War of attrition

Chik's parents have been supportive of and encouraged her new type of work, which she says is "their own way of trying to help". But Yiu's parents remain in the dark over the nature of his job.

"I don't want them to worry," he said, asking not to be photographed or referred to by his full name. "But I always assume they already know, because they never ask what I do when I am out 12 hours a day. They just wake me up to take a shower when I fall asleep, exhausted," he added.

Both Chik and Yiu said they would continue to fight against the virus as long as it is needed.

The Hong Kong government announced a voluntary mass testing program for local residents that will launch on Sept 1.

The mass testing could be a bigger challenge, but it is important, Chik said.

"If we manage to get everybody tested, that would be a big step for pandemic control. As I understand it, we can't eliminate the virus anytime soon, but if we can do a routine test for everybody, we can contain it," she said.

Large-scale testing is more of a logistical problem for the city than sampling or testing, Chik said, because now everyone can collect samples on their own if they are provided with the testing kit.

Chik added that the outbreak could be an opportunity for Hong Kong's biotechnology industry.

"Hong Kong already has a lot of biotech companies, but people just don't know about them because it's not a big industry," she said.

"I think what we do now is encouraging a lot of young people to consider joining biotech. I hope they will appreciate it as a thing to do for others, (and) not just (for) doing research," she said.

So, if a young biology or technology graduate returns to Hong Kong, as Chik did seven years ago, he or she may aspire to find a role in an industry that has made a remarkable contribution in the fight against the pandemic in 2020, rather than planning to become an English teacher as Chik once did.