Nasal and throat swab
Dear Department of Health,
I have the following posted on your FB page and have been asking questions for a long while but get NO RESPONSE from you.
I paste below again.
In addition to my email sent on 26th August I await your response to the below questions too.
I would like to know what is contained in your swabs.
In 10 days I have had four tests and I am begining to feel a numbness in my nose?
What do the swabs contain? Why the numbness?
Why so many tests? What is a safe number? Do I have the right to refuse further testing?
Where else in the world people in quarantine are subjected to any tests at such frequency every 2-4 days and why 21 days quarantine? 14 days already too long!!!!
Stop making us who are in quarantine, guinea pigs of your experiments.
Yours faithfully,
Miss S Rozario
Dear Miss S Rozario,
I write further to our email to you dated 7 September 2021.
Please be informed that a longer processing time on your request is
required as we are liaising with relevant government departments to obtain
the information you requested. According to paragraph 1.18 of the Code on
Access to Information, our department will inform you of the latest
progress of the case on or before 18 October 2021.
In the meantime, you may contact the undersigned at 2125 2642 if you need
further assistance.
Thank you for your attention.
(Miss Tracy SO)
for Director of Health
___________________________________
Disclaimer : This e-mail message (together with any attachments) is for
the designated recipient only. It may contain information that is
privileged for the designated recipient. If you are not the intended
recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, retention, disclosure,
copying, printing, forwarding or dissemination of the message is strictly
prohibited. If you have received the message in error, please erase all
copies of the message (including attachments) from you system and notify
the sender immediately.
From: Sophy KK KWOK/DH/HKSARG
To: S Rozario <[FOI #729 email]>
Cc: Francis YM CHING/DH/HKSARG@DH, Tracy WS SO/DH/HKSARG@DH
Date: 07/09/2021 17:16
Subject: Fw: Freedom of Information request - Nasal and throat swab
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Miss S Rozario,
Our department received your application for access to information dated
29 August 2021.
Your application is now under processing. According to paragraph 1.16 of
the Code on Access to Information, we will inform you of the latest
progress of the case on or before 17 September 2021.
If you have any enquiries in the interim, please contact Ms Sophy KWOK,
Executive Officer(Personnel)3 at 3107 2593. Thank you.
Regards,
(Ms Sophy KWOK)
for Director of Health
___________________________________
Disclaimer : This e-mail message (together with any attachments) is for
the designated recipient only. It may contain information that is
privileged for the designated recipient. If you are not the intended
recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, retention, disclosure,
copying, printing, forwarding or dissemination of the message is strictly
prohibited. If you have received the message in error, please erase all
copies of the message (including attachments) from you system and notify
the sender immediately.
----- Forwarded by Sophy KK KWOK/DH/HKSARG on 07/09/2021 14:07 -----
From: S Rozario <[FOI #729 email]>
To: FOI requests at Department of Health <[Department of Health request email]>
Date: 29/08/2021 21:36
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Nasal and throat swab
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Department of Health,
I have the following posted on your FB page and have been asking questions
for a long while but get NO RESPONSE from you.
I paste below again.
In addition to my email sent on 26th August I await your response to the
below questions too.
I would like to know what is contained in your swabs.
In 10 days I have had four tests and I am begining to feel a numbness in
my nose?
What do the swabs contain? Why the numbness?
Why so many tests? What is a safe number? Do I have the right to refuse
further testing?
Where else in the world people in quarantine are subjected to any tests
at such frequency every 2-4 days and why 21 days quarantine? 14 days
already too long!!!!
Stop making us who are in quarantine, guinea pigs of your experiments.
Yours faithfully,
Miss S Rozario
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a request under the Code of Access to Information facilitated via
the accessinfo.hk website.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #729 email]
Is [Department of Health request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests
to Department of Health? If so, please contact us using this form:
[1]https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[2]https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
References
Visible links
1. https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...
2. https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers
Dear Miss S Rozario,
Further to our previous reply dated 17.9.2021, please find our reply on
your requested information under Code on Access to Information.
According to the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), the
incubation period of the virus could be as long as 14 days. That said,
with reference to advice from experts that the incubation period of virus
carried by very few infected persons could be longer than the 14–day
quarantine period, and noting the prevalence of virus variants in
different regions as well as their higher transmissibility, as a
precautionary measure, the Government has adopted a risk-based approach
and categorised overseas places into high-risk, medium-risk and low-risk
groups taking into account a basket of factors, so as to implement
boarding, quarantine and testing requirements based on the relevant risk
levels, including compulsory quarantine for up to 21 days after arrival at
Hong Kong.
For travellers arriving at Hong Kong from high-risk and medium-risk
places, they have to undergo compulsory quarantine for 21 days in
designated quarantine hotels. At the same time, for early detection of
cases to prevent possible transmission during or after quarantine,
travellers are also required to be tested on arrival, as well as on the
3rd, 5th, 9th, 12th, 16th, and 19th days of their arrival at Hong Kong, as
well as on the 26th day of arrival if the traveller had stayed in
high-risk places before arrival.
