'Virus case isolations done after days of symptoms'

'Virus case isolations done after days of symptoms'

The identification and isolation of coronavirus patients in Hong Kong is being done days after victims start showing symptoms, a study by Chinese University revealed on Tuesday.



The team analysed the first 56 infections of Covid-19 reported in Hong Kong and found it took more than a week on average for patients to be isolated after they showed symptoms.



Most patients had sought medical assistance more than once before the coronavirus diagnosis was made, it found. In the worst case, a patient was diagnosed with the infection 14 days after the appearance of symptoms.



Professor Kwok Kin-on, one of the researchers who carried out the study, said the fact that Covid-19 patients only showed mild symptoms at the beginning might lead to delayed diagnosis and isolation. He said it would increase the risk of transmission to close contacts and in hospitals.



“If more cases with unknown sources are identified, the government may have to consider more drastic approaches on social distancing including the closure of malls and public services,” he said.



“The general public [should] also strictly adopt social distancing measures, for example, to avoid mass gathering and to reduce social gatherings.”



The research team also interviewed more than 1,000 residents on the coronavirus outbreak and found most respondents were very worried about the situation.



They rated their anxiety levels on average at 8.82 out of ten, which researchers consider as “borderline abnormal”. A majority think they have a high chance of getting infected, the study found.



In terms of sources of information, it found that people had the lowest level of trust in government websites. Nearly 60 percent of the respondents said they don't trust official sites and rely on their family doctors for information.



The survey showed while a majority of respondents have stepped up personal hygiene practices, including wearing masks and cleaning hands, fewer were taking steps to reduce social contacts. Only 36 per cent avoided taking public transport but 56 per cent avoided social gatherings.