Coronavirus: Hong Kong explores using finger pricks to draw blood for airport antibody tests

The technique, already in use in Macau and mainland China, could be employed in place of drawing blood with a syringe, government pandemic adviser says

City, meanwhile, confirms two new Covid-19 cases, both imported, ahead of press conference explaining roll-out of vaccinations for the 12 to 15 age bracket

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Hong Kong is exploring various methods of collecting blood via finger pricks for antibody tests to be administered at the airport. Photo: Kontrolab/LightRocket via Getty

Published: 1:36pm, 10 Jun 2021Updated: 3:05pm, 10 Jun 2021

Hong Kong health authorities are exploring different methods of drawing blood via finger pricks for Covid-19 antibody screenings that would be administered at the airport, a government medical adviser has said.

The latest update about the screenings – tipped as the next step in the fight against more virulent strains of the coronavirus – accompanied news that the administration would announce its plan for vaccinating the city’s teenagers on Thursday afternoon.

Hong Kong confirmed two new Covid-19 infections ahead of that press conference. Both were imported. The cases, arrivals from Britain and Mauritania, took the city’s overall tally to 11,874, with 210 related deaths. Fewer than five people, meanwhile, tested preliminary-positive for the virus.

Speaking on a morning radio show, Professor David Hui Shu-cheong of Chinese University said the finger prick method could be used in place of drawing blood with a syringe if it was accurate.

“Traditionally, antibody tests are done by drawing blood with a syringe. So with the finger prick tests, we must test them to make sure they are reliable before putting them to use,” Hui said, adding results should be available within half an hour depending on the devices used.

“Drawing with a syringe is, of course, the most accurate. As for the finger prick tests, there are many types in the market, and the quality varies,” he said.

The city’s health experts have suggested antibody tests be given to international arrivals to determine if they have been sufficiently protected by a Covid-19 vaccine. The screenings can also help identify false negative cases during quarantine to ensure those who are asymptomatic are not allowed into the community.

The proposal has been supported by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who said her government would study the idea seriously.