For the nucleic acid tests, either flocked or spun polyester swab is used
to collect combined nasal and throat swab (CNTS), and nothing is added to
the swab. The Department of Health’s Infection Control Branch’s
“Infection Control Advice on Specimen Collection to Test for COVID-19” can
be accessed at
[1]<https://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/advice_...>.
The tests are required and performed under either the Prevention and
Control of Disease Regulation (Cap. 599A) or the Pursuant to the
Prevention and Control of Disease (Compulsory Testing for Certain Persons)
Regulation (Cap. 599J). A person who fails to comply with the
requirements commits an offence and are liable on conviction to a fine and
to imprisonment for six months.
The Government will continue to closely monitor the epidemic situation of
different places, and will consider a basket of factors under the
risk-based principle, including public health considerations (such as
epidemic situation in particular places, testing rate, vaccination rate,
volume of travellers and actual imported cases, etc.), as well as other
local socio-economic factors to adjust the boarding, quarantine and
testing requirements for persons arriving at Hong Kong from relevant
places based on risk levels as the situation warrants.
Please contact the undersigned at 2125 2642 if you need further
assistance.
Thank you for your attention.
(Miss Tracy SO)
for Director of Health
___________________________________
Disclaimer : This e-mail message (together with any attachments) is for
the designated recipient only. It may contain information that is
privileged for the designated recipient. If you are not the intended
recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, retention, disclosure,
copying, printing, forwarding or dissemination of the message is strictly
prohibited. If you have received the message in error, please erase all
copies of the message (including attachments) from you system and notify
the sender immediately.
From: Tracy WS SO/DH/HKSARG
To: Rozario<[FOI #729 email]>
Cc: Francis YM CHING/DH/HKSARG@DH, Sophy KK KWOK/DH/HKSARG@DH,
Cheyenne ST LEE/DH/HKSARG@DH, Kevonny MY TO/FHB <[email address]>, Mandy
WM TSE/FHB <[email address]>
Date: 17/09/2021 15:25
Subject: Re: Freedom of Information request - Nasal and throat swab
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Miss S Rozario,
I write further to our email to you dated 7 September 2021.
Please be informed that a longer processing time on your request is
required as we are liaising with relevant government departments to obtain
the information you requested. According to paragraph 1.18 of the Code on
Access to Information, our department will inform you of the latest
progress of the case on or before 18 October 2021.
In the meantime, you may contact the undersigned at 2125 2642 if you need
further assistance.
Thank you for your attention.
(Miss Tracy SO)
for Director of Health
___________________________________
Disclaimer : This e-mail message (together with any attachments) is for
the designated recipient only. It may contain information that is
privileged for the designated recipient. If you are not the intended
recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, retention, disclosure,
copying, printing, forwarding or dissemination of the message is strictly
prohibited. If you have received the message in error, please erase all
copies of the message (including attachments) from you system and notify
the sender immediately.
From: Sophy KK KWOK/DH/HKSARG
To: S Rozario <[FOI #729 email]>
Cc: Francis YM CHING/DH/HKSARG@DH, Tracy WS SO/DH/HKSARG@DH
Date: 07/09/2021 17:16
Subject: Fw: Freedom of Information request - Nasal and throat swab
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Miss S Rozario,
Our department received your application for access to information dated
29 August 2021.
Your application is now under processing. According to paragraph 1.16 of
the Code on Access to Information, we will inform you of the latest
progress of the case on or before 17 September 2021.
If you have any enquiries in the interim, please contact Ms Sophy KWOK,
Executive Officer(Personnel)3 at 3107 2593. Thank you.
Regards,
(Ms Sophy KWOK)
for Director of Health
___________________________________
Disclaimer : This e-mail message (together with any attachments) is for
the designated recipient only. It may contain information that is
privileged for the designated recipient. If you are not the intended
recipient, you are hereby notified that any use, retention, disclosure,
copying, printing, forwarding or dissemination of the message is strictly
prohibited. If you have received the message in error, please erase all
copies of the message (including attachments) from you system and notify
the sender immediately.
----- Forwarded by Sophy KK KWOK/DH/HKSARG on 07/09/2021 14:07 -----
From: S Rozario <[FOI #729 email]>
To: FOI requests at Department of Health <[Department of Health request email]>
Date: 29/08/2021 21:36
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Nasal and throat swab
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Department of Health,
I have the following posted on your FB page and have been asking questions
for a long while but get NO RESPONSE from you.
I paste below again.
In addition to my email sent on 26th August I await your response to the
below questions too.
I would like to know what is contained in your swabs.
In 10 days I have had four tests and I am begining to feel a numbness in
my nose?
What do the swabs contain? Why the numbness?
Why so many tests? What is a safe number? Do I have the right to refuse
further testing?
Where else in the world people in quarantine are subjected to any tests
at such frequency every 2-4 days and why 21 days quarantine? 14 days
already too long!!!!
Stop making us who are in quarantine, guinea pigs of your experiments.
Yours faithfully,
Miss S Rozario
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a request under the Code of Access to Information facilitated via
the accessinfo.hk website.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #729 email]
Is [Department of Health request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information requests
to Department of Health? If so, please contact us using this form:
[2]https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[3]https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
References
Visible links
1. https://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/advice_...
2. https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...
3. https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers
