蜜芽传媒

The Chinese president Xi Jinping is urging the authorities in Hong Kong to take "all necessary measures" to contain a fast-growing outbreak of Covid-19.聽 Wednesday saw more than four thousand new cases reported, a record for the territory and hospitals have run out of space. Like mainland China, Hong Kong has pursued a zero Covid policy but without the strict lockdowns and mass testing seen in other Chinese cities.

Hong Kong's healthcare system has been overwhelmed by the surge, with infected patients being treated outside crowded hospitals. The government has admitted it is struggling to contain the fifth wave of infections, fuelled by Omicron.

Professor Ben Cowling, chair of epidemiology at Hong Kong's School of Public Health, says that infections are still increasing as Omicron spreads through the territory, with the numbers of cases doubling every three days. He says that Hong Kong has a policy of every Covid case being isolated in hospital, even asymptomatic cases, and this is causing problems as hospitals cannot meet demand. Some people are being forced to wait outside on stretchers and wheelchairs. He believes there probably won't be a strict lockdown or an introduction of mass testing, despite President Xi Jinping's intervention.

Photo: Patients showing Covid-19 symptoms lie on beds outside the Caritas Medical Centre in Hong Kong, China, 15 February 2022 Credit: EPA

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