The following are excerpts from a current article in the New Yorker about how COVID, B.A.2,, has exploded in Hong Kong. It highlights the causes, some of which TC referred to -- lack of governmental preparedness, human behavior, low level of vaccine inoculations of the elderly. P,S The people of Hong Kong wear their masks. That is not …
The following are excerpts from a current article in the New Yorker about how COVID, B.A.2,, has exploded in Hong Kong. It highlights the causes, some of which TC referred to -- lack of governmental preparedness, human behavior, low level of vaccine inoculations of the elderly. P,S The people of Hong Kong wear their masks. That is not one of the problems there. Causes of COVID spreading vary to some extent from place to place, but we learn from each location.
'At the beginning of 2022, Hong Kong stood out as a pandemic success story—proof that the so-called Zero COVID approach, whatever its costs, could squash the virus’s medical toll…. Then Omicron and its more contagious cousin, B.A.2, arrived. Since then, more than three million people are thought to have been infected, and ,today, Hong Kong is home to one of the highest COVID-19 death rates in the world. The scenes are both tragic and familiar: triage tents outside hospitals; crematoriums full and morgues overflowing; health-care workers and a health-care system on the brink.'
'What went wrong? As with surges in many countries, the contributors are numerous and complex. But a key driver appears to be low immunization rates among the elderly... ‘Meanwhile, the success of Hong Kong’s Zero COVID policy meant that few people had acquired natural immunity. In the face of a highly infectious variant, this combination proved combustible, and an under-resourced public health-care system couldn’t extinguish the viral inferno.
Hong Kong’s experience is further proof that understanding a variant’s severity in isolation is a fool’s errand. The virulence of any pathogen depends not just on its own qualities but on the preparedness of the human immune system. A variant that scarcely registers in a person with a booster shot and a prior infection can rapidly sicken and kill an immunologically naïve individual. The surge in Hong Kong may hold an ominous lesson for mainland China, where tens of millions of older people remain unvaccinated, and which is now experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases not seen since the beginning of the pandemic.'
‘…Sridhar’s descriptions of the crisis reminded me of my own experiences caring for desperately ill COVID patients during New York City’s surge, in the spring of 2020.'
‘It’s a catastrophe made more tragic by its preventability, and a reminder of the grave threat that the virus still poses to the unvaccinated.
‘People in Hong Kong had no problem wearing masks. It’s something that was adopted spontaneously in early 2020. You’d see people wearing surgical masks everywhere. I’m talking nearly one-hundred-per-cent compliance. But apart from that, it was very much life as normal. Restaurants were full. Shopping malls were full. People were gathering. There were some nominal restrictions on the number of people who could gather, but, really, it was almost indistinguishable from life before the pandemic.'
“Not surprisingly, a lot of people didn’t want to get tested. Stigma is a real thing when it comes to COVID in Hong Kong. If you test positive, it’s terrifying. You get sent off to isolation. Your family is quarantined. If your kids test positive, there’s a separation issue. Even when you come back, you might find that employers aren’t too happy about what happened. Your neighbors tend to shun you.
