Govt set to close down beaches from Thursday

By The SUN

Shek-o beach on the weekend after HK posted more than 50,000 Covid cases

Various media reports say the government will order all public beaches closed from Thursday after receiving numerous reports of people violating the rules on gathering and not wearing a mask in public places.

The move which will affect all 42 beaches managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, is expected to be announced tomorrow.

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The move is being taken despite Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s pronouncement on Monday that there would be no further tightening of the anti-pandemic rules, saying they're the strictest they've ever been.

Under current restrictions, beaches have been kept open but the shower stalls, barbecue pits and other facilities in surrounding areas were closed off to discourage people from gathering.

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A local media report said people in neighboring Shenzhen which has been under a strict lockdown from Sunday after a surge in Covid-19 cases, were reportedly incensed on hearing about Hongkongers who flout anti-pandemic rules when they go to beaches or hiking trails.

The hemmed-in Shenzhen residents are also questioning why Mainland authorities have ensured a steady supply of goods to Hong Kong and even sent a back-up medical team when residents here are not even helping fight a massive surge in cases.

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Local firefighters facing a manpower shortage because of the continuing spread of the coronavirus, are also said to be unhappy at being called to rescue some hikers who had taken advantage of the warmer weather recently to venture out.

Police leaflet shows everyone must wear a mask even while exercising outdoors

Meanwhile, government law enforcers said Monday that 386 people were issued fixed penalty notices over the weekend for violating the prohibition against gathering and not wearing a mask in public places, including on beaches and hiking trails.

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Police said the crackdown was carried out across various districts and involved people from all walks of life. But they declined to say whether those meted the fine included beachgoers and hikers.

Under prevailing regulations which have been extended until Apr 20, a maximum of two people may gather in public places and eat together in restaurants. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $25,000.

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In line with the tightened regulations, anyone who is engaged in any physical activity (including running, hiking or any other form of exercise) in any public place, whether indoor or outdoor, should keep their masks on. Anyone who violates this prohibition is liable to a fine of up to $10,000.

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Police also warned that they will continue to step up enforcement actions amid the raging pandemic.

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Single-day death toll from Covid rise to 249 but confirmed cases steady

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Lau says public hospitals are setting aside more beds for Covid patients  

A total of 249 deaths from Covid-19 were recorded on Sunday, the single biggest daily tally in Hong Kong. An additional 37 people passed away between Feb 27 and Mar 12 but their cases were not reported immediately, making a total of 286 reported deaths today, Mar 14.

Meanwhile, the number of confirmed cases was pretty steady at 26,908 with those reported from rapid antigen tests or RAT outnumbering those from PCR tests.

According to the Centre for Health Protection’s Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan, the number of positive cases from RAT were 14,868 while those from PCR tests was 12,040.

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The new cases pushed up the total tally from the fifth wave of the infection to 721,254. PCR test results make up the bulk of the cases at 623,044 while those from RAT totaled 98,110.

Dr Chuang said the daily figures remain high so people should continue observing good personal hygiene and social distancing measures.

Responding to a question about the record high in the daily death toll, Hospital Authority’s Dr Lau Ka-hin said their focus is more on making sure patients’ symptoms do not worsen, like from mild to serious, or even death.

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To this end, he said public hospitals have employed the triage system, or deciding the order of treatment of patients so those who need urgent attention are looked after first; and expanding facilities to better treat them.

More than 10,000 beds in various hospitals have already been converted for use by Covid patients while six new designated clinics will open tomorrow to attend to the needs of  patients with mild symptoms.

A new hotline under the Community Care system will also open, dedicated to responding to the needs of high-risk patients, like those aged 70 and above, 5 years and below, women who are at least 28 weeks pregnant and those who are immunocompromised.

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Regarding the deaths reported in the past 24 hours he said 151 of them were males and 98 were females, aged 39 to 105 years old.

As before, a big number of them – 134 – lived in elderly or care homes, and 165 did not have any vaccination. However, 41 had one vaccine dose, 39 had two doses and four had three doses.

Nearly all, or 231 of the deceased, were aged 65 and above. The ones who were younger, including the 39-year-old patient, had chronic diseases like cancer, stroke and hepatitis, thyroid or liver problem and epilepsy.

The cases that were backlogged comprised 22 males and 15 females aged 64 to 106 years old.

Chuang says 4,066 people have died from Covid in the 5th wave

Chuang said the number of deaths from the fifth wave has now gone up to 4,066, leading to a  death rate of 0.56%.

Among the deceased, 4,057 died in hospital while nine tested positive during post mortem. More than half of them, or 59%, lived in a care home. Nearly all, or 95.5%, were aged 60 and above.

