Source: Global Times
[Global Times reporter Ling De Fan Wei] The epidemic situation in Hong Kong continues to be urgent. Following the first more than 1,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported the previous day, Hong Kong reported 986 new confirmed cases on 10 February, and about 800 preliminary positive cases were tested. From the 10th, the HKSAR government has introduced the "most severe anti-epidemic measures in two years", including the possibility of a fine of 10,000 yuan for gatherings of more than two families, and the dismissal of unvaccinated employees by employers. In this wave of Omicron strains raids on Hong Kong, whether to insist on "dynamic clearance" or choose to "coexist with the virus", the dispute between the two anti-epidemic routes has aroused heated discussion in Hong Kong. In this regard, the SAR Department of Health responded to the Hong Kong media on the evening of the 9th that they are still increasing the number of people to track positive cases and will never "lie flat". A spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said on the evening of the 10th that he had conveyed to Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and relevant officials of the SAR Government the central government's concerns about the epidemic in Hong Kong and their condolences to Hong Kong compatriots, and said that the mainland would fully support Hong Kong in fighting the fifth wave of the epidemic.
Image source Visual China
Confirmed 986 + initial positive 800
The Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced on the afternoon of the 10th that there were 986 new confirmed cases of new coronavirus on the same day, including 1 imported case and 985 local cases. Of the cases that have been genetically analyzed, 26 are suspected of infection with delta strains, 883 are suspected of infection with the Omexjong strain, and about 80 are initially positive. On the 9th, two Hong Kong men in their 70s died, the first time in the past five months that someone in Hong Kong had died of the new crown epidemic. On the 10th, another 94-year-old female patient infected with Omicron passed away, who had not been vaccinated.
Xu Deyi, deputy director of the Food and Health Bureau of the Special Administrative Region, said at a press conference on the 10th that the current epidemic situation in Hong Kong is very severe, from the first day of the New Year to the ninth day of the New Year, the daily increase in new confirmed cases has increased by nearly 10 times, and it is necessary to use extraordinary means to block the spread of the virus, including restricting up to two families from gathering in the same private place from the 10th, and tightening the gathering order from 4 people to 2 people to prevent the medical system from being dragged down.
On the 10th, the HKSAR Government included 70 locations in the scope of compulsory testing for the new crown virus, including Discovery Bay Discovery Plaza and 1 Famous City in Sha Tin, which have been visited by cases, as well as places included in the announcement due to positive sewage sample tests, such as Kwong Li Building, Kwong Fook Estate, Tai Po. The government also arranged for more than 200 civil servants to assist in the management of various testing points to respond to the situation on the spot, such as arranging "care teams" for pregnant women and the elderly and reducing waiting time. According to the "Hong Kong 01" website, a number of mandatory testing and sampling stations have been lined up for 10 days. At 14:40 on the same day, more than 400 people lined up at Edinburgh Square in Central, and there were 4 inspection vehicles on the scene, which were expected to wait for at least 1.5 hours.
The British "Guardian" said on the 10th that Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said that after the record number of new coronavirus cases in Japan, Hong Kong citizens need to wait for a long time to receive nucleic acid testing or enter the isolation facilities, which she "deeply regrets and anxieties". On the evening of the 9th, she wrote on Facebook that the government is working hard to improve testing capabilities, and the rapid spread of the new crown virus and the attack on nursing homes and other places are the last things she wants to see.
According to Hong Kong media reports, the epidemic situation in Hong Kong is severe, and some citizens choose to "go north" to avoid the epidemic. In the past two days, more than 2,100 people have traveled to the mainland through the Shenzhen Bay Port every day, and the Shenzhen quarantine hotel is full, and some inbound people are stranded at the port. On the 10th, the HKSAR Government advised the public to consider changing their itinerary to avoid crowds.
Reject "coexistence" and insist on "zeroing out"
Why is this round of epidemic in Hong Kong showing a sharp outbreak? Zeng Guang, a public health and epidemiology expert, said in an interview with the Global Times on the 10th that Hong Kong had done a good job in epidemic prevention before, and the "zero clearance" policy implemented was close to that of the mainland. However, in the case of the extremely spreadable Aumechjong sweeping the world, as an important international transportation hub, "the defense line built by Hong Kong can protect against other poisons, but it is suddenly broken in front of the Semikron." But he also said that Hong Kong has not seen a large number of critically ill patients and a large number of deaths, so this round of epidemic is "not completely uncontrollable". In addition, Chen Hengyong, a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council who was the prime minister of the board of directors of Hong Kong Ren Chai Hospital, said in an interview with the Global Times reporter on the 10th that this round of outbreak coincided with the Spring Festival, the peak period of family gatherings, coupled with the failure to do a good job in time to prevent and control the epidemic in the early stage of the epidemic in the middle of last month, resulting in the outbreak of this round of epidemic.
