Hong Kong, with record 55,000 COVID-19 cases, plans for mass testing

The mass testing of the entire region is expected to take place by the of the month

Hong Kong on Wednesday reported a record high of more than 55,000 COVID-19 cases, as the authorities in the Chinese Special Administrative Region (SAR) began firming up plans for “compulsory universal testing” for every one of its more than 7 million residents. The mass testing of the entire region is expected to take place towards the end of March, by when the current wave is expected to have peaked. The surge in Omicron cases from early January has overwhelmed Hong Kong’s health infrastructure and the “zero COVID” policy that had been in place for two years.

The current wave has seen the SAR record 967 deaths and more than 2,80,000 cases. Before the surge, Hong Kong had only reported 220 deaths since the pandemic began - among the lowest for any major world city - and fewer than 13,000 cases. Tuesday alone saw four times that number.

Hospitals are at maximum capacity. The SAR, with assistance from the mainland, is now constructing massive temporary isolation facilities for mild cases to reduce the pressure on hospitals. Experts are expecting the current wave to peak by the middle of the month, with plans then to carry out “compulsory universal testing” by month-end. Despite the current surge, the SAR has no plans to open up or move towards living with COVID-19 as Singapore has done, and is still sticking to its “zero COVID” approach - marked by mandatory quarantine for all international travellers, mass testing, contact tracing and mandatory isolation of cases - which is also being followed on the mainland, a key factor in deciding Hong Kong’s strategy. The approach had enabled Hong Kong to avoid a major second wave for two years, but has now been thrown into disarray by the Omicron surge. Low vaccination rates among the elderly, many of whom were reluctant to take their shots in part because Hong Kong had so few cases over the past two years, has led to many hospitalisations and deaths in the current wave.

The approach has also meant two years of international isolation and strains on its economy, including tourism and its status as a regional financial hub. While some experts had suggested the current surge could pave the way to opening up, the authorities have deemed otherwise, and reports have said they are working to squash the outbreak and return to “zero COVID” by July, when President Xi Jinping is set to visit the SAR to mark the 25th anniversary of the handover.