Covid-19 Numbers Drop to below 10K

Albert Au of CHP (left) reports under 9,000 cases today

This afternoon was a sign of good news -- in the first time since February 24, the number of coronavirus infections in Hong Kong dropped to below 10,000 to 8,841, of which 3,978 were from PCR tests, 4,957 from RATs. Six cases were imported. 

The Centre of Health Protection's Albert Au Ka-wing said that while the number of infections has definitely peaked, he urged people not to let their guard down. Also the number of deaths is still relatively high at 139, of which 114 are from the past 24 hours, 25 backlogged.

One of the deaths was a three-year-old girl, but she had pre-existing long-term health issues including severe brain lesions and was diagnosed with pneumonia. The Department of Health will investigate her death. The oldest person who died was 106 years old.

A quarantine room at the LMO from HK$10K

Meanwhile the lifting of the flight ban on nine countries from April 1 has led to non-stop inquiries from people overseas needing rooms in quarantine hotels for a week. The Landmark Mandarin Oriental has had a flood of people trying to book rooms, and with room rates from HK$10,010 (US$1,278) for a 83 sq metre room per night, it's yet another bumper year for the hotel in Central.

Then there are other hotels in the city that have converted into community isolation facilities to prepare for the possibility of universal testing. While this is good money -- HK$1,600 per room per night paid for by the government, some hotels are loathe to kick out long-staying guests.

One hotel in Sheung Wan has had people staying there for over three years. That's because they are elderly and have no family in Hong Kong to look after them and rely on the hotel's staff to check up on them.

It's quite sad to hear that they are living in these small hotel rooms, but this is the best way they can ensure there is someone looking out for them -- to help them get to the hospital for regular health check-ups, and for disabled guests who need physical assistance on a daily basis.

Rooms at Novotel Century are now for isolation

Luckily some hotels are taking pity on these people, while others have evicted some long-staying guests, leaving them with little choice but to find alternative housing. The Novotel Century Hong Kong in Wan Chai has turned into a community isolation facility, and one of its long-staying guests luckily managed to find accommodation at a serviced apartment nearby at very short notice. 

While this pandemic has turned people's lives upside down, we've all had to deal with the challenges the best we can. And finding compassion can be a godsend for many who need it.

Covid-19 May Have Peaked, Though Wait and See

Has Covid-19 peaked in this wave? May be too early to tell

Hong Kong may indeed have seen a turning point in the fifth wave of the pandemic, as the number of cases are starting to drop, but health officials warn people to continue to be vigilant and see what the situation is like in the next few days.

Today 31,392 cases were recorded, of which 24,380 were from PCR tests, 7,012 from RAT (rapid antigen test). 

However the number of deaths is still high at 281, of which 180 are new, 101 are backlogged. Of the 180 deaths, the age range is 47 to 112 years old and 122 were not vaccinated. Sound familiar? It's sad to hear someone 112 died because they were not jabbed, after all they have gone through.

Au can finally get a haircut with salons reopened

Dr Albert Au Ka-wing of the Centre for Health Protection says the wave may have peaked between March 2-4 when cases were over the 50,000 mark, and now are starting to drop.

"The RAT daily caseload seems to be steady and not increasing. We're starting to see a drop too, so this is positive and it seems there is a chance the numbers will go down. But the public should not let their guard down," Au said.

"The public have worked hard over the past two months to follow social-distancing rules and ramped-up testing. We hope they will continue to follow these measures to further cut off transmission chains so the numbers can keep falling."

He warned people not to be too optimistic because the case numbers were still in the five-figure range could rebound if they were not vigilant.

Government pandemic advisor David Hui Shu-cheong agreed, adding the situation needed to be observed for another week before coming to any conclusions.

Hui admits people not reporting positive results

"The number of positive PCR test results is indeed dropping, but a number of the public have used RAT and authorities told those who tested positive from February 26 to report it within two weeks. Many of them have not done so. Also, many of my friends and relatives chose not to submit their results," he said.

