A week that's been on the overwhelming side, thanks in no small part to Hong Kong's fifth coronavirus wave proving to be the biggest by far

A rare moment of mental peace and calm

during a crazy week in and for Hong Kong

 

This week has been on the overwhelming side, thanks in no small part to a fifth coronavirus wave having hit Hong Kong in earnest and the problems this has caused having been exacerbated by the Hong Kong's government lack of preparation to deal with it.  After a streak of close to seven months of zero local cases being reported daily ending on the last day of 2021, we're now at the point when we breath a sigh of relief that today's Covid numbers involve "only" 1,347 new cases because we were hearing reports earlier in the day that more than 3,000 preliminary positive cases were found yesterday.   

 

Thus far already, the number of fifth wave local cases is already at 9,709.  For some context, consider this: The total number of Covid cases (imported as well as local) that Hong Kong had in 2020 and 2021 were 8,847 and 3,808 respectively while less than one and a half months in 2022, there already have been 10,330 cases recorded in Hong Kong.

Looking back at 2021, particularly that period of close to seven months without zero new local cases, it's impossible to think that the Hong Kong government missed several tricks there.  Among other things, its reluctance to loosen way more social distancing rules than it did contributed quite a bit to pandemic fatigue on the part of many Hong Kongers -- who, especially after learning about Partygate and being put through hamstergeddon, have become even more upset by the authorities than they already were.  And in the first few days of the Year of the Tiger, it is impossible to not "get" how angry people are and, also, indignant about the lack of competence being shown by Hong Kong's powers that be.

The following are just a few of the choice comments and critiques I've read (and heard) in recent days: "De facto martial law under harsh restrictions[.] Who pities the Hong Kong people[?]" (a translation of a headline that appeared in the pro-Beijing Oriental Daily on February 10th!); "It is mildly amusing to see the blue ribbons and those "apolitical" people in HK gradually realizing they have an incompetent government amid the pandemic. 針唔拮到肉唔知痛 " (a Tweet by *Redacted*);  and"FUN FACT:
 

More people tested positive for COVID today than voted for Carrie Lam" (ElTeee, also on February 10th). There's also this Tweet from veteran journalist Keith Richburg, on February 11th: "Two years. Hong Kong had TWO YEARS to prepare for this inevitable covid outbreak.Two years of quarantines, closures, flight bans, social distancing.  And where are we today? Not enough tests. Not enough quarantine space.Not enough people vaccinated. Begging the mainland for help."

 

Among the responses to Keith Richburg's Tweet was the following: "IMO left to our own devices I think we could have been a lot better prepared, but we've been hamstrung by a govt that has to do whatever Beijing tells it to do, regardless of local realities or science."   And when I see voices of reason among medical and scientific experts in Hong Kong who are not part of the government (among them epidemiologist Ben Cowling, medical doctor David Owens and virologist Leo Poon along with a hospital staffer and RNA virologist who have use pseudonyms on Twitter but whose expertise clearly comes through), I must concur. 

 

Speaking of begging the Mainland authorities for help: This thought sent shivers down many spines and caused many people to fear that the whole of Hong Kong would get locked down like Wuhan, Xian and other cities in China; this especially as this was what some Hong Kong medical experts were actually urging that this action be taken!  There thus were several sighs of relief when, after Hong Kong government officials (led by Chief Secretary -- and former security chief -- John Lee) met with Mainland Chinese officials on Saturday, it was announced that "The government on Saturday said it has no plans at this stage for a citywide lockdown"... though the "at this stage" part of the statement is not obviously not completely assuring.  

 

Actually, and ironically, because the system is clearly under strain (if not actually overwhelmed), quarantine restrictions and many pandemic arrangements have ended up being loosened (rather than tightened) in recent days!  For example, it was announced today that Hong Kong's Covid case load now exceeds its hospital capacity, thanks to its practice of hospitalizing even people infected with the coronavirus who are asymptomatic; so, people who newly test positive for Covid, but are asymptomatic or "just" have mild symptoms, will now be asked to quarantine at home rather than required to be hospitalized.     

It seems counterintuitive and probably isn't very "scientific".  In fact, it's showing up how unneccessary many of the restrictions were -- and how the priority of the Hong Kong for so much of this pandemic has been to control and/or monitor people rather than the coronavirus.  As Bloomberg's Matthew Brooker was prompted to Tweet on February 12th: "Even now, the political project of turning Hong Kong into a totalitarian surveillance society of neighbourhood snitches takes precedence over raising the vaccination rate".

Earlier today, Dr David Owens Tweeted the following: "We have good evidence that frightening people is not effective in the long term."  This was part of a thread of his on Hong Kong's Covid strategy but in, in truth, I think it is applicable to governance in general, in Hong Kong along with the rest of the world!