Hong Kong's success in fending off COVID comes back to haunt
2 years, 10 months ago

Hong Kong's success in fending off COVID comes back to haunt

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy For two years, Hong Kong successfully insulated most of its residents from COVID-19 and often went months without a single locally spread case. Health authorities said that the vaccine reluctance among the elderly is an unfortunate side-effect of Hong Kong’s success in warding off the virus for months. Many people thought that the risk of getting COVID-19 was virtually nil since there were no cases, and senior citizens were led to believe that the risk of vaccination was greater than not getting vaccinated, said Karen Grépin, a public health expert at the University of Hong Kong. “Hong Kong is the world’s guinea pig, when it comes to omicron,” said Grépin.

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History of this topic

As schools are set to resume face-to-face classes in Hong Kong, mainland Chinese students face adjustment problems
1 year, 11 months ago

As schools are set to resume face-to-face classes in Hong Kong, mainland Chinese students face adjustment problems

Firstpost  

Parents and teachers have called for a range of support services for children who may face adjustment problems New Delhi: Thousands of children who live in mainland China and attend Hong Kong schools will return to their campuses for the first time in three years, parents and teachers of students said. According to a report in the South China Morning …

Hong Kong to scrap isolation rule for new COVID-19 cases
1 year, 11 months ago

Hong Kong to scrap isolation rule for new COVID-19 cases

Firstpost  

For most of the pandemic, Hong Kong has aligned itself with China’s zero-COVID strategy, requiring those who tested positive to undergo quarantine. Many residents once had to be sent to hospitals or government-run quarantine facilities even when their symptoms were mild Hong Kong: Hong Kong will scrap its mandatory isolation rule for people infected with COVID-19 from 30 January as …

Chinese travellers head to Hong Kong for mRNA Covid vaccines: Report
1 year, 11 months ago

Chinese travellers head to Hong Kong for mRNA Covid vaccines: Report

Hindustan Times  

Scores of mainland Chinese travellers are rushing to Hong Kong to receive mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, which are not available on the Chinese mainland, as the country grapples with a torrent of infections which have overwhelmed its health system. Chinese travellers head to Hong Kong for mRNA Covid vaccines: Report A private hospital in the special Chinese administrative region of Hong …

Hong Kong Scraps Vaccine Pass, COVID-19 Tests for Travellers
2 years ago

Hong Kong Scraps Vaccine Pass, COVID-19 Tests for Travellers

News 18  

Hong Kong will scrap some of its COVID-19 restrictions, including PCR tests for inbound travellers and vaccination requirements to enter certain venues, the city’s leader said on Wednesday. For most of the pandemic, Hong Kong has aligned itself with China’s “zero-COVID” strategy, requiring stringent COVID-19 tests and isolation for close contacts of infected cases as well as for incoming travellers. …

Hong Kong scraps vaccine pass, COVID-19 tests for travelers
2 years ago

Hong Kong scraps vaccine pass, COVID-19 tests for travelers

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — Hong Kong will scrap some of its COVID-19 restrictions, including PCR tests for inbound travelers and vaccination requirements to enter certain venues, the city’s leader said Wednesday. For most of the pandemic, Hong Kong has aligned itself with China’s “zero-COVID” strategy, requiring stringent COVID-19 tests and isolation for close contacts of infected cases as well as for …

Japan marks record Covid deaths, Hong Kong, Taiwan's new rules: 8 points
2 years ago

Japan marks record Covid deaths, Hong Kong, Taiwan's new rules: 8 points

Hindustan Times  

Japan on Wednesday recorded 415 Covid deaths, the highest-ever count for a single day, health ministry data showed. Covid In Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan: A resident wears a mask as he stands near the shadow of a tree. Hong Kong said that it will end some of its last major Covid rules, scrapping limits on public gatherings. There will be …

Despite soaring cases, Chinese reluctant to take COVID vaccine amid fears of its potential side effects
2 years ago

Despite soaring cases, Chinese reluctant to take COVID vaccine amid fears of its potential side effects