As of the latest report, 9,905 patients were being treated in public hospitals and the AsiaWorld Expo treatment facility.

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Among these patients, 91 are in critical condition while 112 are in serious condition.

A total of 371 patients have been discharged after treatment.

Lau also said the number of HA staff who have tested positive for Covid-19 has gone up to 15,227 although 6,948 of them have already returned to work.

The situation remains dire in residential care homes, with 11 more such facilities reporting new infections yesterday. Those affected included 46 residents and two staff members.

As of today, 752 homes for the elderly have reported infections, accounting for 90% of all such facilities across Hong Kong.

A total of 34,373 residents have been infected, making up about 30-40% percent of all those residing in the care facilities. The number of infected staff is 9,263 or about 22% of all those working in the care homes.

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Boosters not needed by those who had Covid-19, experts say

 By The SUN

 

No third dose is needed by healthy adults after they get sick of Covid-19, say experts

Fully vaccinated individuals who have no health issues should no longer get a booster shot after they contract Covid-19, according to a team of experts advising the Hong Kong government on its pandemic response

The joint expert committee’s recommendations were published in a press statement issued Sunday.

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For healthy individuals aged 17 and above who were unvaccinated before their infection, the experts said they should still take two doses of either the Sinovac or BioNTech vaccines, with the first jab being administered three months after their recovery.

The recommendation does not apply to elderly residents of care homes who have not taken a single vaccine dose, as they are deemed to be at a higher risk of getting seriously ill. The experts said that they could have their first dose one month after they recover.

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If the elderly home resident had taken a vaccine shot before getting infected, the second dose could be given three months after recovery.

The experts laid down different guidelines for patients in various age groups and compromised immunity as follows:

1)      For youngsters aged between 5 and 17 who were unjabbed before they got Covid, the experts said they should take either one dose of the BioNTech vaccine, or two doses if they choose Sinovac, after recovery. But a second dose of BioNTech will still be allowed for some personal reasons like attending a school abroad. 

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2)      Those aged between 3 and 4 are recommended to have two Sinovac doses. If children and teenagers had taken one Sinovac jab before infection, they should take one more after they recover.      However, if they had a BioNTech jab they need not have a second dose. 

3)      For elderly people with compromised immunity who were infected with Covid, they are advised to get an extra dose of a vaccine

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4)    Boosters are allowed for children below 12 years at least three months after they received the second dose.

Details of the interim recommendations are available at the CHP's website:  www.chp.gov.hk/en/static/24008.html.

 

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4.1 magnitude earthquake shakes HK

Map shows the quake epicenter (HKO photo)

An earthquake of magnitude 4.1 shook Hong Kong at 2:29 am today.

He Hing Kong Observatory said the epicenter was located 92 kilometers east northeast of Hing Kong, near the cast of Southeastern China.

“The Observatory received over 8000 locally felt reports of minor shaking, the duration of which was a few seconds,” it said in a short bulletin.

“Initial estimate gave a local intensity of IV (four) on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale,” it added.

A tremor of that magnitude would have meant hanging objects would swing while windows, dishes and doors could rattle.

A number of Filipinos in Hong Kong who were still awake or had just gone to bed when the quake happened immediately posted on Facebook about the rare occurrence.

"Hong Kong, did you feel what I felt? It's an earthquake? Strong earthquake, my folding bed shook so strong and my (daughter) Angel shocked," said Bishop Gerry Vallo.

"First time I experienced this in Hong Kong since 1993. We are all safe. Take care of Hong Kong people, oh Lord."

Migrant leader Mayette Cruz Telmo said the same thing: "Earthquake here in Hong Kong at exactly 2:24am. First time in my 17 years here!"

There was no immediate report of any damage.

Residents told to stay alert as 32,430 new cases reported

By The SUN

 

CHP's Au and HA's Ho meet reporters for the daily Covid briefing

The number of confirmed Covid-19 cases bounced back up to 32,430 Sunday after registering just over 27,000 the previous day.

This prompted Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection to warn the public to remain alert because the cases could surge up anew.

“People should not get the wrong impression that the virus situation is now under control,” Dr Au said.

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“Once we let our guard down it’s possible that (the number of infections) will bounce back and rise again. We have seen such situations during overseas outbreaks where the virus situation could go back up again after it becomes stable.”

Previously, Au had said the situation seemed to be stabilizing because the exponential growth in cases which peaked to more than 50,000 confirmed PCR tests early this month had gone down to about 30,000 on average.

Of the new cases, 13,335 were confirmed through PCR tests, while 19,095 were positive results for rapid tests which were voluntarily reported to a government platform.

