Fifth Wave Persists in Kwai Chung

100 local Covid-19 cases were logged in Hong Kong today

It is disheartening to see another triple-digit count of Covid-19 infections in Hong Kong today, 100 new cases related to the Kwai Chung housing estate. So far 334 cases are related to 12 of the 16 housing blocks here. 

Residents there are concerned that some may have become infected just from waiting in line to get tested or being in the elevators, let alone all the rubbish left strewn around.

It seems the situation there is also mishandled, or is the system overwhelmed and not enough staff?

Testing continues in Kwai Chung housing estate

A resident tested preliminary positive on Tuesday morning and she and her infected youngest son still hadn't been sent to the hospital by 3pm on Wednesday -- 35 hours after receiving an SMS message with the results.

The two had already developed symptoms like coughing and a fever, she could only take painkillers to relieve her symptoms, while her husband and two older sons were not infected. She and her youngest son are isolating in a bedroom, but they still have to share the bathroom with the rest of the family, so she was worried about transmitting the virus to them.

"Officials gave me multiple calls at 5pm [on Tuesday] and told me I will be sent to hospital and my husband and sons to Penny's Bay... But we still do not know when we can leave our home," she said. "They said they were arranging it for us, and said it was manpower issues."

There were concerns of poor waste management

Not a good excuse when Omicron is so contagious... and Hong Kong is insistent on its "zero-Covid" policy.

Meanwhile there are concerns that China may not open the border with Hong Kong until 2024 which has shocked a lot of people. 

However, it has been proven that Sinovac vaccines only have a 51 percent efficacy in preventing symptomatic disease, and its effectiveness wanes after six months. Meanwhile a University of Hong Kong study has found Pfizer BioNTech has nearly 10 times the average level of antibodies compared to Sinovac, 

But China doesn't want to buy proven mRNA vaccines from overseas and is developing its own and then will vaccinate its population -- again before even considering lifting its border restrictions.

By 2024 what will Hong Kong be like? Can it even financially survive to that point without any foreign tourists and businesspeople and investment coming in?

Earlier we were hearing November 2022, but another two years of this will be too much for many people to bear.

China is developing its own mRNA vaccines

A friend has poured HK$13 million of his own money into a bar that he will open this Friday during social-distancing restrictions. He has renovated a space complete with a stage, special lighting and of course a good sound system.

But he can only open it till 6pm.

How is he ever going to make back his HK$13 million?