According to Hong Kong's "East Net" reported on the 10th, Guo Jian'an, assistant professor of the School of Public Health and Primary Medical Care of CUHK, said that considering the incubation period of the virus and the untimely test results, it is estimated that after 5 days, the number of new cases in Hong Kong in a single day may rise to 2,000 or even 5,000 cases, and the number of confirmed cases will still rise in the next week.
At present, about 80% of the population of Hong Kong has received the first dose of the vaccine, and the proportion of the second dose is more than 70%. The "breaking of defense" of this round of epidemic has made some people question whether "zero clearance" will become an "impossible goal" under the offensive of Omikejong.
In this regard, Chen Yong, a deputy to the National People's Congress and a member of the Legislative Council of hong Kong, commented in the Hong Kong media that some people have denied Hengzhi's effective "dynamic zero clearance" policy and put on a negative attitude of "lying flat", knowing that Hong Kong's anti-epidemic results are far higher than those of the West, but advocating imitating Europe and the United States to "use the economy to override precious lives" and declaring that "coexisting with the virus" is completely driving backwards in the epidemic war and weakening the morale of the whole people's anti-epidemic military morale. Chen Yong said that now that Hong Kong has reached the moment of a backwater war, only by uniting and more resolutely implementing the policy of "dynamic clearance" with the support of the central government and the mainland can the fifth wave of the epidemic be contained at an early date.
Hong Kong's "am730" also commented on the 10th that the West's "coexistence with the virus" was confirmed to be "disease death" and "starvation" can not be avoided. Even with high vaccination rates and low severe and mortality rates in Omiquerong, the number of deaths in countries that "coexist" with the virus is no less than in previous waves, because the denominator is several times larger. As for the economy, it is also depressed because productivity cannot be fully restored.
The SAR Department of Health replied to the Ta Kung Pao on the evening of the 9th that in order to further strengthen the tracing capacity, in addition to the two tracing offices in Kai Tak and Mong Kok, the third tracing office has been located in Sing Po Kong and is actively preparing to strengthen the epidemiological investigation of positive cases and the tracing of case contacts. The DH official said many of his colleagues now work 12 hours a day but still work hard and never "lie flat". Earlier, Carrie Lam said on the 8th: "Some people say that 'dynamic clearance' involves huge economic and social costs, but I would like to point out here that human life, health and Hong Kong's medical system will not collapse, which is more in line with the public interest of Hong Kong."
The HKU School of Medicine proposed a "lockdown"
A spokesman for the SAR government said on the 10th that the impact of the new crown virus infection of freight drivers has been eliminated. At present, the operation of the border is normal, the traffic is smooth, the supply of imported vegetables from the mainland has now returned to normal levels, and the price of vegetables will gradually fall.
However, experts pointed out that Hong Kong's epidemic prevention still faces some difficulties. Chen Hengpeng told the "Global Times" reporter that first of all, there is a situation that nucleic acid testing in Hong Kong cannot keep up, and on the 10th, there have been a long queue of more than 5,000 people at the entrance of some nucleic acid testing stations, and some Hong Kong citizens will not test when they see this situation, and incomplete testing will cause many problems. He said that now that Hong Kong's hospitals and isolation points are fully loaded, the most effective way should be to ask the central government for help, "I think if there is support from the mainland, everyone will be calm."
Members of the Legislative Council of the DAB sent a letter to Carrie Lam on the 9th, suggesting that the HKSAR Government request the central government to send a support team to help add more "FireEye Laboratories" to comprehensively and significantly enhance Hong Kong's testing capacity.
The University of Hong Kong School of Medicine held a press conference on the 10th, and Leung Cheuk-wai, dean of the School of Medicine, suggested that the government should actively consider the "lockdown" measures, saying that according to epidemiological models, if the government implements the "lockdown" measures, it can curb 85% of the spread of the virus.
When asked at a press conference on the 10th whether he would consider the "lockdown" proposal, Xu Deyi did not answer positively, but said that with the changes and development of the epidemic, the government will make further adjustments to the anti-epidemic work and measures.
"The control of the epidemic in Hong Kong needs to sum up experience and connect with the mainland", Lawyer Bi Wentai, legal counsel of the Federation of Hong Kong Hubei Community Organizations, said in an article in Wen Wei Po, under the ravages of the global epidemic, such a major event as the Beijing Winter Olympics is still held smoothly as scheduled, which shows the successful practice of China's fight against the epidemic. He said that as a part of the motherland, Hong Kong should learn from the mainland's successful anti-epidemic experience in light of Hong Kong's social conditions, "set our minds on the anti-epidemic strategy, and keep the goal of dynamically clearing zero", so as to calm down this wave of the epidemic as soon as possible, solve the people's livelihood dilemma, and revitalize the prosperous community.
![The fifth wave of the epidemic is "on the verge of breaking out"! Hong Kong tightened its epidemic prevention measures on Friday, canceling all major events[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)