The fifth wave of COVID-19 has lasted for three months in Hong Kong, with the number of new daily cases still hovering around 20,000. While some experts estimate that the peak of the fifth wave has passed, many believe that a lot of infected people are not reporting their infections to the health authority.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has estimated that this wave of outbreak may ease only in June when daily infections decline to around 1,000.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has estimated that this wave of outbreak may ease only in June when daily infections decline to around 1,000
The debate on the right or suitable anti-pandemic strategies goes on at the same time. China has stuck to the “dynamic zero infection” approach, whereas many countries have chosen to live with the virus after the less fatal Omicron variant became the dominant variant.
I’m not trying to compare the pros and cons of the two strategies but trying to explain why it is better for Hong Kong to stick to “dynamic zero infection” for the time being.
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The two strategies are not opposed to each other, but they have arisen from different governing philosophies.
“Dynamic zero infection” is a “big-government approach” that entails the health authority proactively cutting off the transmission chains as soon as possible by making use of all means available.
On the other hand, “coexist with the virus” is a “small-government approach” wherein the government does not proactively take measures to break the transmission chains and lets people take chances.
We now coexist with a lot of viruses and in the long run, we may coexist with COVID-19 as well when it mutates into less fatal and transmissible variants. The question is whether we should adopt to the “living with the virus” approach now? While the dominant omicron variant is less fatal, it is more transmissible. More than 200 people have died of this variant every day over recent weeks, with the total death toll topping 5,000 now.
People who promote the “coexist” approach prioritize their own freedoms over others’ lives. If we look at the recent situation in Hong Kong, older adults took the lion’s share of the COVID-19 casualties.
A famous Mencius quotation says, “love others’ elderly as you would love your own; love others’ children as you would love your own”.
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Elderly lives matter! It is because we respect their contribution to our families and society. If we hope to protect older adults in our own family, please also treat the older adults of others like ours and protect them from the virus.
This is the cultural background that requires Hong Kong to stick to the “dynamic zero infection” approach at this moment.
In March 2020, when Italy was confronted by a surge in infections with its medical and healthcare system under tremendous pressure, the authority had to plan for the worst and was forced to prioritize care for “those who will have the greatest chance of successful treatment”, which meant some were left on their own.
We definitely don’t want such a scenario happening in Hong Kong. Had we shifted to the “coexist” approach, that scenario would probably have happened in Hong Kong, judging from the raging fifth wave of outbreak.
Besides the cultural reason, social reason is another important point to be noted. A lot of Hong Kong people have social and family linkages with the Chinese mainland. They are all yearning for the reopening of the mainland-Hong Kong border.
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The Hong Kong SAR government is obliged to show that Hong Kong has the ability to break the transmission chains when, God forbid, another wave of outbreak happens; otherwise, mainland authorities will have no reason to reopen the border as they need to protect mainland residents.
Since 2020, all cities in the mainland have stuck to the “dynamic zero infection” approach, which is still working well and allows them to maintain normal socioeconomic activities.
If we have a good example from our own country, there is no reason to give up this approach and learn from others.
Although some expatriates have left Hong Kong, they are mostly business people, some of whom have been sent by their employers to other cities including Shanghai which have stricter anti-pandemic policies.
It is likely that some of those who have left will come back if Hong Kong still offers business opportunities when life goes back to normal.
At this moment, the first priority is to protect our older adults from the fifth wave of outbreak by bringing the virus under control as soon as possible, and reopen the border with the mainland.
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These are the reasons Hong Kong should stick to the “dynamic zero infection” approach. Sometime in the future, Hong Kong is likely to shift to “living with the virus” when effective drugs are sufficiently available and the virus becomes much less lethal. For the time being, what we need to do is to encourage older adults to get fully vaccinated to protect themselves.
The author, a New People’s Party central committee member, is a board member of the Hong Kong Association of Young Commentators and a former District Councilor.