Hong Kong Forced To Ask China for Testing, Treatment, Quarantine Capacity Aid Amid Surging COVID-19 Cases

Hong Kong officials promptly requested testing, treatment, and quarantine capacity aid from China after recording 1,347 new daily COVID-19 cases on Sunday.

While the number has seen a decline from the previous day's record, the surge of infections threatens the city's overstretched healthcare system, said authorities. The high number of infections is the biggest hurdle that Hong Kong is facing yet amid its "dynamic zero-COVID" strategy.

Hong Kong Requests Help From China

The reported cases come a day after the city's officials announced that China will be sending assistance with testing, treatment, and quarantine capacity. On Sunday, the federal government said that children aged three and older will be eligible for vaccinations against the coronavirus starting on Feb. 15 after the death of a four-year-old this week.

Reuters reported that officials also warned about the city's food supplies being disrupted due to some cross-border truck drivers testing positive for the deadly illness. However, they said that they were working on getting the situation back to normal "as soon as possible."

Furthermore, there are currently no plans to impose a lockdown on Hong Kong despite the rapid surge of coronavirus infections. Hong Kong Chief Secretary John Lee, Health Secretary Sophia Chan, and Security Chief Chris Tang visited Shenzhen on the mainland over the weekend. The officials wanted to secure Chinese assistance amid Hong Kong's struggle with the health crisis.

Lee said that the meeting involved leaders who were supportive of fighting against the COLD-19 case surge primarily brought by the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Chinese authorities are planning to support the city with lab personnel, hospital beds, and protective equipment.

The chief secretary said that Chinese officials pledged to provide rapid tests and help in the construction of isolation facilities among other things. The mainland has implemented a zero-COVID strategy amid the health crisis. Authorities have placed cities in partial or full lockdowns and conducted mass testing in an effort to mitigate the spread of the virus, as per The Hill.

The Surge of Coronavirus Cases

The city's government on Sunday said that it would be prioritizing hospital isolation space for children, older people, and other serious cases. Previously, Hong Kong officials required that all COVID patients receive hospital treatment.

Now, authorities are telling people who have mild cases to remain at home and isolate themselves instead of admitting themselves to hospitals. While Lee said that he was not aware of how many infected people were stuck at home, he estimated there to be thousands.

While Lee said that Hong Kong was in a desperate situation, officials have decided to preserve limited resources for patients who are most in need. The city has continued to pursue an aggressive approach to combating the coronavirus pandemic. For a long time, the region has only recorded single-digit daily increases in new cases.

Officials have recorded a doubling of daily case numbers every few days with more than 2,000 preliminarily positive cases on Sunday. Last week, there were eight COVID deaths recorded, the first since September last year. University of Hong Kong researchers estimated that the newest wave could take the lives of more than 950 people by mid-June, the New York Times reported.