Horrific Covid-19 Stories Continue

Easier job, more pay at isolation facility at AsiaWorld-Expo

Sorry for the repetitious refrain, but Hong Kong recorded a staggering 26,026 cases today, almost all of them local.

What is frightening is that bodies of those who succumbed to Covid-19 are piling up in hospitals and not enough resources to transport them to the public mortuary. Sounds like New York in the early stages of the pandemic and yet here we are more than two years later and Hong Kong is completely unprepared for the impending onslaught.

Check out fatalities for those 80 and over

The Centre for Health Protection and the Department of Health released data on the first 284 Covid-19-related deaths in the fifth wave, and a shocking 91 percent were not vaccinated. The vast majority of the deaths are those over 80 years old. 

Meanwhile staffing of hospitals is getting thinner and thinner, as not only doctors and nurses contract the virus, but also caregivers in public hospitals are being lured to a community isolation centre treating patients with mild symptoms in AsiaWorld-Expo near the airport with promises of salaries of up to HK$50,000 (US$6,403) a month.

There are worries many will resign and leave even more work for those left behind on the front lines of public hospitals which are treating seriously ill patients with Covid.

Nothing is done to alleviate the labour shortages in public hospitals and they are left to fend for themselves. 

Then there are tragic stories of people who are crammed in sub-divided flats and test positive. 

A couple slept in this stairwell for several days

There was one story of a construction worker who tested positive for the virus along with his wife and live with their children and extended family in a tiny flat. In order to self-isolate, the couple slept on the roof and when it was raining in the stairwell. They asked their family to give them a bucket of water and they defecated into plastic bags.

Another was a foreign domestic helper who was found sleeping in her employer's car after she tested positive. A volunteer group that helps foreign helpers managed to persuade her to go to a shelter and even had to help her call her employer to reassure her that she wouldn't be fired. She was literally locked in the car and couldn't leave to go to the washroom and had nothing to eat.

These two instances show how little comprehension the government has for people in precarious living conditions and what solutions they have for them, let along compassion.

In the end the couple was treated, but not before their children also became ill... 

And what is with all these lawmakers and government officials and their helpers and drivers all catching Covid? Sounds like the chauffeurs are all hanging out together... the latest is Police Commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yee's drive -- the sixth government official's driver to test positive. 

Thousands of restaurants are temporarily closing

The restaurant industry is hurting badly now, with people too terrified to eat out. Many restaurants, cafes and even fast food outlets are temporarily closed. Cafe de Coral will now limit its services to only takeaway. 

Some restaurants say they will open in a week, others don't say. It's devastating to see everyone struggling so much because of the government not handling this fifth wave fast enough and wasting time getting the elderly vaccinated.

One acquaintance got his booster yesterday and thought he was smart to get it in this thigh, as this was recommended for children to prevent any issues with their hearts. But today he reported his leg hurt so much he couldn't walk properly! 

So pro-tip -- don't get your jab in the thigh. Just get it in the arm. One person suggested moving your arm around afterwards to quickly distribute the vaccine... don't know if it's true, but every suggestion is worth a shot. haha!

Shanghainese Lands in Kennedy Town

According to this promo image, the noodles at Shanghai Lao Lao are handmade

A new Chinese restaurant has appeared in Kennedy Town and already it's a hit with residents.

On Friday my mom and I wanted to try Shanghai Lao Lao, but by the time we got there around 7.30pm, there was a crowd milling around the entrance and we were told it would be at least a half hour wait.

We gave up and hit the wet market across the street at closing time and got a good deal on fresh fish we steamed up around the time we would have waited for a table.

Braised wheat gluten, pork knuckle and drunken chicken

Then today after visiting the Chi Lin Nunnery and the Lian Nian Garden across the street (oh yes and a bit of shopping at Uniqlo too!) we headed home and decided to give it a shot.

Again there were people standing outside at 2pm, but not as many. We waited about 15, 20 minutes and then were finally allowed inside.

The store that used to be in the space was 759, and I remember it being quite a deep area, but it was completely unrecognizable now as a restaurant. We were shown a small narrow area in the back where we sat on stools by the dish washing station.

We had studied the menu while waiting for our table. There's a choice of three appetizers in small portions for HK$88, and we particularly enjoyed the cold pork knuckle marinated in Chinese wine, munching on the crunchy cartilage, followed by the drunken chicken that was fully immersed in wine, and the braised wheat gluten with wood ear fungus, bamboo shoots and Chinese mushrooms.

A trio of potstickers that had quite thick skins

Next came the cabbage and pork potstickers which were probably the weakest dish of the meal because the skins were so thick, but had a nice crunch to them. Soon after the xiaolongbao (HK$32) arrived and they were not bad, though the pork filling inside seemed flat and needed the ginger and vinegar for a pick-me-up.

One main dish was the claypot with diced salted pork, tofu skin wrapped in knots, bamboo shoots and vegetables in a cloudy fish soup. We had been forewarned it would be a large portion, and so we tried to eat as much of it as we could before being able to put almost all of it into a plastic box -- including the broth) to take home.

This one would have been even better with noodles to soak up the seasoning in the soup, but it was still delicious nonetheless. The fresh bamboo shoots were crunchy, though some pork pieces were a bit on the tough side.

The xiaolongbao had thin wrappers, the fillings were bland

But what can you expect when the bill comes to HK$254 for two?

I've since found out that Shanghai Lao Lao is owned by Cafe de Coral, which explains why it's next door to the fast food chain; they probably got some deal with the landlord.

Nevertheless when we came out around 3pm, we were surprised to see a handful of people outside waiting to eat.

Maybe everyone in Kennedy Town is craving Shanghainese...

Shanghai Lao Lao

G/F, Kin Liong Mansion

16-30 North Street, Kennedy Town