Assistant Director of Health Regina Ching said in a local government radio interview Friday that now even if the patients have manifestations of SARS-related symptoms but are still at an uncertain stage of SARS infection, they will be treated as confirmed cases at Hong Kong's public hospitals in a bid to effectively contain the spread.

"When the symptoms are diagnosed to be very close to those of SARS, they will be treated as SARS cases. But before, they would need to have been confirmed in order to be treated for SARS," she said.

Ching said the department is considering releasing the figure of suspected cases of SARS, as there is a need to give an accurate portrait on the extent of the spread of the disease for public good.

"We'll explore all avenues that are conducive to our getting the full picture of the spread of the disease. We'll try our best to convey information in a simple but clear manner to allow our citizens to have a firm grasp of the situation of the disease easily," she said.

Earlier, a press release issued by the Government Information Services said ongoing hospital data indicate that of all patients admitted for observation, about 10 to 20 percent have clinical features suggestive of SARS condition.

Meanwhile, Ching stressed that if travelers in Hong Kong have been detected at border checkpoints or the airport to have abnormally high temperatures and carry symptoms suspected to be those related to SARS, they will be swiftly referred to the hospitals within Hong Kong.

"It would be better for such people to be treated swiftly than to carry the disease around and infect other people. This is still the policy we are following," she said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 26, 2003)