March 02 2022 - 12:00
Hong Kong urges calm as residents fret over Covid measures
Any decision to impose a Covid-19 lockdown in Hong Kong will take into account the global financial hub's status and ensure basic needs, the government said on Wednesday, urging anxious residents who thronged supermarkets this week to stay calm.
Authorities reported a new daily record of 55,353 new infections, with 117 deaths in the Chinese-ruled city. Infections have surged more than 500 times from about 100 cases a day at the beginning of February.
The government said it was still planning and "refining" a compulsory mass Covid-19 testing scheme, details of which will be revealed once confirmed.
The government would "safeguard the status of Hong Kong as a financial centre when implementing the Compulsory Universal Testing scheme (CUT)", it said."
The experience of implementing a CUT initiative in other parts of the world shows that the basic needs of citizens such as food, necessities and the seeking of medical attention outside home should be addressed.
"Citizens should not "panic nor scramble or stockpile" supplies, it added.
Tuesday's statement came amid widespread confusion and chaos, as the government's mixed messaging and almost daily tweaking of rules have frustrated many.
Leader Carrie Lam had previously said that a citywide lockdown and compulsory testing were not being considered.
However, Health Secretary Sophia Chan said on Monday a lockdown had not been ruled out, fuelling rumours and sparking a rush for groceries, pharmacy products and banking services.
Hong Kong has stuck firmly to a "dynamic zero" coronavirus policy, similar to that of mainland China, seeking to stamp out all outbreaks with sweeping restrictions and quarantine.
But the highly infectious Omicron variant of coronavirus has breached defences time and again and some business leaders and medical experts have questioned the sustainability of a zero Covid policy as cases surge.Hospitals and mortuaries are swamped as deaths climb.
Authorities have been racing to build tens of thousands of isolation units to quarantine those with mild or no symptoms.
That further worries some residents who see the rest of the world choosing a "live with the virus" approach, relying on high levels of vaccination and mitigation measures such as masks to try to pull through Omicron surges.
Since the pandemic began in 2020, the tally of infections in the former British colony stands at more than 290,000, with a death toll of about 1,100.About 700 of those deaths have been in the past week, with the majority unvaccinated people.
Health experts from the University of Hong Kong estimated about 1.7 million people were already infected by Monday, with the coming week expected to bring a peak of about 183,000 daily infections.
Hong Kong's international reputation had been "very damaged" with the confusing messages, creating alarm, said prominent businessman and government adviser Allan Zeman.
"Right now there is a lot of uncertainty," he said in remarks unusually critical for a pro-Beijing businessman.
"The government needs to speak with one voice."
Leader Lam told reporters she "totally understood" Zeman's concern, adding that the government would do its best to deliver accurate information and allay worries.
Many feared being forced to isolate and separated from family members who test positive. That prompted an exodus of people, particularly expatriates, in February.
In an advisory on Wednesday, U.S. consular officials urged people not to travel to Hong Kong because of Covid-19 and related restrictions, such as "the risk of parents and children being separated".
The bank HSBC told staff in an internal email seen by Reuters that they needed a valid vaccine pass by March 28 to enter its premises, with a spokesperson confirming the memo.
Reuters
COVID-19 WRAP | SA records nearly 2,000 new Covid-19 cases, 28 deaths in 24 hours
Image: REUTERS/Lisa Marie David
March 02 2022 - 20:39
SA records nearly 2,000 new Covid-19 cases, 28 deaths in 24 hours
SA recorded just shy of 2,000 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said on Wednesday.
According to the institute, 1,995 new infections were recorded in the past day, taking the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 3,677,686.
March 02 2022 - 12:59
New Zealand police move in again on protest against vaccine mandate
Several fires broke out among tents just metres from the parliament building, sending up billows of smoke before being doused by police, a Reuters witness said, as officers tried to completely clear the grounds.
“It was an attack on our front-line police, it was an attack on our parliament, it was an attack on our values, and it was wrong,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a news conference after saying earlier it was time for the protest to end.
March 02 2022 - 12:11
Two years after world's biggest lockdown, India surges back to normal life
Almost two years after India went into the world's biggest lockdown to slow the spread of Covid-19, students headed back to school in Maharashtra state on Wednesday, a sign of normal life resuming as infection rates fall.
India's daily coronavirus infections rose by less than 10,000 for a third straight day on Wednesday, a level last seen in late December before the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, data from the health ministry showed.
Last week, Maharashtra state minister Aaditya Thackeray said schools in the state's largest city, Mumbai, would resume pre-Covid attendance, reinstating all activities in view of declining cases.
March 02 2022 - 12:00
Hong Kong urges calm as residents fret over Covid measures
Any decision to impose a Covid-19 lockdown in Hong Kong will take into account the global financial hub's status and ensure basic needs, the government said on Wednesday, urging anxious residents who thronged supermarkets this week to stay calm.
Authorities reported a new daily record of 55,353 new infections, with 117 deaths in the Chinese-ruled city. Infections have surged more than 500 times from about 100 cases a day at the beginning of February.
The government said it was still planning and "refining" a compulsory mass Covid-19 testing scheme, details of which will be revealed once confirmed.
The government would "safeguard the status of Hong Kong as a financial centre when implementing the Compulsory Universal Testing scheme (CUT)", it said."
The experience of implementing a CUT initiative in other parts of the world shows that the basic needs of citizens such as food, necessities and the seeking of medical attention outside home should be addressed.
"Citizens should not "panic nor scramble or stockpile" supplies, it added.
