COVID-19 in Hong Kong: Policies and community actions mitigate the effects of age structure and population density

Abstract

Despite the various socio-demographic vulnerabilities of Hong Kong to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city has successfully managed four waves of local outbreaks, as shown by its comparatively low numbers of confirmed cases and deaths. In this paper, we identify and differentiate the unique characteristics of Hong Kong’s COVID-19 outbreaks from those of other territories, and analyse the factors that shaped these characteristics. In particular, we examine four local demographic factors – older age structure, high population density, poor housing conditions and a large migrant population – which, according to current scientific evidence, would likely indicate that the city faces a relatively high risk of the significant spread of COVID-19. We analyse and explain how multiple policies related to border controls, social distancing, testing and tracing, partial lockdowns and housing management, as well as sustained community actions, helped to mitigate the effects of these significant disadvantages.

Intrapersonal and interpersonal level factors influencing self-care practices among Hong Kong individuals with COVID-19—A qualitative study

“…Hong Kong started to adopt a self-care management approach during its fifth and worst wave since the initial COVID-19 outbreak. Although the city has successfully managed four waves with multiple policies, like those employed by other countries such as, social distancing, mandatory mask-wearing, and tight border controls ( 9 ), the fifth wave of COVID-19 infection (dominated by the Omicron variant with the first cases reported in December 2021) significantly affected the Hong Kong population. During the first week of March for example, the city recorded approximately 80,000 cases/day and 150 COVID-related deaths, at the time this was the highest fatality rate among developed countries ( 10 ).…”