Cover Story

In March, the fifth-wave of the COVID-19 outbreak swept Hong Kong, with skyrocketing number of infections in the city, which overwhelmed medical facilities and residential care homes. The School of Nursing stood at the forefront and put extraordinary efforts in organising nursing support to district healthcare centres/hospitals and hotline centres, training health care workers in residential facilities to manage daily infection control issues, and providing timely psychological support to relieve people’s stress triggered by the pandemic.

The operating of the Caroline Hill Road Pop-up Community Vaccination Centre by the School is a recognition of our professional ability in swiftly responding to the rapidly changing pandemic situation and community needs. This chronological review of the events marks the outstanding contributions of the School in a very difficult time to the nursing profession and Hong Kong community.

21 February

Students volunteer in community isolation facility

At the time when Omicron cases hit a new high, the School responded to the invitation of Po Leung Kuk by encouraging senior year nursing students (including mental health nursing) to volunteer in the Choi Wing Road Community Isolation Facility and assist in basic nursing care or administrative duties. At present, our students continue to provide the service.

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2 March

Delivered videos to enhance infection control in RCHs

How to properly implement infection control measures in daily care was an urgent and important issue for local residential care homes and community service centres.

With the support of the School’s Squina International Centre for Infection Control, we responded to the plea for assistance from Po Leung Kuk, an operator of local residential care homes (RCHs) and delivered videos on how to gown up and gown off personal protective equipment and N95 respirators to the RCHs. We particularly refreshed the videos on three care procedures: napkin changing, oral feeding, and nasogastric tube feeding, with emphasis on infection control measures, to guide and update the healthcare workers how to manage every day care and nursing procedures with infection control measures.

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11 March

Distributed medical supplies to nursing homes

Care homes were the epicentre of the Omicron outbreak, accounting for nearly 60 percent of all deaths since January. Upon receiving tons of medical supplies from our donors*, the School swiftly organised distribution of the supplies to the local nursing homes to support senior or frail residents fighting against Omicron infection. Over 291,000 medical supplies (including 44,000 rapid antigen test kits, 213,600 pieces of respirators/face masks, etc.) reached the hands of staff and residents of over 200 local nursing homes.

*_{Zhongnanshan Medical Foundation of Guangdong Province & GuangDong Hecin Scientific Inc., Teochow International Federation & Federation of Hong Kong Chiu Chow Community Organizations, Koch Biotechnology (Beijing), Guangdong Biolight Meditech Co.Ltd., Peking University Alumni Association of Shenzhen, Peking University Alumni Association (HK) Ltd, Wuhan Tianhe Ruiyuan Technology Co., Ltd, Lee Hysan Foundation, GX Foundation, Chow Tai Fook, Greater Bay Area Safety Emergency Industry Technology Alliance, Hong Kong Volunteers Against Coronavirus, and Hong Kong Community Anti-Coronavirus Link.}

 _{Ms Hilda Tsang (2nd from left), Research Associate, was the main student coordinator of the activities. Together with 13 undergraduate students, they helped pack and deliver the medical supplies.}

 _{Prof. Angela Leung [1st right right] helped identify the nursing homes in need; Dr Lin Yang (Associate Professor) [2nd from right], main coordinator of the activities; and Prof Alex Molasiotis, Head of the School of Nursing, handed boxes of rapid antigen test kits to the staff representatives of the nursing home.}

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Since March

Students assisted in on-campus PCR tests

Our postgraduate research students Mr Wilson Kwok and Mr Laurence Parial volunteered to work in the COVID lab of PolyU’s Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology and support the University Covid-19 RT-PCR test.

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19 March

Established call centre to support HA hotlines

At the time when local hospitals were overwhelmed by soaring Omicron cases, the School set up an on-campus call centre to support the HA (Hospital Authority) hotlines. Ten HA hotlines were operated by the School from 8am to 10 pm with nearly 600 calls each day. Our teaching staff members and final year undergraduate nursing students provided timely support, nursing and infection control advice to infected patients and their families. Our service will continue until the beginning of May this year.

 _{‘Your involvement in the anti-pandemic effort will help nurture these young talents into future healthcare professionals’ said Prof. Sophia Chan, Secretary for Food and Health, during her visit to the PolyU call centre on 18 March.}

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19 March-9 April

Webinars to enhance COVID-19 literacy of ethnic minorities

To enhance COVID-19 literacy and infection control knowledge of ethnic minorities living in Hong Kong, the School’s WHO CC for Community Health Services joined hands with ethnic minority organizations (co-organisers):Tung Chung Tamil Muslim Jamath, Dompet Dhuafa Association, Idara Minhaj Ul Quran HK, and Ethnic Minority Health and Education Service Hong Kong, to hold a series of COVID-19 webinars. The representatives of the organisations from different communities, were invited to participate in the webinars and provide simultaneous interpretations in different languages (such as Hindi and Urdu) for the events (Click here for the details). The Centre has also uploaded a series of World Health Organistion’s (WHO) leaflets in different languages for the public to easily understand the WHO advice on COVID-19 prevention and better prepare to manage the challenges brought by the virus.