Tuesday's statement came amid widespread confusion and chaos, as the government's mixed messaging and almost daily tweaking of rules have frustrated many.
Leader Carrie Lam had previously said that a citywide lockdown and compulsory testing were not being considered.
However, Health Secretary Sophia Chan said on Monday a lockdown had not been ruled out, fuelling rumours and sparking a rush for groceries, pharmacy products and banking services.
Hong Kong has stuck firmly to a "dynamic zero" coronavirus policy, similar to that of mainland China, seeking to stamp out all outbreaks with sweeping restrictions and quarantine.
But the highly infectious Omicron variant of coronavirus has breached defences time and again and some business leaders and medical experts have questioned the sustainability of a zero Covid policy as cases surge.Hospitals and mortuaries are swamped as deaths climb.
Authorities have been racing to build tens of thousands of isolation units to quarantine those with mild or no symptoms.
That further worries some residents who see the rest of the world choosing a "live with the virus" approach, relying on high levels of vaccination and mitigation measures such as masks to try to pull through Omicron surges.
Since the pandemic began in 2020, the tally of infections in the former British colony stands at more than 290,000, with a death toll of about 1,100.About 700 of those deaths have been in the past week, with the majority unvaccinated people.
Health experts from the University of Hong Kong estimated about 1.7 million people were already infected by Monday, with the coming week expected to bring a peak of about 183,000 daily infections.
Hong Kong's international reputation had been "very damaged" with the confusing messages, creating alarm, said prominent businessman and government adviser Allan Zeman.
"Right now there is a lot of uncertainty," he said in remarks unusually critical for a pro-Beijing businessman.
"The government needs to speak with one voice."
Leader Lam told reporters she "totally understood" Zeman's concern, adding that the government would do its best to deliver accurate information and allay worries.
Many feared being forced to isolate and separated from family members who test positive. That prompted an exodus of people, particularly expatriates, in February.
In an advisory on Wednesday, U.S. consular officials urged people not to travel to Hong Kong because of Covid-19 and related restrictions, such as "the risk of parents and children being separated".
The bank HSBC told staff in an internal email seen by Reuters that they needed a valid vaccine pass by March 28 to enter its premises, with a spokesperson confirming the memo.
Reuters
March 02 2022 - 08:45
Hong Kong to report more than 50,000 new Covid cases on Wednesday -TVB
Hong Kong health authorities are expected to report more than 50,000 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, setting a record for daily infections in the global financial hub, broadcaster TVB reported, without identifying the source of the information.
Reuters
March 02 2022 - 07:57
Japan set to extend Covid curbs as hospitals battle infections
Japan prepared on Wednesday to extend infection controls in some regions amid high numbers of hospital patients hit by the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
The central government has received requests from five prefectures, including Osaka and Kyoto in western Japan, to extend measures set to expire on Sunday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters.
Media said 10 prefectures, including Tokyo, the capital, were expected to seek an extension of two to three weeks for the curbs, which encompass shorter business hours and limits on the sale of alcohol.
A panel of health experts will meet later on Wednesday to advise on the state of the coronavirus battle.
Although new cases have trended down from last month's record, hospitals still struggle to treat a flood of patients with serious symptoms.
February was the deadliest month with 4,856 fatalities, a tally by national broadcaster NHK showed. Most were elderly patients left vulnerable by a lagging vaccine booster effort that has covered just a fifth of the population.
Reuters
March 02 2022 - 07:00
If multiple people in my household are positive, can they isolate together or do they have to be separated?
According to Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health, family members who are infected with Covid-19 can quarantine together and do not need to be individually isolated.
Cabinet recently approved several changes to quarantine guidelines. These in include; those who test positive with no symptoms do not have to isolate and contacts do not have to isolate unless they develop symptoms.
“If you test positive with symptoms, the isolation period has been reduced from 10 to 7 days,” it added.
The Johns Hopkins University experts said the goal of quarantining is to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
March 02 2022 - 06:30
S.Korea reports daily record of 219,241 Covid cases
South Korea posted a record of 219,241 coronavirus cases for Tuesday, a sharp spike after the daily tallies hovered around 170,000, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency said on Wednesday.
Reuters
March 02 2022 - 06:00
Biden announces new Covid initiative that gives Americans free pills
U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday said his administration has launched a new initiative that will allow Americans to get tested for Covid-19 at a pharmacy and immediately receive free pills if they test positive.
"We're launching the "Test to Treat" initiative so people can get tested at a pharmacy, and if they're positive, receive antiviral pills on the spot, at no cost," Biden said during his State of the Union speech.
The United States has ordered more of these treatments than any other country in the world, Biden said, adding Pfizer Inc will offer the U.S. 1 million pills in March and more than double that in April.
The Pfizer pill, he said, reduces the chances of ending up in the hospital by 90%.The Biden administration will announce on Wednesday a national preparedness plan for COVID-19, mapping out how "to move forward safely and get back to our more normal routines," the White House said in a statement.
The White House previously said it is lifting requirements that fully vaccinated people wear masks on the White House campus, effective Tuesday. It also told federal agencies they can drop Covid-19 requirements that employees and visitors wear masks in federal buildings in much of the country.
During his speech, Biden noted the progress America has made in fighting the coronavirus but warned Americans must prepare for new variants.
"I cannot promise a new variant won't come. But I can promise you we'll do everything within our power to be ready if it does," he said.
The U.S. is now in a position to deploy new vaccines within 100 days instead of months or years, he said.
Reuters
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