HK logs record 7,533 cases

Vaccine pass will be needed to enter many establishments from Thursday

Hong Kong reported a single-day record of 7,533 COVID-19 infections on Monday as well as 16 deaths related to the disease, including that of an 11-month-old girl.

The city plans to introduce a "vaccine pass" on Thursday to boost its defenses against novel coronavirus infection.

It has now recorded 60,363 COVID-19 cases and 311 related deaths. The infections have been growing at an exponential rate this month, with the 29,408 infections recorded in the past five days accounting for 48.7 percent of its total tally.

The first stage of the vaccine pass program, lasting until April 29, will require those aged over 12 wanting to enter premises such as eateries, malls, hotels and wet markets to have had at least one jab of COVID-19 vaccine. After April 29, those aged 18 or above are required to have at least two jabs. In the second half of the year, adults entering such places may be required to have had three jabs.

Residents will need to produce a hard or digital copy of their vaccination record or their certificate exempting them from vaccination on health grounds before entering such places.

Their vaccination record or exemption certificate can be saved on the LeaveHomeSafe mobile app.

Exemptions will be given in special circumstances, including people entering restaurants to pick up food and people who have to pass through a mall to reach their residences.

Four coordination meetings were held in the past week in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, in response to Hong Kong's dire pandemic situation.

At Sunday's meeting, Xia Baolong, head of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, listened to reports from Chinese mainland medical teams and reports on logistics related to anti-pandemic medical resources, fresh food and daily necessities.

He said the mainland will work closely with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government to provide timely and necessary assistance to the city.

On the fifth day of the visit by a team of mainland medical experts, Hong Kong's Department of Health briefed the team on the difficulties the city faces in fending off the pandemic, including boosting the vaccination rate among children and enhancing quarantine facilities.

The team also visited Prince of Wales Hospital in Sha Tin and had a discussion with Hong Kong Hospital Authority representatives on caring for severe COVID-19 cases.

Many people in the city have raced to help out, including Jacky Ko Chung-kit, secretary-general of the Y. Elites Association.

Ko helped pack rapid antigen testing kits with about 20 volunteers, with each of them able to put together about 500 kits a day. Some of the volunteers are retirees, private tutors and clerks.

Starting Sunday, Ko's association has also been working with 38 youth groups, which are able to mobilize 200 vehicles and 300 volunteers to help deliver anti-pandemic supplies.

Ko suggested the government use a centralized platform to distribute anti-pandemic information as many people have become disoriented after being bombarded by information from different sources.

With help pouring in from the mainland, many local enterprises are also extending helping hands in the pandemic fight.

The Shaw Foundation gave HK$10 million ($1.28 million) to the city's Hospital Authority to help boost the morale of front-line medical workers, while the Hongkong Bank Foundation donated HK$100 million to help those affected, including people needing to stay in home quarantine or undergo mandatory quarantine.

The Hong Kong Community Anti-Coronavirus Link, established by various sectors in the city, received funding and anti-pandemic supplies with a total value of more than HK$150 million.

The organization will begin sending out anti-pandemic items such as face masks, hand sanitizer and rapid antigen testing kits within days.

On Tuesday, it will launch a rally campaign for front-line medical staff by inviting residents to clap their hands for two minutes at 22:22.

By Monday, over 1.08 million people had expressed support for medical workers in Hong Kong in an online petition to rally support for them.

Many left thank-you messages on the website of the online campaign.

"The medical workers deserve a 'like' for working around the clock for the residents of Hong Kong," said one.

Another said, "What you do will definitely go down in the medical history of Hong Kong."