India TV News  

Chinese authorities are going door to door and paying people older than 60 to get vaccinated against COVID-19. “When people hear about such incidents, they may not be willing to take the vaccines,” said Li, who had been vaccinated before he caught COVID-19. Experts claim 2 million covid-related deaths are expected in China China only counts deaths from pneumonia or …

Covid-19’s spread in China might tell us how deadly Omicron really is
2 years ago

Covid-19’s spread in China might tell us how deadly Omicron really is

Live Mint  

Covid-19’s rapid spread in China has prompted reports of crowded hospitals and inundated crematoria. China is meeting the Omicron variant with less exposure to the virus and lower vaccination rates among the elderly, public-health experts said. Covid-19’s spread there will help explain to what extent lower rates of severe disease and death are influenced by Omicron’s nature compared with a …

Covid-19’s spread in China might tell us how deadly Omicron really is
2 years ago

Covid-19’s spread in China might tell us how deadly Omicron really is

Live Mint  

Covid-19’s rapid spread in China has prompted reports of crowded hospitals and inundated crematoria. China is meeting the Omicron variant with less exposure to the virus and lower vaccination rates among the elderly, public-health experts said. Covid-19’s spread there will help explain to what extent lower rates of severe disease and death are influenced by Omicron’s nature compared with a …

‘A very, very hard road ahead’: COVID cases spiral in China as restrictions ease
2 years ago

‘A very, very hard road ahead’: COVID cases spiral in China as restrictions ease

LA Times  

Nearly three years after it was first identified in China, the coronavirus is now spreading through the vast country. Nearly 11,000 people died of the illness this year in the city of 7.4 million, with 95% of them older than 60, according to Hong Kong’s department of health. A study conducted in Hong Kong, which has administered both an mRNA …

Chinese struggle to ‘summon the courage’ to live with COVID-19
2 years ago

Chinese struggle to ‘summon the courage’ to live with COVID-19

Al Jazeera  

For three years, people in China have been told COVID-19 is deadly and it has made it difficult to cope with Beijing’s sudden move to rollback controls. Experts have been studying the effect of prolonged lockdowns on people’s mental health since COVID-19 first emerged in Wuhan three years ago and the city of 8.5 million was sealed off. The Lancet, …

China seeing ‘rapid spread’ of COVID-19, wave could last three months
2 years ago

China seeing ‘rapid spread’ of COVID-19, wave could last three months

The Hindu  

China’s current wave of COVID-19 cases, following the recent easing of pandemic restrictions, is seeing a “rapid surge” and the country can expect to see a return to normalcy only after the spring of next year, top epidemiologist and government advisor Zhong Nanshan told State media. Following Wednesday’s easing of pandemic restrictions, including a stop to mass testing, lockdowns and …

Hong Kong extends vaccine passes to kids as young as five
2 years, 4 months ago

Hong Kong extends vaccine passes to kids as young as five

Hindustan Times  

Hong Kong will include children aged five and above in its COVID-19 vaccine pass scheme from the end of September, the government said on Thursday, as authorities try to boost inoculation levels there. From Sept 30, children aged 5 to 11 will be required to have one vaccine shot, and two doses by Nov 30, the government said, adding that …

Hong Kong: 25 years under Chinese rule
2 years, 6 months ago

Hong Kong: 25 years under Chinese rule

Al Jazeera  

Hong Kong has been through immense changes since it was returned to Chinese rule in July 1, 1997. July 1, 1997 Shipping tycoon Tung Chee-hwa is sworn in as Hong Kong’s chief executive and the territory’s first post-colonial leader at a specially-built convention centre overlooking the harbour. July 2003 Mass protests erupt against the government’s plan to implement “anti-subversion laws” …

Infections decline, restrictions remain
2 years, 7 months ago

Infections decline, restrictions remain

China Daily  

An elderly resident is inoculated at a vaccination site at Yongdinglu Sub-district of Haidian district in Beijing, China, March 14, 2021. The domestic COVID-19 epidemic is trending steadily downward, with the number of new daily infections dropping to under 600, a health official said on Friday. Lei Zhenglong, deputy director of the National Health Commission's Bureau of Disease Prevention and …

