The Omicron variant of the new coronavirus has infected more than 1 million people in Hong Kong and killed more than 9,000 people. Hong Kong was forced to "coexist" without preparation.
Singapore, which once adopted the same policy of "zeroing out" as Hong Kong, began to "coexist with the virus" in June 2021. The total number of confirmed cases is similar to that of Hong Kong. Only more than 500 people died in this round of Omicron outbreak, and most of them were lifted last month. Epidemic prevention restrictions.
Leong Haonan, a Singaporean infectious disease specialist, believes that the key to Singapore is to be prepared to allow mildly ill nationals to isolate at home and focus on treating severely ill patients.
On the other hand, Shanghai is severely closed, and 600,000 people have been infected. The impact on the economy is difficult to estimate.
Hong Kong and Singapore, three different financial centers, have adopted three different anti-epidemic paths. Hong Kong still has no time to clear customs, maintains a four-person gathering restriction order, and continues to fight for the immune barrier. After two and a half years of fighting the epidemic, when and whether Hong Kong people can recover normal?
On January 25, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor told reporters that she did not wear a mask because "it is the people who want to feel my emotions".
(File photo / Photo by Luo Junhao)
Unexplainable "dynamic"
"I'm not the "initiator" of "dynamic clearing", so if you want an authoritative definition of the word "dynamic", I'm sorry, I really can't explain it.
"On January 27, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor said at a press conference.
When the fifth wave of the epidemic broke out, Hong Kong insisted at the beginning of the "dynamic clearing" that even Carrie Lam could not explain.
The government announced that "everyone should be tested", and the situation of citizens rushing to grab food and daily necessities for fear of being grounded has reappeared two years after the epidemic.
On February 28, Liang Wannian, head of the expert group of the National Health Commission's Leading Group for Epidemic Response and Disposal, arrived in Hong Kong.
(File photo / Photo by Liang Pengwei)
Mainland experts let go of suspending nationwide testing
On March 5, Liang Wannian, the leader of the Central China-aided Hong Kong Prevention and Control Expert Team, said, "There are both timing and basic conditions for conducting nationwide testing." The Hong Kong government then suspended the nationwide testing.
In the end, more than 1 million people were diagnosed. As the epidemic eased, the number of new cases per day hovered at more than 200. The Hong Kong government has gradually relaxed social distancing measures.
Xu Shuchang, an expert advisor to the government and a professor at CUHK, said bluntly that the "zero-clearing" policy must continue under the fifth wave of the epidemic, increasing the medical burden.
(Photo by O Jiale)
Will zero increase the medical burden in Hong Kong?
Xu Shuchang: It can be said that
In an exclusive interview with Hong Kong 01, Xu Shuchang, a government expert advisor and chair professor of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at CUHK, said, "I can handle it even if I didn't encounter Omicron at the beginning, but once you go to Omicron, you still have to continue the 'clearing' policy, which will cause problems. , no amount of quarantine is enough. Even in Shanghai, the mainland, a makeshift hospital has to be set up in the exhibition hall recently. The mainland has so much experience in handling it, and everyone encounters the same problem.”
The reporter asked, "Can you say that the dynamic clearing will increase the medical burden in Hong Kong strictly?" Xu Shuchang said frankly, "You can say this. Because of this policy, you have to be a lot more careful to prevent import from outside and prevent spread from inside. Because the vaccination rate is not high. , it is not safe enough to open, so we need to buy time to push up the three-shot vaccination.”
Singapore began to lift most of the anti-epidemic measures on April 26. It is not necessary to wear masks outdoors, and there is no need to maintain social distance. The restrictions on gatherings are lifted.
(Bloomberg/Getty Images/Visual China)
More than 500 people died in Singapore's coexistence of Omicron outbreak last year
Singapore, which once adopted the same policy of "zeroing out" as Hong Kong, began to "coexist with the virus" in June 2021. The total number of confirmed cases is similar to that of Hong Kong, reaching 1.25 million, but the total death toll is more than 1,300, including Omicron. Only more than 500 people died in an outbreak, far less than the nearly 10,000 people in Hong Kong.
In an exclusive interview with Hong Kong 01, Singaporean infectious disease specialist Liang Haonan explained Singapore's epidemic prevention strategy: "We have no way to completely lock or control the virus. It is better to simply start living with the virus. If you are bound by (clearing), Singapore's The economy cannot be sustained. Now the number of confirmed cases has started to surge again because our country has opened up and there are new mutated strains of the virus. The number of severely ill patients has not increased, and Singapore can still move towards coexistence with the virus.”
Leung Ho-nam, a Singaporean infectious disease specialist, accepted a video interview with "Hong Kong 01", saying that the Singaporean government had made adequate preparations for coexistence with the virus.
