Source: Health Times reporter Qiu Yue
According to data released by the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health of the Hong Kong SAR Government, the number of new POSITIVE COVID-19 virus infections reported in Hong Kong in a single day has reached a new high in the past few days, and the number of new cases reported in a single day on February 16 and 18 exceeded 6,000 in a single day. Since February, Hong Kong has reported a total of 32,437 cases of positive infection.
Qiu Yue cartography.
Why are there a recurrence of deaths in Hong Kong?
According to information released by the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, on February 8, there was a case of COVID-19 death in Hong Kong, a 73-year-old male long-term patient. As of 00:00 a.m. on 19 February, more than 60 patients had died in Hong Kong, including a 3-year-old girl – the youngest death in two years since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ho Wan-chia, Chief Administrative Manager of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, said at the press conference on the epidemic that about 17% of the newly confirmed cases in the past 14 days were pediatric patients, that is, under 17 years old, of which 9% were aged 6 or below. In addition, according to information released by the Hong Kong Hospital Authority, most of the deaths are elderly people over the age of 70, and many have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Jin Dongyan, a professor of virology at the University of Hong Kong's School of Biomedical Sciences, said that the Omiljung strain is highly transmitted, but the common symptoms of infected people are not serious. Most of the current deaths are patients with underlying medical conditions, and the relatively low vaccination rates of the elderly and children are two major factors in the recent deaths in Hong Kong. At present, the elderly, children, pregnant women, and infected people with underlying diseases can be hospitalized in Hong Kong on a priority basis, hoping to leave the most scarce medical resources to this part of the patients.
The Department of Health extends the covid-19 vaccination service at the Elderly Health Centre, image courtesy of the official website of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
According to a press release issued by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on 30 January, the current COVID-19 vaccination rate in Hong Kong is not high, and more than one million people still have not received the first dose of vaccine, and the risk of infection and even death is high. As of 29 January, the local vaccination rate is less than 80%, and there are still about 500,000 elderly people aged 70 or above who have not received their first dose, and if they are unfortunate to be infected, the chance of serious illness or death is many times higher than that of those who have been vaccinated. The government has announced measures to promote elderly vaccination. As for children, the government has further extended the age of vaccine application to five to 11 years old since 21 January.
Cut off the chain of transmission and prevent the outbreak from continuing to spread rapidly
Jin Dongyan said that at present, the key to controlling the epidemic in Hong Kong is to reduce the level of activity of the whole society and minimize the flow and contact of people. In addition, the government continues to take active actions to screen and isolate high-risk groups as soon as possible, cut off the chain of transmission, and prevent the rapid spread of the epidemic.
On February 16, Wang Hesheng, deputy director of the National Health Commission and director of the National Bureau for Disease Control and Prevention, led a team to Shenzhen to participate in the Coordination Meeting on the Mainland's Support for Hong Kong's Anti-epidemic Work; on the 17th, an expert working group meeting was held to guide Guangdong Province to send the first batch of mainland support for Hong Kong's anti-epidemic epidemiological expert group and mobile nucleic acid test trucks into Hong Kong on the same day.
Hong Kong citizen Xiaoxi (pseudonym) told the Health Times reporter, "Our company has begun to work from home, but this is not a government-mandated policy." At present, some buildings in Hong Kong have been sealed and controlled, but the lives of most citizens have not been greatly affected, but the protective measures will be more careful when going out. ”
Jin Dongyan said that the current epidemic situation in Hong Kong is still rising, but as long as various screening, control and other measures are in place, the epidemic will gradually "peak", and the public will not have to panic much.