Hong Kong to focus COVID resources on elderly, no date set for mass tests By Reuters

HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong introduced plans to commit extra medical sources to aged folks on Wednesday as COVID-19 infections swept via care houses and deaths climbed quickly among the many primarily unvaccinated seniors.

The federal government will strengthen medical therapy and sources and arrange extra isolation and non permanent care services for aged coronavirus sufferers, Chief Govt Carrie Lam advised a media briefing.

She mentioned a date for a obligatory mass testing scheme, which has triggered panic shopping for of groceries and necessities within the metropolis, was nonetheless being thought of however the authorities had not selected a timeframe given the massive scale of the operation.

“It’s a main train which can’t be carried out in a single day. If it isn’t ready with all the small print and mobilised with all of the sources, it is not doable.”

Her feedback come after a high Chinese language official mentioned Hong Kong needed to prioritise decreasing infections, extreme sicknesses and deaths.

Complete infections within the international monetary hub have surged to about 600,000, together with greater than 2,600 deaths – most up to now two weeks.

Well being authorities reported near 60,000 new infections on Wednesday, cut up between nucleic acid assessments and people confirmed by way of a newly launched on-line platform the place residents can submit constructive speedy antigen check outcomes.

Town suffered probably the most deaths globally per million folks within the week to March 7, in line with the Our World in Knowledge publication.

Lam who was addressing the media for the primary time in over two weeks, mentioned she could be holding every day media briefings to element town’s progress towards the coronavirus and make clear rumours or misunderstandings.

Residents within the Chinese language managed territory have been confused and pissed off over conflicting messages from the federal government over the previous two weeks about its marketing campaign towards the virus, together with a plan for mass testing and whether or not a city-wide lockdown could be imposed.

China and Hong Kong have adopted a “dynamic zero” technique that entails eliminating infections with strict mitigation measures versus the method adopted in different places of counting on excessive vaccination charges and average mitigation like masks in an effort to “dwell with COVID”.

The extremely transmissible Omicron variant has examined each methods however Hong Kong is now struggling the results of a comparatively low vaccination fee, particularly among the many aged, because the virus rips via the group.

About 90.5% of residents have had no less than as soon as vaccination however charges for the aged have severely lagged with solely round 50% for these aged 80 years and above.

Medical consultants from the College of Hong Kong have estimated that by the tip of April the variety of folks contaminated within the metropolis of seven.4 million folks might be about 4.3 million, with a loss of life toll of 5,000.

Hong Kong’s hospitals, isolation centres and funeral parlours are swamped whereas public transport, malls, postal companies, supermarkets and pharmacies are struggling to function on account of a extreme manpower crunch.

Meals costs have shot up and grocery store cabinets have been emptied each day for per week as customers panic purchase, on fears of a possible lockdown.

China has constructed a brief bridge from neighbouring Shenzhen to the north of Hong Kong to move supplies and employees for a makeshift hospital and isolation services. The location is about to offer lodging for about 10,000 folks.

Reuters journalists noticed dozens of vans crossing the bridge, delivering provides on Wednesday.