Lessons learned from the fifth wave of COVID-19 in Hong Kong in early 2022

Cheung, Pak‐Hin Hinson; Chan, Chi-Ping; Jin, Dong Yan

doi:10.1080/22221751.2022.2060137

Cited by 108 publications

(97 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Although omicron BA.2 evolves towards less virulent, a higher rate of severe outcomes and considerable mortality have been reported in unvaccinated people, especially older adults. 1 This has been confirmed in Hong Kong, where health authorities have reported 9115 deaths among 1 192 765 people with SARS-CoV-2 (crude case fatality rate 0·76%) during the fifth wave of the pandemic, as of May 4, 2022. 2 The crude case fatality rate in those older than 60 years (19·30% of this age group has not been vaccinated) was 2·70%.…”

mentioning

confidence: 88%

Shanghai's life-saving efforts against the current omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

mentioning

confidence: 88%

Shanghai's life-saving efforts against the current omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…The apparently higher CFR in Hong Kong than that in Mainland China might partially be attributed to the different definitions of COVID-19 and COVID-19 death, along with the high proportion of unvaccinated elderly in Hong Kong [ 13 ]. People who die within 28 days of the first positive specimen collection day with SARS-CoV-2, but may be unrelated to COVID-19, were also counted as COVID-19 death cases in Hong Kong [ 40 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As of late April 2022, the ongoing fifth wave of COVID-19 in Hong Kong is nearing its end. We suppose that the community-wide low-cost rapid SARS-CoV-2 antigen tests have played a key role in reducing virus transmission in Hong Kong during the fifth wave, coupled with the reduced health burden from the expansion of isolation programmes through StayHomeSafe [ 13 ]. In this study, we evaluate the impact of the mass rapid antigen testing, together with PHSMs and vaccination, on disease transmission.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the impact of rapid antigen tests on SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the fifth wave of COVID-19 in Hong Kong in early 2022

Jin

2022

Emerging Microbes & Infections

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The fast-spreading Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 overwhelmed Hong Kong, causing the fifth wave of COVID-19. It remains to be determined what mitigation measures might have played a role in reversing the rising trend of confirmed cases in this major outbreak. The government of Hong Kong has launched the mass rapid antigen tests (RAT) in the population and the StayHomeSafe scheme since February 2022. In this study, we examined the impact of the mass RAT on disease transmission and the case fatality ratio. It was suggested that the implementation of RAT plausibly played a role in the steady decrease of the effective reproduction number, leading to diminished SARS-CoV-2 transmission. In addition, we projected the disease burden of the outbreak in a scenario analysis to highlight the necessity of the StayHomeSafe scheme in Hong Kong. The Omicron outbreak experience in Hong Kong may provide actionable insights for navigating the challenges of COVID-19 surges in other regions and countries.

show abstract

“…Even with the lower pathogenicity and fatality rate, the mortality rate will increase significantly when a large-scale outbreak occurs, with the death concentrated among the elderly, especially those who have comorbidities and yet to be vaccinated ( 4 ). Recent lessons from Hong Kong exemplify this phenomenon, indicating that improving vaccination rates among the older population should be a high priority ( 5 ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%