(Hong Kong 01 picture)
Encourage mild cases to stay at home to treat Singapore's healthcare system
"After the introduction of Delta last year, the government learned that the demand for hospital beds will surge, and the government will actively look for 3,000 to 5,000 more beds." Liang Haonan said that Singapore also launched the "Home Rehabilitation Program" last year to encourage people with mild symptoms to stay at home for treatment. , Singapore's medical system is not overwhelmed by the epidemic, and the key to maintaining a low mortality rate.
"This can reserve beds. If you have mild symptoms, you don't need to rush to the hospital to seek a doctor. You can go to the family doctor to dispense medicine, and even arrange for someone to deliver the medicine to the patient's home. Quickly identify high-risk groups, such as heart disease and diabetes patients. , and found them infected, let them be admitted to the hospital as soon as possible. Until Omicron was introduced to Singapore, we did not exhaust the beds in the makeshift hospital.” Liang Haonan said.
Liang Haonan also paid attention to the situation in Hong Kong. "An elderly person is admitted to the hospital with severe illness. He may occupy a bed for a long time and you will lose an intensive care unit. This is a big loss for Hong Kong."
He agrees that a long-term blockade is not the answer, "Look at North Korea (North Korea), that country has such strict controls, and the virus still spreads in, so can we do it to the level of North Korea (North Korea)? It's impossible."
However, with the lifting of almost all epidemic prevention restrictions in Singapore on April 26, the number of confirmed cases has also rebounded to about 3,000 to 4,000 per day.
▼Shanghai closed city▼
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Shanghai is under strict lockdown
In Shanghai, with a population of 25 million, more than 600,000 people have been infected. Under the policy of "unswervingly adhere to dynamic clearing", citizens have been banned for a month or two.
Some private buildings were forcibly requisitioned as isolation camps, some people broke into the house to transfer citizens who were negative for nucleic acid, or forced to enter the house to spray disinfectant, and it was even revealed that some living people were put into body bags.
Under the blockade, some nurses died of asthma because they could not wait for a negative report. Some ambulances refused to lend out a defibrillator on the grounds of epidemic prevention. Another asthma patient died of rescue.
The Shanghai "Voice of April" video went viral on the mainland, and was continuously deleted, spreading it in a marathon-like manner among the public.
(Screenshot of the Voice of April video)
Housing estates and roads were blocked, and even fire trucks could not pass.
Someone made the film "Voice of April" to record the voices of the citizens when Shanghai was closed. The film was deleted in the mainland and then spread by a marathon.
Tong Zhiwei, a law professor at East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai, questioned the illegality of these methods, but was silenced.
Shanghai's severe closure of the city has basically achieved social zero. The authorities hope that normal life can be restored in June, but the impact on the economy is difficult to estimate.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, said on May 10: "When it comes to the 'zero policy', we have discussed this issue with Chinese experts and pointed out that this is not sustainable, considering the characteristics of the virus, changing the strategy is very important.”
The next day, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian responded with harsh words: "We hope that the relevant people can view China's epidemic prevention and control policies objectively and rationally, learn more about the facts, and refrain from making irresponsible remarks."
On May 22, Shanghai "micro-unblocked", and a large number of citizens went to Hongqiao Railway Station to "escape Shanghai".
(Chinatopix/Associated Press)
Three different anti-epidemic paths in Hong Kong, Star and Shanghai
Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore, three different financial centers, have adopted three different anti-epidemic paths.
Which is best, there may not be an answer.
The Chief Executive-designate, Li Jiachao, has repeatedly stated that customs clearance is the top priority.
(File photo/Photo by Li Zetong)
The Chief Executive-designate, Li Jiachao, has repeatedly stated that customs clearance is the top priority. On May 8, the day he was elected, he said: "I am very aware of the need for Hong Kong to engage with the world, and it is also very important to restore normal traffic with the mainland."
Hong Kong still maintains a four-person gathering restriction order, and the police have repeatedly used the gathering restriction order as an excuse to enforce the law against street stands, protests and other activities.
The picture shows that on April 10, some citizens protested against Russia's invasion of Ukraine in Tsim Sha Tsui.
(File photo/Photo by Li Zetong)
Hong Kong has been fighting the epidemic for two and a half years, and still maintains the four-person gathering restriction order. There is no deadline for customs clearance, and the real return to normal is how far away we are. I believe it is the question of Hong Kong people.
On May 19, Hong Kong bars were allowed to reopen, but only until 2am.
The limit on gatherings remains at four people.
(File photo / Photo by Lu Yiming)
The Fifth Wave Epidemic Review・1｜Tracking the Source of the Outbreak, Why Hong Kong Is Unprepared The dean of the institution died after seeing the black box truck, but he had no choice but to save himself. The fifth wave of epidemic situation review.