How did Hong Kong become the city with the highest death rate in the world?

"We have so much preparation time and experience, but we still have to endure the collapse
of the medical system," said Calvin Kong, an emergency doctor at a public hospital in Hong Kong
.
This is during the severe COVID-19 outbreak in Hong Kong in 2022

Omicron is sweeping through densely populated Hong Kong, where officials say there have been more than 700,000 cases in a population of 7.
5 million since the outbreak began in late December

The outbreak of the more contagious omicron is a shock to China, as the "coronavirus zero" strategy of mass testing, contact tracing, border closures and strict quarantine requirements over the past two years has kept cases and deaths under control at the lowest level
.
Experts also agree that this approach made sense for Hong Kong in the early days of the pandemic

However, in Hong Kong, Adrian Kwan, a physician at a public hospital, said: "The government and hospitals were not prepared for an outbreak
.
" They had no contingency plans until late February

Last week, Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced a major shift, saying universal testing would be delayed while the government focused on reducing the number of deaths and serious infections, a change that was in line with the advice of experts in mainland China
.

While Ms Lim said officials had done their best to manage the epidemic, she acknowledged they had not done enough to encourage older adults to get vaccinated
.
"We need to catch up and vaccinate every Hong Kong citizen," she told a news conference on Friday

The outbreak of the new crown has heightened public anxiety about the outbreak and created a strong fear of the disease itself
.
People with mild or asymptomatic cases flocked to hospitals, tying up medical resources, while those wishing to avoid isolation opted to recover quietly at home

Evelyn Wong, 31, said he was hesitant to report his symptoms after a positive rapid test for fear of affecting others
.
For patients accustomed to government management, finding themselves isolated can be confusing

When Justin Ho, 44, tested positive at a public hospital early last month, he wanted to go to an isolation facility to avoid exposing his parents, with whom he shared a 500-square-foot apartment
.
But health authorities didn't follow up after telling him to go home, and his parents soon became infected, although they both recovered, he said

Under pressure from the growing number of cases, the government has made some concessions, allowing close contacts to be quarantined at home with infected people waiting to enter quarantine areas or hospitals
.
The government has also abandoned the distribution of electronic tracking bracelets to people in home quarantine, estimated at around 300,000 people
.

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