Omicron infection better at upping immunity than boosters, claims study
2 years, 7 months ago

Omicron infection better at upping immunity than boosters, claims study

India Today  

As coronavirus continues to infect people across the world, the latest trends in India show that hospitalisation rates are very low and the recovery is faster. A new study now reveals that Omicron infections produced even better immune responses than a booster shot in vaccinated people. The study conducted by vaccine maker BioNTech SE and the University of Washington reassures …

HK gets boost in fighting outbreak as central govt offers needed beds
2 years, 8 months ago

HK gets boost in fighting outbreak as central govt offers needed beds

China Daily  

Citizens wearing face masks line up for nucleic acid test at a testing site in South China's Hong Kong, April 14, 2022. The first phase of the hospital was handed over to Hong Kong on April 7, offering 500 beds in negative pressure wards－including 32 intensive care unit beds, and two operating theaters. Wang Hong, chairman of China Construction Science …

Scientists urge vigilance against Omicron subvariants
2 years, 8 months ago

Scientists urge vigilance against Omicron subvariants

China Daily  

Scientists stressed the need to inoculate the vulnerable while urging vigilance against the newly discovered Omicron subvariants, and called for more research to understand their quick transmissibility and severity. While previous studies have indicated the Omicron variant may cause milder disease, the Hong Kong study found the intrinsic severity of BA.2 may not be much lower than the ancestral strain …

Scientists urge vigilance against Omicron subvariants
2 years, 8 months ago

Scientists urge vigilance against Omicron subvariants

China Daily  

Scientists stressed the need to inoculate the vulnerable while urging vigilance against the newly discovered Omicron subvariants, and called for more research to understand their quick transmissibility and severity. While previous studies have indicated the Omicron variant may cause milder disease, the Hong Kong study found the intrinsic severity of BA.2 may not be much lower than the ancestral strain …

Hong Kong Disney opens as COVID eases; Shanghai deaths rise
2 years, 8 months ago

Hong Kong Disney opens as COVID eases; Shanghai deaths rise

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Hong Kong relaxed pandemic restrictions …

Scientists urge vigilance against Omicron subvariants
2 years, 8 months ago

Scientists urge vigilance against Omicron subvariants

China Daily  

By ZHANG ZHIHAO| China Daily| Updated :2022-04-21 Scientists stressed the need to inoculate the vulnerable while urging vigilance against the newly discovered Omicron subvariants, and called for more research to understand their quick transmissibility and severity. While previous studies have indicated the Omicron variant may cause milder disease, the Hong Kong study found the intrinsic severity of BA.2 may not …

Shanghai reports first deaths in current COVID-19 outbreak
2 years, 8 months ago

Shanghai reports first deaths in current COVID-19 outbreak

The Hindu  

Shanghai authorities on Monday reported the first COVID-19 deaths in the latest outbreak in China’s most populous and wealthiest city. The deaths raised to 4,641 the number of people that China says have succumbed to the disease since the virus was first detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019. Most of Shanghai’s 25 million residents are being …

HK seniors undergo 'quarantine in reverse'
2 years, 8 months ago

HK seniors undergo 'quarantine in reverse'

China Daily  

Residents watch television in the lobby at Pleasure Lodge. Hong Kong Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Law Chi-kwong, said vaccinations for the elderly in the city's 1,100 nursing homes and homes for the disabled made little headway, as only 22 percent of such residents received COVID-19 jabs after six months of efforts to boost inoculation before the fifth wave hit …

As ‘Stealth Omicron’ Wreaks Havoc in China, Hong Kong, Zero-COVID Policy Fails the Test
2 years, 9 months ago

As ‘Stealth Omicron’ Wreaks Havoc in China, Hong Kong, Zero-COVID Policy Fails the Test

News 18  

Recently China imposed a lockdown in Shenyang city of Liaoning province overnight. Beijing’s zero-tolerance policy is also being tested by the emergence of new cases attributed largely to the ‘Stealth Omicron’, a sub-variant of Omicron. Though a majority of countries did see less severe infection, China and Hong Kong are seeing the worst of this, with China imposing lockdown measures …

Data | From zero-COVID to spiraling deaths: What went wrong in Hong Kong?
2 years, 9 months ago

Data | From zero-COVID to spiraling deaths: What went wrong in Hong Kong?

