recalled that there was an “unfailingly friendly” atmosphere in the sampling centers. “The kids would find it harder (to provide a sample), but they went through it and did not forget to thank us afterward,” he said.
Before the program started, Fu rescheduled some patients’ appointments. Some patients expressed concerns for their safety and delayed their appointments till after the completion of the program. But most were understanding and said that they would support him and the program.
“All of these reminded me of the true Hong Kong — a pragmatic, rational society where people understand each other,” he said.
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Fu said the testing program means much more than identifying 42 patients, but has a profound significance that is worth passing on.
Fu believes there is still an invisible transmission chain within the Hong Kong community that requires consistent efforts to combat. “If there is another outbreak, Hong Kong might need another mass testing. The question comes down to how to get the public motivated,” he said.
He suggested that the government and social groups, particularly the medical community, should aim to increase scientific understanding of the pandemic among the public, including knowledge and guidance of large-scale community testing.
Fu acknowledged that doctors in Hong Kong, including him, tend to focus on their own work and avoid expressing their views in public. “We can do better than that,” he said.