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They took Hong Kong’s total Covid-19 tally from the fifth wave to 758,357 with those confirmed through PCR totaling 675,151 and the remaining 83,206 reported from rapid tests.

Three of the cases were imported and the rest were all locally acquired.

The death toll remained high, with 264 reported in total, including 190 that happened in the past 24 hours.

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Yesterday’s fatalities were 112 males and 78 females aged between 39 and 105. The majority were elderly people aged 65 and above. Among them, 124 were unvaccinated, 46 took one jab, while 20 received two doses.

Among the relatively young fatalities were a 39-year-old man who lived in a care home and had a pre-existing condition that required him to be in a wheelchair.

The rest of those who were under 60 either had cancer or some serious long-term ailments.

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Dr Sara Ho said that because of a backlog, 74 more Covid-related deaths that happened between Feb 27 and Mar 11 had just been reported. 

The deceased included 44 males and 30 females, aged from 55 to 102 years old.

As of midnight of Mar 13, a total of 3,780 Covid-related deaths have been reported during the fifth wave. Including those that happened in the earlier waves of the infection, the total death toll from the pandemic is now at 3,993.

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As of 9am Sunday, a total of 10,601 patients were being treated in public hospitals. The number of patients discharged was 741.

Among those undergoing treatment, 89 are in critical condition while 144 were in serious condition.

The infection rate among public hospital staff has continued to rise, with the total number of those stricken with Covid-19 rising to 14,642. However, 6,754 of them have already returned to work.

The same problem continues to afflict residential care homes, with four such facilities reporting new infections Saturday. The number of residents who tested positive was 71, along with 15 staff.

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In the fifth wave alone, 745 elderly care homes have reported infections, while 2,061 living in such facilities have passed on after being detected with Covid.

Law says up to 3,000 caregivers are needed to look after the elderly 

Earlier in the day, Labour Secretary Law Chi-kwong reported that Hong Kong has so far hired 120 temporary care workers from the mainland to look after the elderly in isolation and quarantine facilities.

The government had previously announced that 1,000 caregivers from across the border would be hired amid the latest outbreak.

Law said the city still needs around 1,000 to 2,000 workers to take care of the infected elderly patients with mild or no symptoms who are in quarantine facilities. Another 2,000 to 3,000 workers are needed for elderly care homes.

The CHP later issued a statement saying a two-week suspension was imposed on flight TG600 operated by Thai Airways after one of its passengers who arrived from Bangkok on Mar 9 had tested positive on arrival in Hong Kong, while two passengers failed to comply with pre-flight requirements.

(Covid-positive patients may call the hotline, 1836 115 to report their cases and seek medical advice about their infection. Those who want to report a positive rapid test result may use this government platform: https://www.chp.gov.hk/ratp/.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said at an earlier press briefing that there could be up to 300,000 Covid patients currently undergoing isolation or quarantine at home.

She admitted that authorities have been unable to provide immediate support to some of these patients, even in terms of providing them with self-care kits.

"With so many people put under isolation or quarantine, the government has been strengthening our capability to support them. However, we're still catching up,” the CE said.

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Labor chief calls for passing of law granting sick leave to quarantined workers

 

Legislative Council (Google Maps photo)

Secretary for Labor Dr Law Chi-kwong has urged legislators to pass an amendment to the Employment Ordinance that includes allowing workers to claim sickness pay for the entire time they were in compulsory quarantine.

In turn, the new law allows employers to fire workers who cannot go to work because they refuse to be vaccinated.

Law said in his blog Sunday that he will present the proposed legislation, the Employment (Amendment) Bill 2022, in the Legislative Council on Wednesday, Mar 16, during which the bill will be presented for its second and final reading.

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The amendments were approved on Feb. 25 by the Executive Council. Among the major provisions are:

• To regard a day on which an employee (affected employee) placed under compulsory quarantine under the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance as a sickness day.

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• To provide for sickness allowance to be paid to such employee under certain circumstances.

• To provide that it is not a valid reason to dismiss an employee or vary the terms of the employee’s contract of employment on the ground of being quarantined.

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• To provide that it is a valid reason to dismiss an employee or vary the terms of the employee’s contract of employment if he or she refuses to produce proof of vaccination after a request is made by the employer.

Law said that he realized there was a need for amendments when disagreements first arose about sick leave during quarantine.

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“During the SARS period in 2003,” he said in his blog, “I made a lot of comments to the then Government in the Legislative Council, including the arrangement of sick leave during quarantine. At that time, the government's health authority would issue sick leave certificates to employees during the compulsory quarantine period. Therefore, in the guidelines of the Labour Department at that time, the period of compulsory quarantine was also regarded as sick leave. I have always held this understanding.”