Telling admission from Hui, who is revealing how many people feel about catching Covid-19 and not wanting the authorities to know in case they will be dragged to isolation centres where they have heard horror stories of hygiene and not being allowed out immediately once they are confirmed negative.

However Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung warned that residents who refuse to go to an isolation centre would face a HK$5,000 (US$639) fine and two months' imprisonment, while those who left such facilities during quarantine could also face a HK$5,000 fine and six months behind bars.

So where is the incentive to willingly report that you're infected?

Currently about 18,800 rooms for isolation are being used, about 40 percent.

This afternoon a woman I met a few months ago forwarded a voice message to me. It wasn't her voice, but a man explaining how to treat Omicron with Chinese medicine. He explained the Lianhua Qingwen capsules were effective -- but even more so when removing the powdered medicine from the capsules and swallowing it directly to make them even more effective.

This herbal medicine does not cure Covid-19

This is so bizarre, first of all Lianhua Qingwen is not considered a viable medication to fight Covid-19. The Singaporean Health Sciences Authority released a notice from last November stating there is not scientific evidence that any herbal product, including Lianhua Qingwen can be used to prevent or treat Covid-19.

In addition, when capsules are swallowed, they dissolve quickly anyway -- how is swallowing powdered herbal medicine going to treat someone even faster? It was a ridiculous suggestion and for it to be spread through Whatsapp is irresponsible too.

But here we are, still spreading misinformation and disinformation in the third year of the pandemic.

Either way, people are figuring out how to treat Covid-19 in their own way to avoid isolation as much as possible!

 

Simple Goodbyes During Covid

Lovely portrait of Robin at the funeral

Today I said goodbye to a friend who died a few weeks ago from cancer. Robin Piers Lynam was 63.

I didn't know him that well, but more on a professional basis, and he was such a gentleman in an English sort of way. He was so knowledgeable on so many different subjects, from food to wine, music both classical and jazz, and was a musician too who played the guitar.

He was a Renaissance man who refused to get a mobile phone until he was diagnosed with cancer over two years ago and had to keep in touch with the medical clinics for his treatments.

Robin passed away at age 63 of cancer

The last time I saw him was about half a year ago at a lunch in Somm at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental, and I was so genuinely happy to see him as I knew he was battling cancer at the time and glad to see he looked well and had a decent appetite.

We said our goodbyes at the MTR station after, and I expressed hope to see him again soon.

That did not happen until today.

Due to Covid restrictions, 40 people were invited to come to the crematorium at Cape Collinson above Chai Wan, but only about 15 people showed up. We had a socially-distanced shuttle ride from Central that took less than 20 minutes.

When we arrived, his partner tearfully hugged everyone, and although she barely knew me she held me tightly.

Before entering the bare bones funeral hall, we scanned our Leave Home Safe app, where there were no flowers, just a plain room with seats on both sides, and on the left a rolling conveyor belt with a curtain to the crematorium.

Someone placed a portrait of Robin on the table and then the mini service began with his partner thanking us for coming, how they had 25 years together and was so grateful for every moment they were with each other.

She then invited each of us to say our goodbyes, which most people did briefly, including myself. His partner then said a few more words and played a lovely song in which she cried loudly throughout.

Cape Collinson is a no-frills crematorium

Periodically someone behind the curtain dressed in full protective equipment including goggles peered through to see if we were done yet.

When the folksy song ended, she pressed a green button and the coffin moved forward behind the curtain. Robin's partner will take his ashes back to the UK, as he and his older brother have predeceased his mother.

And that was it. We checked out of our Leave Home Safe apps and it was 16 minutes.

That's what a no-frills funeral is like these days.

Robin would probably be surprised to see how sparse the room looked, but maybe would think it was practical not to have flowers and having people fuss over him.

It was just so sad to see hardly any ceremony and not being allowed to have anything too elaborate. With so many deaths these days from Covid, the funeral parlours and crematoriums are very busy, though we did not see the next party come in.

