Today's headline news in Hong Kong
After three consecutive days of new Wuhan coronavirus case numbers that went past the 50,000 mark (including Wednesday's 55,353, Thursday's 56,827 and yesterday's 52,523), which prompted people to wonder if Hong Kong had reached its testing capacity, the number went down today to 37,529 (of which all but 6 are local cases). Sadly though, the number of recorded Covid deaths hit a record high today: with today's 220 fatalities showing that a distinct upward trend in fatalities that began on February 10th is very much continuing.
Even before today's latest Covid death numbers were released, Hong Kong already had "earned" the distinction of now being the territory with the world’s highest fatality rate for the coronavirus. And the reason why is something that many people (public health experts, journalists and regular Hong Kongers among them) had forseen months in advance: namely, that Hong Kong had a lower than average vaccination rate for a part of the developed world; and this particularly so with regards to the elderly.
This is all particularly frustrating and tragic because it could have been so easily avoidable. After all, Hong Kong's free Covid vaccination program actually was rolled out back in early 2021, with people over 60 years of age among those given priority (along with such as healthcare staff and staff involved in anti-epidemic work). But the fact of the matter is that, to quote journalist Oliver Farry, "the Hong Kong government’s passivity in getting the elderly vaccinated and giving them proper information on the vaccines is disgraceful negligence".
Before anything else: yes, politics was involved. As Elson Tong Tweeted: "[Hong Kong] pandemic measures were in part designed to reshape/control public behaviour after the 2019 protests, thus they targeted and were in practice likely to be enforced against young people and their venues. Having been less inconvenienced, the elderly vaccination rate stagnated". And here's The Economist's Don Weiland on the same subject: "The weaponisation of public health measures in Hong Kong to deny people rights enshrined in the basic law is something that will go down as one of the govt’s vilest moves during this period".
Even if we were to set aside the Hong Kong government's questionable prioritization of the suppression of Hong Kongers over the coronavirus: there's the issue of there just not being very good at communicating with the public. Take, as an example, its statements about the BioNTech vaccine. Rather than point out that it actually is the same as the vaccine more internationally well known as Pfizer, the Hong Kong government has tended to refer to it by another name (i.e., BioNTech but also Fosun-BioNTech and Comirnaty).
And to compound the problem and cast doubt on the manufacturing origins of the BioNTech vaccine that Hong Kong gets, it has made mention of a "Baxter in Germany" or "a plant in Baxter, Germany" being involved in its production. Here's the thing: there is NO village, town or city in Germany that's named Baxter. On the other hand, there IS a sterile fill/finish manufacturing facility in Halle/Westfalen, Germany, that's operated by Baxter BioPharma Solutions and involved in the manufacturing of the BioNTech vaccine. And that, of course, is the "Baxter in Germany" in question.
Truly, there are times when the Hong Kong's particular way with words can be so exasperating (to put it lightly). Speaking of which: A further eight individuals were jailed for "rioting" by Hong Kong's courts today. Five of those found guilty were sentenced to three and a half years behind bars, while the other defendants will serve three years and nine months each. This because the presiding judge, Douglas Yau, had decided that "the case was severe as some protesters threw objects towards the police station, and pointed laser lights at officers." (I leave you to be the judge as to whether the punishment fits the crime, and what I think of it.)
More re Hong Kong's courts: They will temporarily cease operation from next Monday (March 7th) until at least April 11th as a result of how serious Hong Kong's fifth wave has become. But there of course is no mention of bail being granted bail to those behind bars who haven't been found guilty of anything (because their cases have not gone to trial yet, never mind verdicts having been reached for them). And ditto re releasing prisoners on health grounds in view of the raging pandemic, including -- or probably especially -- political prisoners like 75-year-old cancer sufferer Koo Sze-yiu (who, it's newly being reported, does not have Covid but still was not physically well enough to attend a court hearing this week). :(
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