Findings from the first public COVID-19 temporary test centre in Hong Kong.

INTRODUCTION: The Hospital Authority of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region established a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) temporary test centre at the AsiaWorld-Expo from March 2020 to April 2020, which allowed high-risk individuals to undergo early assessment of potential severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. This study reviewed the characteristics and outcomes of individuals who attended the centre for COVID-19 testing. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study collected epidemiological and clinical data. The primary outcome was a positive or negative SARS-CoV-2 test result, according to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analyses of pooled nasopharyngeal and throat swabs collected at the centre. The relationships of clinical characteristics with SARS-CoV-2 positive test results were assessed by multivariable binary logistic regression. RESULTS: Of 1258 attendees included in the analysis, 86 individuals tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection (positivity rate=6.84%; 95% confidence interval [CI]=5.57%-8.37%). Of these 86 individuals, 40 (46.5%) were aged 15 to 24 years and 81 (94.2%) had a history of recent travel. Symptoms were reported by 86.0% and 96.3% of individuals with positive and negative test results, respectively. The clinical characteristics most strongly associated with a positive test result were anosmia (adjusted odds ratio [ORadj]=8.30; 95% CI=1.12-127.09) and fever ORadj=1.32; 95% CI=1.02-3.28). CONCLUSION: The temporary test centre successfully helped identify individuals with COVID-19 who exhibited mild disease symptoms. Healthcare providers should carefully consider the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 to arrange early testing to reduce community spread.

Resource implications of inter-facility transport between emergency departments in Hong Kong.

BACKGROUND: The Inter-facility Transport (IFT) service provided by the Emergency Department (ED) is a vital service in Hong Kong. Patients need to be rapidly transported over distances to access appropriate healthcare facilities. METHODS: This study aims 1. to examine the resource utilisation of IFT accompanied by ED staff and 2. to analyse the crude, fixed and variable costs of IFT. A retrospective review was conducted of all IFT from Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital in the New Territories of Hong Kong where ED staff accompanied patients from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2008. Descriptive analysis was used to evaluate the crude, fixed and variable costs per year for providing an ED-based IFT service. RESULTS: There were 337 transports accompanied by either medical or nursing staff from the ED that accounted for around 2% of all IFT. The most common indication for mobilising the transport team was an unstable clinical condition that required neurosurgical care. The average transport service time was 57.7 min per transport (SD 11.0). Resource utilisation consisted of fixed and variable costs that summed up to a cost of HKD $87,224.3 (USD $11,182.6) per year and the crude cost of providing IFT service by the ED was HKD$852.2 (USD $109.3) per patient. CONCLUSION: The crude cost of providing IFT service by the ED was reasonable and acceptable.