“There were at least three points of introduction of COVID into the community. There was an incident with flight staff who broke the rules on self-quarantine after coming into Hong Kong and went to a restaurant and infected people. Then there was another incident which grabbed a lot of attention: the hamster incident. Basically, there was an outbreak of Delta in a pet shop and it was linked to the hamsters, The third outbreak—the one that really did us in—was somebody who came back to Hong Kong on a flight and was doing that excessive twenty-one-day quarantine, and then caught Omicron in the hotel, during their third week of quarantine. Then they went into the community and spread it to their family, who spread it to a public-housing estate. It spread like wildfire from there.' (NewYorker)
If you haven't had Covid-19 by now it means you have no friends. Our covid was mild. We were fortunate. A friend in Regina has it and is having a bad time. A fourth booster is essential I think
My dear presumptuous friend, I've had good reasons to restrict our meetings to the digital sphere. Would we have become as friendly without it? I shall leave you in the dark, where you may belong, about whether or not I have other friends. Great to hear from you, along with your snipes. Glad you checked in and came by to tell me how friendless I am. Withal, you and Tanya get Bronx Cheers from Manhattan. 🌝🌿🌻💓
Allen, It's only slightly sweaty Fern. How are you doing and Tanya, too? I don't know how much you follow the news here. Wish I could tell you something really positive. Probably didn't read enough news today and missed a couple of sections. My personal news, at least what I care to share, is you will find me on this newsletter and it is where I hope to find you. LFAA's forum doesn't work for me anymore. I'll read HCR's Letters and Notes == that will be enough. I have books piling up and like to do research. I also like to talk with you, so I have plenty to do.. I am hoping that we go on as we have. When will you know that you can book a flight? Take care, Allen, laugh and find your happy spirit. Cheers
Allen, I'm going follow behind you. Rather excited and nervous. I got up earlier than usual and went right to the computer. Maybe I was expecting important news. You are my first human contact this morning. I think that is a good sign. 🌈 🌝 ✈️ 🟥🍁🟥 🌿❤️ 🌷
TC, The article is too long to post here. I received the following in red: 'Please type a shorter comment', and there's no place to put an attachment on newsletter. Sorry I couldn't get it to you.
The following are excerpts from a current article in the New Yorker about how COVID, B.A.2,, has exploded in Hong Kong. It highlights the causes, some of which TC referred to -- lack of governmental preparedness, human behavior, low level of vaccine inoculations of the elderly. P,S The people of Hong Kong wear their masks. That is not one of the problems there. Causes of COVID spreading vary to some extent from place to place, but we learn from each location.
'At the beginning of 2022, Hong Kong stood out as a pandemic success story—proof that the so-called Zero COVID approach, whatever its costs, could squash the virus’s medical toll…. Then Omicron and its more contagious cousin, B.A.2, arrived. Since then, more than three million people are thought to have been infected, and ,today, Hong Kong is home to one of the highest COVID-19 death rates in the world. The scenes are both tragic and familiar: triage tents outside hospitals; crematoriums full and morgues overflowing; health-care workers and a health-care system on the brink.'
'What went wrong? As with surges in many countries, the contributors are numerous and complex. But a key driver appears to be low immunization rates among the elderly... ‘Meanwhile, the success of Hong Kong’s Zero COVID policy meant that few people had acquired natural immunity. In the face of a highly infectious variant, this combination proved combustible, and an under-resourced public health-care system couldn’t extinguish the viral inferno.
Hong Kong’s experience is further proof that understanding a variant’s severity in isolation is a fool’s errand. The virulence of any pathogen depends not just on its own qualities but on the preparedness of the human immune system. A variant that scarcely registers in a person with a booster shot and a prior infection can rapidly sicken and kill an immunologically naïve individual. The surge in Hong Kong may hold an ominous lesson for mainland China, where tens of millions of older people remain unvaccinated, and which is now experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases not seen since the beginning of the pandemic.'
‘…Sridhar’s descriptions of the crisis reminded me of my own experiences caring for desperately ill COVID patients during New York City’s surge, in the spring of 2020.'
‘It’s a catastrophe made more tragic by its preventability, and a reminder of the grave threat that the virus still poses to the unvaccinated.
‘People in Hong Kong had no problem wearing masks. It’s something that was adopted spontaneously in early 2020. You’d see people wearing surgical masks everywhere. I’m talking nearly one-hundred-per-cent compliance. But apart from that, it was very much life as normal. Restaurants were full. Shopping malls were full. People were gathering. There were some nominal restrictions on the number of people who could gather, but, really, it was almost indistinguishable from life before the pandemic.'
