Coronavirus: Hong Kong leader calls for society to spread positivity as city confirms 6,981 cases, 135 deaths

Hong Kong’s leader has said society must “spread more positive news” to preserve the public’s confidence and mental wellness, after a university study found that the city’s suicide index had reached a “crisis level” during the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak. At her regular epidemic press conference on Wednesday, Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor was asked to comment on a recent report from the University of Hong Kong (HKU), which warned that if a previously logged suicide rate continued, the city could reach record levels this year. In her response, Lam said society needed to be more positive for the public to be confident and maintain mental wellness. “We hope all of society can spread more positive news, work together to fight the epidemic, volunteer to distribute anti-epidemic packages, call neighbours and friends, particularly those under quarantine, to see if they have any needs,” she said. “The media can also report more on good people and good things … These will all help Hongkongers face adversity, raise their ability to fight the epidemic and boost their belief in Hong Kong.” The study by Hong Kong Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention at HKU found that the suicide index from March 11 to 18 was 4.03 deaths per day and had reached a “crisis level”. The seven-day period was the first time the index had hit a crisis level since the analysis was first conducted in March last year to track suicide trends using media reports. Researchers from the centre urged authorities to further relax some social-distancing measures to allow the elderly to enjoy more activities and feel more connected with society. Lam was also asked to comment on a recent poll which found that the majority of respondents were dissatisfied with the government’s performance during the fifth wave, with the city leader saying Hong Kong had been “relatively successful” in combating Covid-19 but also conceding that the surge in infections that began in late December had been difficult to control. “A lot of overseas institutions said Hong Kong was very successful [in the first two years since the pandemic began in January 2020]. The fierce fifth wave came very quickly due to the highly transmissive Omicron variant and some objective environmental factors. But we have never been lax … We have done our very best,” she said. “We always review our work every day to see if anything can be changed.” Alarm raised as suicide index hits ‘crisis level’ amid Hong Kong Covid surge Hong Kong confirmed 6,981 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, marking a fifth consecutive day with a caseload of under 10,000. Of the latest cases, five were imported while the rest were locally transmitted. Health officials reported 135 Covid-19-linked deaths, including 18 that occurred earlier but were only just recorded due to backlog. Of the 117 patients who died in the past 24 hours, 63 were unvaccinated, 34 had one dose, 19 had two and one had three. The city’s tally of confirmed cases stands at 1,150,769, while the total number of related deaths has reached 7,706. On a team of traditional Chinese medicine experts who arrived from the mainland on Tuesday, Lam said the government hoped the contingent could help authorities better treat Covid-19 patients and minimise severe cases and deaths. “Chinese medicine can also be applied to infection prevention and help speed up the recovery process of confirmed patients when our infection figures drop,” she added. Lam said that in the future, the use of traditional Chinese remedies should be stepped up in the city, suggesting the field’s development had been constrained by the public hospital system’s embrace of Western medicine. She stressed that sending proprietary Chinese medicine tablets to residents in anti-epidemic packages was for treatment, not prevention, and the move would not interfere with vaccination efforts. “It’s like Panadol or Paracetamol, it’s not for prevention. Vaccination remains the most effective means to prevent an infected person becoming seriously or critically ill,” Lam said. “There is no contradiction whatsoever between the two missions: to give Hong Kong residents some sort of safeguard when they fall ill … [and] to encourage vaccination, especially among the elderly and the young.” Chan Wing-kwong, chairman of the Hong Kong Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioners Association, said he hoped to meet the mainland delegation and learn from its anti-pandemic experiences, especially when it came to combining Chinese and Western treatments for Covid-19 patients with severe symptoms. “They have treated several tens of thousands of Covid-19 patients in different places over the past two years. We hope they will bring their rich experience to Hong Kong,” he told a radio programme on Wednesday. The Hospital Authority also revealed plans to launch a Chinese medicine hotline for the 18 public clinics dedicated to the practice. Currently, recovered Covid-19 patients and those who have completed isolation within six months are eligible for 10 free medical consultations at the clinics. Dr Sara Ho Yuen-ha, a chief manager at the authority, said about 5,000 recovered patients had joined the scheme since April 2020. More than 500 recovered patients had signed up for Chinese medicine consultation services daily since the fifth wave hit, she added. Hong Kong to double fine for breaching Covid quarantine orders to HK$10,000 Across designated service points on Wednesday, the government began preparing anti-epidemic service bags for distribution to about three million households from Saturday onwards, with Lam visiting one site at Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wan Chai. The packages are expected to be ready on or even ahead of schedule, according to a government press release. Each kit will include rapid antigen test kits, Chinese medicines, KN95 masks and informative brochures. The distribution of all anti-epidemic service kits is expected to be completed within seven days. Meanwhile, the government clarified on Wednesday night that one of the amendments to the public health emergency regulations approved by the Executive Council a day before would impose a fine of HK$50,000 and six-month imprisonment on those who did not comply with requirements under restriction-testing declarations. It said its statement on Tuesday wrongly indicated the offence carried a maximum penalty of HK$25,000 fine and six months’ jail – aimed only at those breaching compulsory testing orders, notices and directions. The approved changes, which will take effect on Thursday, included the doubling of the maximum fine for breaching quarantine and isolation orders to HK$10,000. Anyone failing to comply with these orders will also face up to six months behind bars. Currently, only the act of obstructing a government officer from executing orders constitutes an offence, but under the amendment any form of non-compliance will be considered a breach of the law. A government source said the changes were needed as the large number of infections daily meant authorities could not deploy officers to execute all isolation or quarantine orders. Additional reporting by Fiona Sun If you are having suicidal thoughts, or you know someone who is, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on +1 800 273 8255. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.