The Hindu  

In the recent Omicron wave, Hong Kong recorded more than 35 COVID-19 deaths per million population every day for at least a week. Click to remove AMP mode Hong Kong’s cases Hong Kong’s zero COVID strategy had insulated it from the outbreak for two years as daily cases recorded stood at less than 1 per million. Vaccination share The chart …

WHO: COVID-19 cases rise for 2nd straight week, deaths fall
2 years, 9 months ago

WHO: COVID-19 cases rise for 2nd straight week, deaths fall

LA Times  

Community workers watch a masked resident twirl a dragon-shaped ribbon near a coronavirus testing site in Beijing. The number of new coronavirus cases globally increased by 7% in the last week, driven largely by rising infections in the Western Pacific, even as reported deaths from COVID-19 fell, the World Health Organization said. Confirmed infections had been falling steadily worldwide since …

Hong Kong to lift ban on flights from nine countries
2 years, 9 months ago

Hong Kong to lift ban on flights from nine countries

The Hindu  

Hong Kong will resume international flights from the United States, Britain and seven other countries, the government said on Monday as it announced a loosening of some of the world's toughest COVID-19 restrictions. On Monday, Ms. Lam said Hong Kong will lift flight bans for the nine countries from April 1. Hong Kong, known as "Asia's World City", has seen …

Hong Kong to lift ban on flights from 9 nations including India as Covid-19 cases plateau
2 years, 9 months ago

Hong Kong to lift ban on flights from 9 nations including India as Covid-19 cases plateau

India Today  

Hong Kong's leader Monday said that the city would lift flight bans on countries including Britain and the US, as well as reduce quarantine time for travellers arriving in the city as coronavirus infections in its latest outbreak plateaus. The city's chief executive Carrie Lam announced during a press conference Monday that a ban on flights from nine countries — …

China’s zero-Covid policy is showing signs of strain. But ditching it now could be a disaster
2 years, 9 months ago

China’s zero-Covid policy is showing signs of strain. But ditching it now could be a disaster

CNN  

A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Meanwhile in China newsletter, a three-times-a-week update exploring what you need to know about the country’s rise and how it impacts the world. Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images “Both have pursued a ‘zero-Covid strategy,’ both have a large unvaccinated elderly population, and in addition have not invested in public health surge capacity building …

Hong Kong's Covid infections exceed 1 million amid outbreak
2 years, 9 months ago

Hong Kong's Covid infections exceed 1 million amid outbreak

India Today  

Hong Kong's cumulative coronavirus infections have exceeded 1 million as the city grapples with a widespread outbreak that has killed more people than the reported Covid-19 deaths in all of mainland China. The total number of deaths in Hong Kong 5,401 has exceeded the 4,636 fatalities recorded in mainland China. For most of the pandemic, Hong Kong was able to …

China reports first COVID-19 deaths in more than a year
2 years, 9 months ago

China reports first COVID-19 deaths in more than a year

LA Times  

China’s health authorities reported two COVID-19 deaths on Saturday, the first since January 2021, as the country battles its worst outbreak in two years, driven by a surge in the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Faced with the worst surge since late 2019, officials have vowed to double down on the zero-tolerance strategy to contain multiple outbreaks across China. However, leader …

Hong Kong's COVID-19 infections exceed one million amid outbreak
2 years, 9 months ago

Hong Kong's COVID-19 infections exceed one million amid outbreak

The Hindu  

Hong Kong’s cumulative coronavirus infections have exceeded one million as the city grapples with a widespread outbreak that has killed more people than the reported COVID-19 deaths in all of mainland China. The total number of deaths in Hong Kong — 5,401 — has exceeded the 4,636 fatalities recorded in mainland China. For most of the pandemic, Hong Kong was …

Hit by rise in Covid cases & curbs, China mulls exit from 'zero Covid'
2 years, 9 months ago

