Hong Kong fourth wave: new private hospital under Chinese University to ease burden on public sector by accepting Covid-19 patients
- CUHK Medical Centre in Sha Tin expected to begin operations on January 6 and will require inpatients and those coming for day procedures to be tested for coronavirus
- Preparation work under way to convert two floors of wards to take in Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms
A new private hospital set to open next week under the Chinese University of Hong Kong can take in Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms if capacity in the public sector is stretched, its management has said.
The CUHK Medical Centre in Sha Tin, the first private teaching hospital wholly owned by a university, would also require all inpatients and those for day procedures to be tested for the coronavirus. It is expected to begin operations on January 6.
“They would need to submit a test done within three days before coming to the hospital,” CEO Dr Fung Hong said on Tuesday. “It would need to be an RT-PCR test rather than an antigen test, which is not sensitive enough,” Fung added, referring to the gold standard for Covid-19 screening, which takes longer.
People visiting for outpatient services or those accompanying patients will not be required to take the test.
With the city deep in its fight against the fourth wave of Covid-19 infections, the management of the CUHK facility has expressed their intention to take in coronavirus patients with mild symptoms.