The southeast Asian nation, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, faces the highest disaster risk globally
asia57 minutes ago
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Saturday that the city’s Covid-19 outbreak wasn’t yet past its peak despite recent daily case numbers showing a slight levelling off.
“At this moment, we could not comfortably say that we have past the peak,” Lam told reporters.
Health authorities reported 29,381 new infections on Friday, compared with 31,402 new cases on Thursday.
Lam added that fresh food supplies from mainland China had largely been restored to previous levels, after panic buying by the public in recent weeks had seen some supermarket shelves emptied on a daily basis.
In total since early 2020, the global financial hub has recorded almost 650,000 Covid-19 infections and about 3,500 deaths - most of them in the past two weeks.
Hong Kong, like mainland China, has adopted a “dynamic zero” strategy that seeks to curb infections with strict mitigation measures.
Hong Kong registered the most deaths per million people globally in the week to March 9, according to data publication Our World in Data. Most have been unvaccinated senior citizens.
ALSO READ:
A senior Chinese official overseeing Hong Kong affairs, Xia Baolong, who has been helping coordinate China’s response to aid Hong Kong in trying to contain the outbreak, was cited by the China News Agency as saying the city’s Covid-19 situation was still severe and to adequately prepare oneself mentally for this “long-term war”.
He added that the government needed to do carry out its anti-epidemic work in a precise manner like “acupuncture” and to strengthen inter-departmental coordination.
Responding to the remarks, Lam said “I can assure him ... that we are putting in every effort to fight this epidemic,” while dismissing the view that the Hong Kong government wasn’t working effectively and in unison to battle the outbreak.
The southeast Asian nation, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, faces the highest disaster risk globally
asia57 minutes ago
If South Africa win both Tests, and back-to-back home games against Pakistan over the festive season, they will be guaranteed a place in the final
cricket1 hour ago
Billionaire Indian industrialist Gautam Adani was charged on November 19, accused of paying bribes and hiding payments from US investors
asia1 hour ago
Tickets are now on sale, with an early-bird offer running until January 10, 2025, exclusively on hospitality and Apron Views tickets
horse racing1 hour ago
Trading will resume after the break on December 4
markets1 hour ago
85% of all bookings are for international travels, while 15% account for staycations within the country
travel1 hour ago
If realised, the transition is expected to contribute to the local economy while strengthening transparency and governance systems
business1 hour ago
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Antony Blinken, also discussed the situation in Sudan
uae2 hours ago