Record Hong Kong COVID-19 Infections Strain Hospitals

People wearing protective masks and queue at a makeshift nucleic acid testing center for COVID-19, in Tsuen Wan of Hong Kong, on Feb. 8, 2022. Lam Yik/Reuters

Hong Kong reported a record number of new daily COVID-19 infections on Feb. 11. The city’s pursuit of zero COVID-19 infections has stretched hospital and quarantine facilities nearly to their limit.

New daily infections rose to at least 1,325 on Friday, health authorities said.

Hong Kong has seen a 10-fold rise in cases since Feb. 1, and medical experts warn the city could see 28,000 daily infections by the end of March.

“Our healthcare system is overloaded, it’s really beyond capacity,” said Chuang Shuk-kwan, a senior health official.

She said there were separately at least 1,500 preliminary positive cases.

Hospital beds for COVID-19 patients in the global financial hub are already at 90 percent occupancy, data from the city’s Hospital Authority showed, while isolation facilities were also nearing their maximum.

Hong Kong’s chief secretary John Lee, Health Secretary Sophia Chan, and Security Chief Chris Tang will meet Chinese officials in neighboring Shenzhen on Saturday to discuss support measures, the government said in a statement.

People queue at a makeshift nucleic acid testing center for COVID-19, at the Central district in Hong Kong on Feb. 9, 2022. Joyce Zhou/Reuters

Rising Fatalities

Five elderly people infected with COVID-19 died this week, after no COVID-19-linked fatalities since September last year. In total, the city has recorded around 20,000 infections and 218 deaths, still far lower than other similar major cities.

Despite only a handful of COVID-19 patients being in critical condition, some hospitals are already full, mostly with people suffering little more than a sore throat.

Medical experts are also worried about an expected surge of infections that could dramatically increase severe infections.

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Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to test every day, including elderly and children, queuing for hours in tightly packed lines outside testing centers and raising the risk of infection.

The city’s stringent restrictions have turned it into one of the world’s most isolated major cities. With flights down 90 percent, and hardly anyone allowed to transit, Hong Kong on Friday extended a ban on flights from eight countries, including the United States and Britain, and added Nepal to the list.

Customers wearing protective masks shop at a market, following the outbreak of COVID-19, at Sha Tin district, in Hong Kong, on Feb. 7, 2022. Lam Yik/Reuters

The former British colony saw a run on vegetables this week after several cross-border truck drivers, who bring in goods from the mainland, tested positive for coronavirus.