Hong Kong had a record of about 610 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, sources told broadcaster TVB, in the biggest test yet for the territory’s “zero COVID” strategy as it grapples to contain a growing outbreak.
About 300 others were found positive in preliminary tests, TVB said, citing an unnamed source.
The global financial hub, which is following mainland China’s strategy of suppressing all COVID-19 outbreaks as soon as possible, has seen cases soar since last month, with over 2,000 infections compared with just two in December last year.
Photo: AP
Hong Kong recorded 342 cases on Sunday, slightly below the previous day’s record of 351 cases. Dozens of bank branches, including outlets of HSBC and Bank of China, said they had suspended operations from yesterday to help curb transmissions.
Hong Kong Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan (陳肇始) said on the weekend that she expects cases to rise “exponentially.”
The former British colony has become one of the most isolated cities in the world, with flights down by about 90 percent due to travel strict restrictions, while schools, playgrounds, gyms and most other venues have been shut.
Restaurants close at 6pm, while most people, including the majority of civil servants, are working from home.
The economic and psychological tolls from the hardline approach are rapidly rising, with measures becoming more draconian than those first implemented in 2020.
Government quarantine facilities are also nearing their maximum as authorities struggle to keep up with their rigid contact tracing scheme.
Authorities hold daily briefings providing details on each infected person, including where they went and ate.
As cases surge, methods including scouring credit card statements and transport records to identify close contacts are far tougher. There are likely hundreds of transmission chains in the community.
Hong Kong has recorded 213 COVID deaths and about 15,000 cases since early 2020, far fewer than many major cities.
Health experts said that Hong Kong’s current strategy of shutting itself off as the world shifts to living with the virus is not sustainable.
About 80 percent of Hong Kong’s 7.5 million residents have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, but the majority of elderly residents remain unvaccinated, government figures show.
Out of these, about 40 percent have received the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine, believed to be less effective against the disease than the one produced by Germany’s BioNTech, the other vaccine available in the territory.
Infections have been recorded across government departments from hospitals and housing to the independent anti-corruption body.
Two pet cats tested positive for COVID-19, the government said on Friday, as it urged pet owners to avoid kissing animals.
Authorities last month culled more than 2,000 hamsters in dozens of pet shops after tracing an outbreak to a worker in a shop where 11 hamsters tested positive.
The government has also tried to assuage worries over a shortage of food from the mainland after some cross-border truck drivers tested positive. Several drivers have been forced to isolate, but overall fresh food supply “remained stable,” authorities said.
There have been shortages of imported foreign food, along with cost increases due to tight air restrictions.
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