Hong Kong mortuaries hit full capacity as Covid-19 deaths climb

HONG KONG • Facilities for storing dead bodies at hospitals and public mortuaries in Hong Kong are at maximum capacity because of a record number of Covid-19 fatalities, the Hospital Authority has said, as officials battle to control a surge in cases.

The global financial hub reported a daily record high of 34,466 new coronavirus infections and 87 deaths yesterday, the health authorities have said.

Empty grocery shelves were seen across several supermarkets in the Chinese-ruled financial hub as residents scooped up essentials in case of a potential lockdown.

Pharmacies are also running out of flu and cold medicines as residents stock up on drugs, such as Panadol, a popular brand of the pain reliever paracetamol.

The Hospital Authority said the number of patients dying from Covid-19 or serious complications triggered by the cold weather sharply increased over the past two weeks, putting immense pressure on the mortuary service in public hospitals.

"The storage space in hospital mortuaries has reached full capacity," the authority told Reuters in an e-mail.

Dozens of bodies are waiting in hospital accident and emergency rooms to be transported to mortuaries, said Dr Tony Ling, head of the city's Public Doctors Association.

"These bodies now need extra time to wait for collection because resources are just so tight" owing to manpower and storage capacity shortages, he said.

The city's government did not respond to requests for comment.

There have been more than 600 coronavirus-linked deaths in Hong Kong since the start of the pandemic in 2020, fewer than in other similar major cities. However, numbers are climbing daily with around 400 deaths recorded in the past week, with the majority being unvaccinated residents.

Hong Kong has a large proportion of unvaccinated elderly despite a recent pick-up in vaccinations. Many have hesitated to be inoculated because of a fear of side effects and complacency due to the city's success in controlling the virus in 2021.

Around 600 elderly care and disability centres have been infected over the past month, the authorities said.

Medical experts have said that the city of 7.4 million residents could see cumulative deaths from the virus potentially rising to around 3,200 by mid-May. Around 4,000 people on average die each month in Hong Kong, according to 2020 government figures.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam previously ruled out a citywide lockdown and instead has ordered all 7.4 million residents to be tested this month. But in a U-turn, Health Secretary Sophia Chan confirmed yesterday that it was still an option.

Asked by a presenter at Commercial Radio whether a lockdown was still ruled out she replied: "No. We are still discussing."

The city has recorded over 190,000 infections in total, with around 180,000 of them since the start of February due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

The rapid spread has also put the plight of foreign live-in helpers in the spotlight after some were fired or made homeless by their employers when they tested positive for coronavirus.

The Hong Kong Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Unions told Reuters last week it had received more than 20 cases of domestic helpers who had tested positive for Covid-19 being fired.

REUTERS, BLOOMBERG, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE