Hong Kong is in “all-out combat” to contain a surge in COVID-19 cases, the territory’s number-two official said yesterday, with the ramping up of community isolation and treatment units helped by mainland Chinese construction teams.
Scenes of people lying outside public hospitals in rainy and chilly weather have shocked many in the global financial hub, leading to an apology from authorities. Officials have now organized facilities to shelter patients amid a drop in temperatures as healthcare facilities are overwhelmed.
Officials reported 6,067 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, a day after the government announced that the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal would be turned into a dedicated treatment facility with 1,000 beds to mitigate overburdened public hospitals.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam (林鄭月娥), who attended a ground-breaking ceremony at a construction site for nearly 10,000 COVID units at Penny’s Bay, close to the Disneyland resort, said that the initiatives would enhance the territory’s anti-epidemic capacity “within a very short period of time.”
In what was seen as a rebuke to the Hong Kong authorities’ handling of the spiraling outbreak, Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平)said that fighting the virus must now be their “overriding mission,” the state-backed Ta Kung Pao reported on Wednesday.
Hong Kong Chief Secretary John Lee (李家超) said in a blog post yesterday that the “government has entered a state of all-out combat.”
The global financial hub’s “dynamic zero COVID” policies, mirroring those in mainland China, have contributed to its woes and are unsustainable, some experts say.
Hong Kong’s public hospitals have been severely stretched, struggling to cope with an influx of patients, including the elderly, many of whom have resisted vaccinations.
Health official Sara Ho said yesterday that she understood public frustration but urged patients to fully cooperate with hospital staff. Hong Kong Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan (陳肇始) said that the government was considering tightening social distancing rules further.
While the Hong Kong has so far ruled out a comprehensive lockdown, authorities are examining mandatory testing for its 7.4 million people.
Yesterday’s COVID-19 tally was slightly higher than Saturday’s 6,063 cases, and 14 deaths were reported.
Hong Kong has recorded about 40,000 COVID-19 infections and fewer than 300 deaths, far below other major cities. However, some epidemiologists expect daily infections to approach 30,000 by the end of next month.
China has sent epidemiologists, critical care experts and more than 100 testing personnel to Hong Kong, as well as mobile testing vehicles, with authorities saying the outbreak could take up to three months to stabilize.
Public housing estates, commercial hotels and indoor sport centers are expected to add an extra 20,000 units for isolation of people who test positive for COVID-19 with mild or no symptoms.
An election to choose the Hong Kong’s next leader, initially scheduled for next month, has been postponed to May, adding to uncertainty about the former British colony’s future as Beijing imposes its rule.
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