But during the Covid-19 pandemic that started in 2020, he said, “the health authorities stated that compulsory quarantine is not a disease, so the relevant certificates issued by the health authorities for compulsory quarantine may not necessarily be regarded as proof of sick leave.”

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Law said the Labour Department consulted the Department of Health to adjust the guidelines provided to employers and employees, while the Government looked at the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance, Chapter 599, to specify the compulsory quarantine certificate as proof that employees needed to receive sickness allowance.

“However, the legal opinion considers that the proposal does not meet the coverage of Cap 599 and that amendments to the Employment Ordinance are required,” he added.

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As the proposed law worked its way through the Legislative Council, the fifth wave of the epidemic arose and the "vaccine passport" became imperative.

It also required new provisions that allowed to employers to fire workers who could not present proof that they were vaccinated within the specified period.

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HK reports 27,674 new Covid cases, 285 deaths

By Daisy CL Mandap

Vaccinating seniors is a top priority, given the high mortality among them when they catch the virus

Health authorities have reported a total of 27,674 new coronavirus cases Saturday, which were detected through both PCR and rapid antigen tests. One was imported, while the rest were all locally acquired. 

Those from PCR tests numbered 15,789 while the confirmed results from RAT were 11,855 cases.

The new cases took Hong Kong’s total Covid-19 tally in the fifth wave to 725,927. These include 661,816 cases confirmed by PCR and 11,858 cases by RAT.

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The death toll also remained high, with 285 cases reported from the past week. These include a record 198 deaths that occurred in the past 24 hours, and 87 that happened between Mar 7 and 10.

According to Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection, there have been 3,516 deaths in the fifth wave, which started in late December last year. This accounts for a 0.53 mortality rate, the highest in the world.

The fatalities were aged from 11 months to 112 years old, with the average age of 85 years old.

An overwhelming majority of the patients were aged 60 and above, accounting for 3,351 of the cases. Of these, there were 2,459 who were aged 80 and above.

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The figures reinforce experts’ advice that vaccination is key to preventing serious complications, even deaths, especially among the elderly.

Au said 89.5% of those who died did not receive any vaccine dose or received only partial vaccination. The figure is sharply higher at 91.4% for those aged 80 and above.

Dr Sara Ho of the Hospital Authority said that those who passed away on Friday were 122 males and 76 females, aged 36 to 107 years old. A record 119 patients came from care homes.

Those who received no vaccination at all numbered 140, while 27 had one dose and 21 had two doses.

There were 122 who were aged 65 years old and above.

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The youngest fatality was a 36-year-old female who was chronically ill with kidney and heart problems. She developed a fever and had to be intubated when she was admitted to a hospital.

Another was a 44-year-old man who had a heart valve replacement and was taken to hospital complaining of difficulty in breathing. He was also intubated before he passed on.

The others, aged 51, 54, and 57, all had serious ailments including cancer, and one was bedridden and was fed through tubes.

The 87 other cases which were not reported on time included 57 men and 30 women, aged 19 to 104.

The youngest fatality was a teenage boy with a brain tumor that had already metastasized.

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Another was a 46-year-old wheelchair-bound man who was in a care home. An outreach team found him having breathing difficulties because of a low oxygen level. He was taken to a hospital where he died.

As of 9am today, 10,137 patients were being treated in public hospitals. Among them, a record 164 patients were in critical condition, and 220 are in serious condition.

A total of 960 patients have been treated and discharged from hospitals.

As of the latest count, 14,025 hospital staff have tested positive for Covid-19, although around 6,530 have already returned to work.

The infection rate among locked-down buildings remains high, says Au (left) with Ho

Responding to a reporter’s question, Au said today’s figure was nearly the same as the previous day's so it was not right to say there had been a marked reduction in the number of cases.

He also warned that the infection rate from the lockdown of public housing estate where the virus was found in their sewage remained at a high 12.5% on average.

“The virus is still active and there are hot spots there,” he said.

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He adeclined to say whether the number of RAT cases is severely underreported because many people have decided to just isolate at home and treat their infection by themselves. 

Au said the government wants everyone who tests positive on a rapid test to report their case immediately so they can be isolated and given medical support. This will also give officials a better picture of the extent of infection from the fifth wave. 

He also reminded those who reported their RAT result to comply with the direction in an SMS sent to them to upload photos of their Hong Kong ID card and their positive result within 24 hours so they can be given immediate support.

Asked about complaints that the CHP has failed to send messages to some patients immediately, Au said they were aware of the problem, and their IT colleagues are already working on a solution.

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