Hit by rise in Covid cases & curbs, China mulls exit from 'zero Covid'

India Today  

Even as authorities lock down cities in China's worst outbreak in two years, they are looking for an exit from what has been a successful but onerous COVID-19 prevention strategy. “Given the still relatively low infection rate, the lack of the natural immunity and also the ineffectiveness of the vaccines in preventing infections, this is guaranteed to invite another wave …

South Korea sees over 6,00,000 COVID-19 cases in a day
2 years, 9 months ago

South Korea sees over 6,00,000 COVID-19 cases in a day

The Hindu  

As the coronavirus pandemic seems to be tapering in India, with daily infections falling to the lowest levels since May 2020, the picture does not reflect similarly in a few other countries in Asia. Besides, the World Health Organisation has raised alarm about a global uptick in cases owing to the Omicron variant, its new sub-variant BA.2 or ‘Stealth Omicron’, …

Covid-19 surge in South Korea, Hong Kong. How worried should we be?
2 years, 9 months ago

Covid-19 surge in South Korea, Hong Kong. How worried should we be?

Firstpost  

There’s a jump in infections with 11 million new cases reported from 7 March to 13 March. New infections jumped by eight per cent globally compared to the previous week, with 11 million new cases and just over 43,000 new deaths reported from 7 March to 13 March. South Korea records 6 lakh daily cases The country recorded more than …

Pandemic postcard: COVID outbreak leaves Hong Kong in limbo
2 years, 9 months ago

Pandemic postcard: COVID outbreak leaves Hong Kong in limbo

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — As a COVID-19 outbreak overwhelms Hong Kong, it’s hard for its 7.4 million residents to know what’s next. “Honestly, I think government policies keep changing all the time and it’s hard for residents to follow,” said Alison Hui, a Hong Kong resident. Then, two weeks after the February announcement, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said that the …

Young doctor flies home to help fight coronavirus
2 years, 9 months ago

Young doctor flies home to help fight coronavirus

China Daily  

Charles Ng Chak-chuen, a private doctor in Hong Kong and a medical graduate from Johns Hopkins University in the United States. Watch the video about Charles Ng Chak-chuen Determined to serve Hong Kong people, Charles Ng Chak-chuen, a medical graduate from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, boarded a flight back to his home city six months ago to …

‘It’s a nightmare’: Hong Kong runs low on coffins as Omicron exacts deadly toll
2 years, 9 months ago

‘It’s a nightmare’: Hong Kong runs low on coffins as Omicron exacts deadly toll

LA Times  

The repurposed AsiaWorld-Expo center in Hong Kong echoes with the moans of elderly COVID-19 patients. It’s really shocking.” The nurse, exhausted by having to care for more than 150 patients with one other co-worker, declined to give her last name because staffers were ordered not to speak to the press about the conditions at the site, which have come to …

Numbers Matter | Why the current outbreak in Hong Kong is unlike any other
2 years, 9 months ago

Numbers Matter | Why the current outbreak in Hong Kong is unlike any other

Hindustan Times  

The surge of Covid-19 infections in Hong Kong and China in the past few weeks has dominated headlines the world over. A closer look at the numbers emerging out of the recent wave in Hong Kong, in particular, paints a picture that is incredibly grim, with the financial hub having earned the distinction of being the most fatal outbreak ever …

Dynamic zero-COVID policy working, NHC says
2 years, 9 months ago

Dynamic zero-COVID policy working, NHC says

China Daily  

Chinese mainland medical workers leave Shenzhen Bay Port for Hong Kong on Monday to support the local fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. The latest COVID-19 epidemic, which has affected 28 provincial-level regions, is controllable, and China will continue with its dynamic zero-COVID policy, which has proved to be effective against the highly infectious Omicron variant, the National Health Commission said …

Dynamic zero-COVID policy working, NHC says
2 years, 9 months ago

Dynamic zero-COVID policy working, NHC says

China Daily  

Chinese mainland medical workers leave Shenzhen Bay Port for Hong Kong on Monday to support the local fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. The latest COVID-19 epidemic, which has affected 28 provincial-level regions, is controllable, and China will continue with its dynamic zero-COVID policy, which has proved to be effective against the highly infectious Omicron variant, the National Health Commission said …

