CU Medicine Brochure

DANCES WITH A DISEASE: how CUMED takes on COVID-19 25 A CUMED team is leading an initiative to uncover the extent of hidden infections of COVID-19. The team has recruited 3,000 Hongkongers who provided blood and saliva samples to test whether they have unwittingly been infected with the virus. This will establish the extent of mild and asymptomatic cases. Members of the public were invited to volunteer, with registrants randomly selected once balanced by age group and sex. They then received a testing slot at the CUHK Lek Yuen Family Medicine Teaching Clinic, with results returned to them within six to eight weeks. Establishing what proportion of the Hong Kong population has experienced hidden infection will inform how to combat future waves of COVID-19. It is also important to find out what, if any, symptoms or signs the hidden cases in Hong Kong may have displayed that could have allowed for detection. These insights can help improve the method of surveillance for catching hard-to-identify cases of the disease. The US Centers for Disease Control and Preven- tion warn that one in four coronavirus infections could be asymptomatic. This suggests the battle against the disease may be a long one. The information will be instrumental in improving containment strategies for a disease that may resurface in Hong Kong as long as a cure is not found. Prof. Paul Chan, Chairman of the Department of Microbiology, leads a team to get a full idea of hidden infections in Hong Kong