“Not surprisingly, a lot of people didn’t want to get tested. Stigma is a real thing when it comes to COVID in Hong Kong. If you test positive, it’s terrifying. You get sent off to isolation. Your family is quarantined. If your kids test positive, there’s a separation issue. Even when you come back, you might find that employers aren’t too happy about what happened. Your neighbors tend to shun you.
“There were at least three points of introduction of COVID into the community. There was an incident with flight staff who broke the rules on self-quarantine after coming into Hong Kong and went to a restaurant and infected people. Then there was another incident which grabbed a lot of attention: the hamster incident. Basically, there was an outbreak of Delta in a pet shop and it was linked to the hamsters, The third outbreak—the one that really did us in—was somebody who came back to Hong Kong on a flight and was doing that excessive twenty-one-day quarantine, and then caught Omicron in the hotel, during their third week of quarantine. Then they went into the community and spread it to their family, who spread it to a public-housing estate. It spread like wildfire from there.' (NewYorker)
If you haven't had Covid-19 by now it means you have no friends. Our covid was mild. We were fortunate. A friend in Regina has it and is having a bad time. A fourth booster is essential I think
Fortunately for me, writing is a job best done at home, alone. "Social distancing for 40 years." :-)
Covid didn't change our lives much until we had to leave the country. Stress, exhaustion, and packed into a train did us up royally
My dear presumptuous friend, I've had good reasons to restrict our meetings to the digital sphere. Would we have become as friendly without it? I shall leave you in the dark, where you may belong, about whether or not I have other friends. Great to hear from you, along with your snipes. Glad you checked in and came by to tell me how friendless I am. Withal, you and Tanya get Bronx Cheers from Manhattan. 🌝🌿🌻💓
I'm certain that being your friend in "meat world" is as much an experience as doing so in "digital world" Fern. :-)
🤝🏼🤸🏼♀️🌿
More of an experience TC. Think you could cope?
Allen, It's only slightly sweaty Fern. How are you doing and Tanya, too? I don't know how much you follow the news here. Wish I could tell you something really positive. Probably didn't read enough news today and missed a couple of sections. My personal news, at least what I care to share, is you will find me on this newsletter and it is where I hope to find you. LFAA's forum doesn't work for me anymore. I'll read HCR's Letters and Notes == that will be enough. I have books piling up and like to do research. I also like to talk with you, so I have plenty to do.. I am hoping that we go on as we have. When will you know that you can book a flight? Take care, Allen, laugh and find your happy spirit. Cheers
🌝🌿 🟥 🍁🟥 🌻 🟦 🟨 🌈
Hi Fern
We will try again today for a negative test. If so we will fly tomorrow. I will let you know
Allen, I'm going follow behind you. Rather excited and nervous. I got up earlier than usual and went right to the computer. Maybe I was expecting important news. You are my first human contact this morning. I think that is a good sign. 🌈 🌝 ✈️ 🟥🍁🟥 🌿❤️ 🌷
Early to bed, early to rise, makes a girl healthy, wealthy and wise. :-)
Early to rise, Early to bed makes a man healthy wealthy and dead.
Black comedy at this hour -- thank you for making me smile, Allen.
Tested negative and we'll fly to Canada tomorrow
✈️🌝🌝🟥🍁🟥❤️ Allen & Tanya, Yippee, Yippee, Yay ! Cannot wait to talk to you. Maybe, it will be time for a phone call or would that jinx us? Happy Day!
Phone would be difficult. Sorry
Sounds good to me, TC. Hmmm, early for you, too or is it late? Taking the plane out for flight into the wild blue yonder?
I'm a night owl
Did you see my comment about New York Magazine's cover, 'The Cult of Adam Tooze'? It's a funny one, very Abbott & Costello.
It's behind a paywall. I find Tooze's analysis excellent.
If you didn’t get to read it, shall I copy it and send to your email?
TC, The article is too long to post here. I received the following in red: 'Please type a shorter comment', and there's no place to put an attachment on newsletter. Sorry I couldn't get it to you.