Hong Kong, Jun 4 (IANS): The Hong Kong government has announced that it will distribute about 60,000 sets of Covid-19 rapid antigen test (RAT) kits to people in an area of the city as part of a follow-up on the recent detection of the virus in sewage samples.

The test kits will be distributed to residents, cleaning workers, and property management staff working in an estate in Sai Kung District with positive sewage testing results showing relatively high viral loads, in order to help identify infected persons, Xinhua news agency quoted the government as saying.

It also urged RAT kit users to report any positive results for Covid-19 via the government's online platform.

In an effort to combat the virus, tHong Kong's Environmental Protection Department and the Drainage Services Department have strengthened the sampling of sewage in all districts for irus testing.

Since the onset of the pandemic in early 2020, Hong Kong has reported a total of 1,214,192 Covid-19 cases and 9,382 deaths.