Displaying items by tag: hospitals overwhelmed

Hong Kong is compulsorily testing all its 7.5 million citizens as the city battles surging coronavirus infections. Residents must undergo three rounds of tests starting in March. Hong Kong is trying to adhere to China's ‘zero Covid’ policy, but Omicron has overwhelmed hospitals, testing and quarantine facilities. While other parts of the world are learning to live with the disease, China's policy is to try to eradicate infection through early testing, detailed contact tracing and strict quarantine and travel restrictions. Tens of thousands of new isolation spaces are being created for those who test positive, but chief executive Carrie Lam conceded the new measures may not succeed. ‘The coming one to three months are crucial in fighting the pandemic,’ she told reporters. ‘This quickly worsening epidemic has far exceeded the Hong Kong government's ability to tackle it.’