The night of receiving the first case at HAIDC

Whenever a pandemic breaks out, the Hospital Authority Infectious Disease Centre (HAIDC) is always at the forefront of confronting the virus. Dr Owen Tsang, Medical Director of HAIDC, completed his infectious disease and medicine specialty training in 2002, just a year later, he fought against SARS as a newcomer. After 17 years, Dr Tsang marshals the battle against COVID-19.

“I returned to Hong Kong from the United Kingdom on 21 January as scheduled and my holiday was supposed to end in early February. After the first highly suspected case was found in Hong Kong on 22 January, I immediately reported for duty.” The case was then confirmed positive after further testing on the next day. Dr Tsang says as early as in January, his team had been closely monitoring the situation in the Mainland, and sharing with their colleagues the updates on the pandemic and infection control measures. Moreover, in expectation of the first confirmed case of infection, they have already deliberated on the detailed arrangement, including how patients are allocated to the medical ward. To speak in a nutshell, everyone in the Centre has made the best preparation in the battle.

The first patient arrived at HAIDC around 6pm on 22 January. Dr Tsang admitted that the team was a bit nervous at the beginning owing to insufficient information. However, with profound experience accumulated in battling infectious diseases such as SARS, Swine Influenza, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome and Ebola, and advanced equipment, they have full confidence in this battle.

During the interview, Dr Tsang often expresses gratitude to his comrades, which include colleagues who initiated to join the HAIDC earlier than scheduled, as well as colleagues who joined voluntarily from the Department of Medicine. As his team has already been in full battle array, Dr Tsang appreciates team members for their professionalism and wholehearted dedication. “We are all set ready in the anti-pandemic work!”