COVID cases more than double in China’s biggest outbreak since pandemic’s early days
2 years, 9 months ago

COVID cases more than double in China’s biggest outbreak since pandemic’s early days

LA Times  

China’s new coronavirus cases Tuesday more than doubled from the previous day as the country faces its biggest outbreak by far since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. A fast-spreading variant dubbed the “stealth Omicron” is testing China’s zero-tolerance coronavirus strategy, which had kept the virus at bay since the deadly initial outbreak in the city of Wuhan in …

Hong Kong puts mass testing on hold as COVID-19 deaths rise
2 years, 10 months ago

Hong Kong puts mass testing on hold as COVID-19 deaths rise

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said Wednesday that reducing the skyrocketing number of deaths in the latest coronavirus surge is the city’s priority, putting a plan to test the entire population on hold in the latest flip-flop in the government’s pandemic response. “If we are going to do it … we will certainly announce as early as …

In ‘zero COVID’ Hong Kong, deaths smash global records
2 years, 10 months ago

In ‘zero COVID’ Hong Kong, deaths smash global records

Al Jazeera  

Hong Kong, China – The Hong Kong nursing home where Amy’s 78-year-old mother lives battened down the hatches when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “If 80 percent of its residents can be infected, then no other nursing home in Hong Kong can remain unscathed.” As Hong Kong reports tens of thousands of coronavirus cases each day, the city’s large population of …

AP PHOTOS: Scenes from Hong Kong’s COVID-19 crisis
2 years, 10 months ago

AP PHOTOS: Scenes from Hong Kong’s COVID-19 crisis

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — The fast-spreading omicron variant is overwhelming Hong Kong, prompting mass testing, quarantines, supermarket panic-buying and a shortage of hospital beds. As the global death toll from the coronavirus topped 6 million this week, the semi-autonomous Chinese city has been recording about 150 deaths per day, giving it the world’s highest death rate per 1 million people, according …

AP PHOTOS: Inflatable labs in Hong Kong for mass COVID tests
2 years, 10 months ago

AP PHOTOS: Inflatable labs in Hong Kong for mass COVID tests

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — Hong Kong has ramped up its testing capacity with the help of inflatable mobile laboratories, as the city grapples with tens of thousands of COVID-19 cases daily. It’s part of a “zero-tolerance” COVID-19 strategy enforced in China, and one that Beijing had pressed upon Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous territory that’s been struggling to contain a surge driven …

Hong Kong, with record 55,000 cases, plans for mass testing
2 years, 10 months ago

Hong Kong, with record 55,000 cases, plans for mass testing

The Hindu  

Hong Kong on Wednesday reported a record high of more than 55,000 COVID-19 cases, as the authorities in the Chinese Special Administrative Region began firming up plans for “compulsory universal testing” for every one of its more than 7 million residents. The surge in Omicron cases from early January has overwhelmed Hong Kong’s health infrastructure and the “zero COVID” policy …

Hong Kong considers lockdown as daily infections top 34,000
2 years, 10 months ago

Hong Kong considers lockdown as daily infections top 34,000

Associated Press  

HONG KONG — Hong Kong reported a record 34,466 new coronavirus infections Monday as deaths continued to climb, as authorities assess the possibilities of locking down the city. Hong Kong health minister Sophia Chan said during a radio program Monday that the government is “still discussing” the matter of a lockdown to reduce the flow of people and maximize the …

Hong Kong considers lockdown as daily Covid cases top 34,000
2 years, 10 months ago

Hong Kong considers lockdown as daily Covid cases top 34,000

India Today  

Hong Kong reported a record-high 34,466 new infections Monday as deaths continued to climb, with health authorities saying that a lockdown has not been ruled out even though the city's leader last week said that a citywide lockdown was unrealistic. “We think that the number will continue to climb.” READ | India may see fourth Covid-19 wave around June 22, …

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