 |
| Daily cases per million. Only Israel had more |
 |
| Daily deaths per million. No other place had higher |
I first “broke” the story that we had world record numbers of cases and deaths per million back on 3 March. In the end, we were second overall in this grim stat: covid cases per million population. We remain at the top of the table of an even grimmer stat: deaths per million.
The reason for both these world-beating stats is ironic: the success of the Zero Covid Policy. Whereas other places had Alpha and Delta cases, which gave their populations exposure to the virus and the immunity therefrom, in Hong Kong, we were “naive” to the virus. Until Omicron hit and hit big.
And, also, the most vulnerable -- the elderly -- were very little vaxxed. Only around 25% when Omicron hit. Various reasons for this, which I covered here.
Their median age of death from Covid in Hong Kong is 86. Life expectancy HK: 85. Oldest person died with/of Covid in HK: 112.
We need to be very clear: we are saving elderly people at a cost. That cost is school closures, businesses bankrupted, livelihoods destroyed, mental health suffering, lockdowns shuttering normal life, masking inside and outside. We must acknowledge this. “Saving” people at the end of life expectancy comes at a cost to the young and hale. Our mother, 100, says the same. And says all her care home friends say the same. And I, 72, say the same. We don’t want our lives “protected” if it means destroying the lives of the young and fir. Enough, already!
