Some patients are left lying on beds outside the hospitals in cold weather, in shocking scenes that prompted an apology from Hong Kong authorities
Health minister Joe Phaahla says there is no serious decline and no worrying rise in Covid-19 infections. Picture: 123RF/PHONLAMAIPHOTOHong Kong’s coronavirus battle intensified on Thursday as authorities reported new cases had multiplied 60 times so far in February and media reported that testing would become compulsory for everyone in the global financial hub from March.
Health authorities reported a record 6,116 confirmed cases on Thursday, up from 4,285 the previous day, with a further 6,300 preliminary positive cases. That takes the total since January to more than 16,600. They reported 24 new deaths. Quarantine facilities had reached capacity and hospital beds were more than 90% full, authorities said.
“If the pandemic gets worse and if our rents are kept at the level now...we will not survive,” said Annie Tse, chair of HKRMA. “Since protests and Covid-19 it's been almost three years, how much more cash can we burn?” she said, referring to antigovernment demonstrations in 2019. Hong Kong has adopted the same “dynamic zero” coronavirus strategy, employed by mainland China to suppress all outbreaks.
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