Experts believe that the "dynamic zero-COVID" regulations that had squashed the virus in Hong Kong have contributed to the current problems.
Hong Kong had an exceptional record in combating COVID-19 until recently, but as an Omicron wave suddenly overwhelms the city, the steps that saved lives are making life unpleasant for many of its 7.4 million residents.
A 60-fold increase in daily cases caused the government to revise its COVID-eradication strategies, but the authorities remain committed to eradicating the virus. According to epidemiologists, the impact of zero-tolerance will last for some time.
Because of Hong Kong's stringent pandemic regulations, coronavirus infections have been kept to roughly 40,000, with just 259 deaths, significantly fewer than in other big cities. With a population of 5.7 million people, Asian neighbor Singapore has reported more than half a million illnesses and 900 deaths.
Hong Kong authorities implemented zero-COVID, effectively closing the border and hospitalizing even asymptomatic coronavirus-positive patients, as well as isolating close contacts with infected people. A person with little or no symptoms could spend weeks in the hospital, then be transferred to an isolation center for several weeks before being able to return to normal life.
In exchange, most people in the global financial center were free to continue about their business and social lives.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam has stated that Hong Kong "cannot surrender to the virus" and that managing the outbreak "is now of paramount importance," as she begs the people's understanding for the inconveniences created by the regulations.
As the highly transmissible COVID variant puts the healthcare system and the public's patience to the test, authorities have made a gradual shift from elimination to mitigation, altering policy on a regular basis based on the severity of symptoms and the availability of beds and isolation rooms.
Asymptomatic carriers can now go to quarantine facilities or even their own homes, and intimate contacts can separate themselves at home. However, as infections grow, the healthcare system is being strained to the breaking point.
Some epidemiologists believe that without a full mainland-style city lockdown, which Lam has ruled out, plans for mass testing starting next month will be futile.
Hong Kong has sought help from Beijing. More than a hundred million rapid tests are on their way from the mainland, and authorities intend to ramp up testing, expand isolation facilities, and assure food supplies following this month's vegetable shortages.
However, some health experts predict that daily infections will skyrocket to 30,000 by the end of March, up from 3,629 on Friday, significantly exceeding efforts to expand capacity.
Only a costly, months-long full lockdown, according to epidemiologists at the University of Hong Kong, will eliminate infections.
