Hong Kong puts mass testing on hold to tackle world’s worst Covid death rate

Hong Kong has put recently-announced plans to test its entire population for Covid on hold, saying the new priority is to reduce a skyrocketing mortality rate from the disease.

The global financial hub now has the highest Covid death rate in the world, recording about 150 deaths per day, according to Our World in Data, a project based at Oxford University.

Making her first appearance in two weeks, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Wednesday that there was “no specific timeframe” for the compulsory universal testing drive she announced at her last public address, saying at the time that it would be completed in three stages over the course of March.

She said reducing infections and deaths was the “most urgent and top priority at the current stage”.

“It is a major exercise which cannot be done overnight. If it is not prepared with all the details and mobilised with all the resources, it’s not possible,” she said.

Hong Kong has been in the grip of a spiralling outbreak of the Omicron variant of Covid, with a fifth wave sweeping the city since December end last year, overwhelming healthcare facilities.

The city of 7.4 million people has recorded 500,000 infections during the current wave, when previously it had only had about 100,000 cases in total. It has now recorded more than 2,000 deaths.

Hospitals have been swamped with an influx of Covid patients and morgues are at breaking point as China’s “zero covid” policy, which Hong Kong is still formally committed to, appears to have failed.

The city is now racing to build additional facilities for Covid patients, with construction work being carried out in full swing with the help of resources from mainland China to speed up efforts to rein in virus outbreaks.

Ms Lam said she would hold daily media briefings to detail the city’s progress in tackling the pandemic and clarify any rumours or misunderstandings.

Her address came after state leader Han Zheng criticised the government’s response and demanded more decisive leadership.

Ms Lam pointed out that the government was following the orders of Chinese president Xi Jinping to uphold the country’s “high standards to fight this arduous anti-epidemic war”.

Regarding criticism of the government over the “dynamic zero” Covid strategy, the term by which the “zero covid” policy is also known, Ms Lam said the debate was irrelevant and added that “every life matters”.

Health authorities recorded close to 60,000 new infections on Wednesday.

Out of its almost 2,500 Covid deaths so far, 87 per cent were among those aged 60 or above and 90 per cent were not fully vaccinated. Only about 30 per cent of Hong Kongers over the age of 80 have been double vaccinated, amid reports of significant vaccine hesitancy among older people.