Donations to aid the fight against SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in China have reached more than 4 billion yuan (US$481 million), according to statistics released yesterday by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

Of the total, more than 2.3 billion yuan (US$277 million) was cash donations, while the remaining 1.7 billion yuan (US$204 million) consisted of donated relief materials.

The donations have mainly been channeled through various levels of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Health, the Chinese Red Cross Society and the Chinese Charity Federation. Those organizations are officially designated as recipients of anti-SARS funds, said Yang Yanyin, vice-minister of civil affairs.

The largest portion of the donations, 67.3 per cent, came from domestic enterprises and individuals, while foreign donations accounted for 11.1 per cent. Donations from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan accounted for 3.9 per cent.

While in Hong Kong, director of health Lam Ping-yan said yesterday that patients with SARS-like symptoms in the city can get diagnostic tests at the Public Health Laboratory Centre, to ensure reliable testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome.

The public laboratory will also provide consultation services for private hospitals to facilitate early detection of the sometimes deadly infection, said Lam.

He made the promise after hearing the views of the private medical sector on private laboratories, and their experience with diagnostics in such labs.

The latest SARS scare saw a 34-year-old woman, first tested positive for SARS by a commercial lab, come back negative for coronavirus in lab testing conducted by the Department of Health.

The woman was transferred from Adventist Hospital to Princess Margaret Hospital on Monday and was found actually to be suffering from flu, Dr Leung Ting-hung, deputy director of health, confirmed yesterday.

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