Two years ago, photographs circulated on social media of Chinese doctors and nurses, their faces marked by tiredness and the imprint of protective equipment worn for hours without a break. Citizens in China and around the world applauded these workers for their selfless devotion and commitment in the face of an unprecedented and frightening virus outbreak. 

Very soon, such images were being replicated in Europe and the United States as the coronavirus rapidly spread globally. Hong Kong largely managed to keep Covid-19 at bay, until the emergence of the Omicron variant at the end of last year. While less severe in its effects, Omicron is far more infectious than previous variants, and has now spread throughout the city, reaching more than 20,000 daily cases towards the end of February. 

So it is now the turn of Hong Kong’s healthcare professionals to come under tremendous pressure as they deal with the escalating situation. HKGCC and the whole Hong Kong business community are extremely grateful to these workers who have been working flat out to accommodate the huge rise in cases. We know that doctors and nurses are not only coping with being responsible for far more patients than normal, but they are also working even longer hours exacerbated by extreme pressure and mental stress.

We also extend our gratitude to all workers in the medical environment, from ambulance drivers to pharmacists, hospital cleaners and administrative staff, who are dealing with not just an increased burden of work, but also the higher risk of infection.

Indeed, our medical personnel have been working hard throughout the ups and downs of the crisis. Our hospitals and clinics have continued to operate largely as normal, continuing to see patients with critical and chronic conditions without significant interruption, even amid previous Covid outbreaks. 

And of course our vaccination programme was an excellent example of Hong Kong’s system, as a free, effective and safe vaccine was delivered with extraordinary efficiency. Many of us had our first shot almost a year ago, and have had our third booster shot already. This is a relief, as we know the health impact is much less severe for vaccinated people, if we do catch the coronavirus.

While the scenes at our hospitals are similar to those seen two years ago in other places around the world, there are a couple of key difference. The Omicron variant appears to be less severe than the original virus, and we now have a choice of effective vaccines, so the proportion of people dying or getting seriously ill is much lower. 

With vaccination rates continuing to rise, and our excellent medical professionals and support staff rising to the challenge, we are also hopeful that the current scenes will not last long. It is through the dedication of all our healthcare workers that will ultimately enable Hong Kong to recover from the current crisis and start to return to normality.

George Leung
ceo@chamber.org.hk