Researchers estimate the number of infections in Hong Kong significantly higher than official figures
Hong-Kong:
Workers in PPE equipment in Hong Kong transported the bodies of coronavirus victims in refrigerated shipping containers on Wednesday as the city’s morgues run out of space due to a deadly wave from Omicron.
In less than three months since the highly transmissible strain broke through, Hong Kong has registered nearly a million infections and more than 4,600 deaths — the bulk of the city’s unvaccinated elderly population.
A funeral home representative told local media that the rising death toll had seen a contraction in the city’s coffin supply, with only 300 left and expected to disappear by the weekend.
Leader Carrie Lam acknowledged the supply problems at a news conference Wednesday and said two more shipments of crates from the mainland will arrive in Hong Kong shortly.
“I was informed last night from the Food and Health Bureau that they are trying to arrange transport (of coffins) by water,” she said.
She added that officials have been trying to help families concerned about post-mortem matters, including how to retrieve bodies that have already been transported to public morgues without a doctor issuing a death certificate.
“We will try to find a way for the family to take the body back so that they can arrange the funeral quickly. The crematoria … have also been operating at full capacity day and night,” Lam said.
Outside the Fu Shan public morgue, workers in full PPE on Wednesday moved bodies covered in black tarpaulin from a truck to rows of shipping containers.
Beaches closed
Researchers estimate that the number of infections in Hong Kong is significantly higher than the official figures and probably already reaches half of the 7.4 million inhabitants.
Lam has been hit from all sides over her handling of the crisis, with her government being blamed for rising deaths and unclear reports of a possible lockdown and massive tests.
Chinese social media users have reacted angrily in recent days, saying that the spread of Covid in the mainland is due to Hong Kong’s slow epidemic response.
Tens of millions in mainland China were abruptly placed under household orders this week, following the rise of more than 3,000 new cases a day as Beijing fights to maintain its zero-covid strategy.
In nearby Shenzhen, all 17.5 million residents were locked up on Monday after an Omicron flare-up in factories and neighborhoods linked to Hong Kong.
After photos emerged of maskless Hong Kong residents sunbathing on a beach — which drew vitriol from Shenzhen’s netizens — authorities announced Wednesday that the government-run beaches will be cordoned off from Thursday.
“As we see a wave of people going to the beach, we need to take appropriate measures to … reduce the movements of the public to ensure safety,” Lam told reporters.
This new measure adds to Hong Kong’s already strict distancing rules, which include wearing masks while walking and a ban on gatherings of more than two people.
The controversial CEO – whose job is up for grabs in a few months – has so far declined to say whether she will run for another term.
The selection process was postponed to May due to the spate of Covid cases, and any further delay is on Beijing, Lam said.
(This story was not edited by DailyExpertNews staff and was generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