I really enjoyed working with Robin -- he was so helpful whenever I had to publish say a supplement on wine or a wine magazine. He would ask me which wineries to include and then in a few weeks came out with practically flawless stories featuring the vineyards I had asked him to write about.

He was really a lifesaver.

Lam finally wearing a mask to address the public

Will miss his acerbic wit, knowledge on so many subjects and overall just a gentle soul to be around.

Hope you are resting peacefully on the other side.

On the Covid-19 front, today Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor made her first public appearance since February 22 to now give daily updates on the pandemic situation in Hong Kong. And for the first time she appeared speaking with a mask on!

So much for wanting to show people how she really feels, when as the leader of Hong Kong she should set an example and wear a mask indoors, as stipulated by pandemic regulations.

Today the city logged 58,750 cases (25,991 from PCR tests, 32,766 from RAT tests). The latter are considered confirmed after all the relevant information is inputted into the website and the government issues the applicant an isolation order. Many were backlogged cases from since February 26 to now.

The number of deaths was 195, of which 145 were not vaccinated, with ages ranging from 41 to 105. The youngest person was a domestic helper who had fainted and was found by her employer. At the hospital the helper was found to be infected after a RAT test, but it is not clear if the helper died of Covid as she was found to have a brain hemorrhage. Another female aged 45 had cancer. 

The alarming message

Infectious disease expert Dr Gabriel Leung has said on Twitter that according to the University of Hong Kong modelling, the fifth wave should have peaked on March 4 with over 1.8 million people infected.

When asked to comment on this, Dr Albert Au Ka-wing of the Centre for Health Protection said it was still a bit too early to know if the fifth wave had peaked yet, and would probably find out in another week or so as case numbers are still high.

In the meantime around dinner time everyone in Hong Kong received a fright on their phones with alarms going off because the government decided to send a very important text message letting everyone know that Queen Elizabeth Hospital is now only for Covid patients.

It was already announced yesterday.

Did they really need to do that? Everyone immediately complained on Twitter.

For some reason my phone went off an hour later... since then people have all changed our settings to not receive such alarms anymore...

Security Bureau Involved in Covid-19 Battle

Seniors in care homes are the most vulnerable to Covid-19

Today is the second day the number of cases dropped to 30,000 -- 31,008 to be exact -- though the number of dead continues to be a shocking refrain. There were 233 deaths reported, 153 of them in the past 24 hours and of them 114 were not vaccinated. 

More seniors are finally getting vaccinated but it's the ones in elderly care homes that are the most vulnerable and need to be jabbed as soon as possible. It is in these old folks homes that the virus has spread so quickly and these patients' immune systems cannot cope.

Au (left) says Security Bureau now involved

Hong Kong now has the highest death rate from Covid-19 in the developed world with 2,007 dead since the start of the pandemic, 1,794 from the fifth wave alone.

Aside from being horrified by the number of dead each day, the Hong Kong government has now made it even more punitive for residents to be infected with Covid-19.

The authorities have setup a hotline for people to call in, Whatsapp or WeChat to report that they have tested positive and need to be moved to isolation facilities because they have mild or no symptoms, or are unable to do so at home.

However, this project is being handled by the Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung, who was the police chief during the 2019 protests.

Tang inspects Tsing Yi isolation units today

Perhaps even more frightening is that the Security Bureau is now involved in the operation and it is this department that will determine who goes into the isolation facilities. Retroactive cases will not be sent, but starting with those reported in the last three days, according to Dr Albert Au Ka-wing of the Centre for Health Protection.

So medical experts won't be deciding who gets to isolate at home and who doesn't?

It's getting more frightening as the days go on and still no word on how universal testing will be conducted and if there is some kind of a lockdown or not.

The last thing we need is more fear and stress, but perhaps that's exactly what the authorities intend to instil in us, that Covid-19 is a dreadful, deadly virus which is why we must reach "dynamic zero-Covid"!