 _{The representatives from different cultural background supported the event and provided simultaneous interpretations to enhance participation and learning.}

 _{The centre disseminates WHO advice on COVID-19 in different languages.}

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23 March

Students supported the community vaccination centre

Responding to the request of the Sham Shui Po District Health Centre (SSPDHC), forty year-3 nursing students of the BSc (Hons) in Nursing (Senior Year) programme were in the front line to support the community vaccination centre at the SSPDHC. They assisted in eligibility screening, assessed clients’ health before obtaining consent for vaccination, administered COVID-19 vaccines to clients under supervision, and observed clients resting at the sickbay for any adverse effects after vaccination. The activity has offered a beneficial opportunity for nursing students to gain hands-on experience and broaden their perspectives in community services.

 _{Prof. Sophia Chan, Secretary for Food and Health, and the staff of the vaccination centre expressed their gratitude to our nursing students for their sincere support.}

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25 March

Respirator fit tests in support of HKBU’s staff and students at community isolation facility

The city’s overwhelmed healthcare system converged with lack of isolation facilities at caring homes, resulted in hundreds of caring homes recording infection cases. In response to the Government’s setting up of community isolation facilities to resolve this crisis, the School joined hands with the School of Nursing, Tung Wah College, to conduct N95 respirator fit tests for over 200 nursing staff and nursing students from Hong Kong Baptist University’s School of Continuing Education, to prepare them for serving at the Kai Tai Holding Centre, which accommodates frail senior COVID-19 patients for isolation and temporary care.

  _{(Right photo) 1st row: Dr Shanshan Wang (3rd from left) and Dr Polly Ma (4th from left), Postdoctoral Fellows, supported the School’s initiative and volunteered to perform N95 respirator fit tests (Left photo) at the lab.}

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28 March

Hong Kong Red Cross COVID-19 Support Hotline & aftercare service to help people coping with COVID-19

As the number of infected cases were skyrocketing in March, the impact of COVID-19 on people’s psychological health was felt in the city, particularly among seniors and their family members. In face of the challenge, Ms Joyce Tang, Clinical Coordinator (Mental Health Nursing) and Dr Bryan Ho, Deputy Programme Leader of the BSc (Hons) in Mental Health Nursing programme initiated to support the Hong Kong Red Cross Covid-19 Support Hotline and aftercare service to provide psychological support, health assessment, as well as education and social services to the public.

Forty-six final year mental health nursing students responded to the call and they completed a refresher class on basic communication and counselling skills prior to the service. Since 28 March, our students have been actively participating in the service to help the community build mental health resilience against COVID-19. We are honoured to receive very positive feedback from the Hong Kong Red Cross commending our support and the service may be extended after April depending on the needs of the community.

  _{In the headquarters of Hong Kong Red Cross, staff members and students joined hands to build mental health resilience in the community against COVID-19.}

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29 March

Launched HK’s first-ever school of nursing’s operated pop-up community vaccination centre

The School has demonstrated our strong commitment in supporting Hong Kong to overcome the pandemic by taking up a new and brave role in operating the Caroline Hill Road Pop-Up Community Vaccination Centre (CVC) in Causeway Bay.

The centre, launched on 29 March, is Hong Kong’s FIRST school of nursing’s operated pop-up community vaccination centre. With the enthusiastic support of our strong-team of 300 students, teaching staff members and alumni, we directly back the Government’s campaign in boosting vaccination to protect vulnerable populations against the Omicron infection.

Under the guidance and supervision of our clinical supervisors and alumni, final-year nursing students administer the BioNTech vaccine to clients and observe clients resting at the sickbay for any adverse effects after vaccination. The centre also has a unique role in offering a clinical placement opportunity for our final-year nursing students to gain hands-on experience in community services. At present, the centre has the capacity to serve around 800 to 1,000 clients daily and our service will continue until the end of June this year.

Click here to view the RTHK TV programme featuring the Caroline Hill Road Community Vaccination Centre, in which Mr Edmond Tong, Senior Clinical Associate, talked about the operation of the centre.

 _{Mrs Carrie Lam, Chief Executive, and Mr Patrick Nip, Secretary for the Civil Service, visited the School-operated vaccination centre and expressed their gratitude towards the School of Nursing and PolyU.}

‘Through the participation, I hope our students can experience the significant role of nurses in fighting COVID-19.’   Mr Timothy Lai, (In the photo, standing behind a nursing student and giving guidance and support) Clinical Associate/Nurse-in-charge of the Caroline Hill Road CVC

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