HK Govt Dithers as Cases Surge over 34K

People were out panic-buying in supermarkets today

There is never a dull moment in Hong Kong. The situation changes not only day by day but after a few hours, and it has resulted in people becoming more scared, depressed and helpless.

This morning people heard Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee on the radio, saying the government was not ruling out a lockdown in order to limit people's movements during universal testing in March.

Right away people rushed out to supermarkets and cleared out shelves, terrified they may not be allowed to leave their homes for days or weeks at a time.

Many shelves like these were empty

Some shoppers claimed they just wanted to be prepared with everyday items they normally buy, while one man claimed he had already done his panic shopping a few weeks ago but wanted to get "alcohol and ice cream in a crisis".

Interesting combo.

There were even rumours that supermarket chain ParkNShop would close all its outlets from March 7, and the company had to later issue a statement refuting the rumour, that business would operate as usual.

But that did not stop others from buying what they needed -- just in case.

Meanwhile a slew of wet markets have closed because of infections, from Kennedy Town to Sha Tin, Kwai Chung and Peng Chau.

Later Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor told RTHK that it would be good to have a lockdown so that citizens will "stop moving around" before the results came in, they were still studying this, including if they should halt all public transport and the stock market.

This totally contradicts what she said last Tuesday, that a citywide lockdown would not be needed. Scientifically it is ridiculous to allow people to still continue as normal while still being tested for the virus.

Lam now says a lockdown could be necessary

The flip-flopping is not helpful at all, and creating anxiety among people because not enough straight-forward information is being given.

Residents have not been told at all when the testing will actually begin, and at first it was suggested that people would be called according to their HKID card number, but now it seems it will be by family unit. There is no information about how the tests will be conducted, for how long, what happens if you are tested positive and what kind of medical treatment people should expect.

Everything is vague and officials are "still studying" different scenarios. Why are they dithering so much? When it came to the national security law, its implementation was swift and ruthless -- overnight. 

And now when it comes to a matter of life and death, the government is still deciding what to do?

Should we remind Lam and her colleagues that there were 34,466 cases today, only four of which were imported. One hundred and twenty-four people died, 87 of them in the past 24 hours, the others were backlogged.

Of the 87 who died, 67 were not vaccinated, 10 had taken one shot, the other 10 two shots. There is no further information on which vaccines they took, and 49 of the deaths were in elderly care homes.

Dr Albert Au Ka-wing, principal medical and health officer at the Centre for Health Protection gave some analysis of the first 442 fatalities in the fifth wave.

Au gave a breakdown of the 442 deaths so far

Four were between the ages of zero and nine;

Two were aged 10 to 19

19 were aged 20 to 59

35 were aged 60-69

80 were aged 70-79

292 were 80 and above.

The median age was 84.

A total of 359, or 81 percent were not vaccinated, while 44 had one shot, and 39 had two.

These numbers should be compelling enough to urge people to get vaccinated, but many still refuse to budge, mostly due to mistrust of the government. And given what the city has gone through since the anti-extradition protests in 2019 it is understandable the lack of trust in the authorities, but still, the numbers of deaths don't lie here.

Also shocking as mentioned yesterday is that dead bodies are not being transported to public mortuaries fast enough, and funeral homes are too scared to accept them, leaving families in a bind because they want to have a ceremony for their loved ones first. There are now options to have the bodies immediately sent to crematoriums, but not many are choosing this.

Isolation units being constructed in Tsing Yi

In Tsing Yi today isolation facilities are being built at a fast clip, though from pictures it seems there are bars on the windows, as if further punishing people for testing positive.

Can we also add that now there will be no notifications on people's Leave Home Safe apps because there are too many to record. So why even bother scanning the app now if it doesn't tell you that a shop or building you went to had someone who tested positive?

The disaster is unfolding very fast and furious, and yet the government is still deciding what to do... its lack of decisiveness has left us residents very worried and frustrated that we have to fend for ourselves. Staying health and getting vaccinated is the only protection we have.