City must tackle COVID-19 proactively to avoid unbearable consequences

Over the past week, Hong Kong has reported case numbers that hover in the 50's every day, and it appears that these numbers are steadily dropping.

The city announced 32 new cases on Tuesday. Sophia Chan Siu-chee, Secretary for Food and Health, announced on Monday tightened social distancing measures that will last until Jan 20. It has also been reported that the tougher measures are likely to remain in place during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday period.

This means that dine-in services will remain shut after 6 pm, public gatherings of more than two people are banned, and many schools will remain shut until further notice.

Out of the 32 aforementioned cases, nine are untraceable. It's also reported that over 90 percent of the cases — reported from Dec 22 to Jan 4 — were transmitted locally. However, the authorities have been unable to trace the sources of a third of the cases reported over this time span, which totaled 710.

There is also growing concern over clusters within public housing estates, as 45 residential blocks are currently under quarantine.

So even with the slowdown of infections per day, there is a clear pattern of clustering within the city that must be addressed. It is also evident that the government is only putting out fires as and when they appear, as opposed to tackling the pandemic in a proactive manner.

Once more, universal testing is presenting itself as the obvious solution to the government's — nay, Hong Kong's — woes.

Just as Britain, the United States and Europe are seeing rising numbers, Hong Kong is failing to suppress the virus by employing similarly ineffective tactics of dealing with problems as they arise. We need to get to the root cause of why and how this virus is persisting and spreading. It remains clear that universal testing is the way forward.

We also need to act in a stringent manner and do so with unwavering determination, just as the Chinese mainland did. Even when faced with one single case, the central government effectively launched itself into "battle mode". This just goes to show that determination and consistency are of the utmost importance, as well as knowing how to mobilize the populace.

Therefore, we must learn from the mainland's fail-proof approach when it comes to battling this invisible enemy.

The arrival of the new strain, which originated in Britain, has not scuppered hopes of the current vaccines' effectiveness. As of now, the numerous vaccines being distributed have a 90 percent efficacy rate. However, there are mounting concerns that the virus will continue to mutate, along with concerns about how long the vaccine will remain effective. In other words, we cannot pin all of our hopes on vaccines, so we must continue to exercise vigilance through the wearing of PPE, social distancing, and all-round common sense.

As for the logistics of distributing the vaccine, let's consider the following simple maths:

We have a population of 7.5 million in Hong Kong, and herd immunity against COVID-19 requires 70 percent of the population to be inoculated. This means we need to vaccinate a minimum of 5.25 million residents in order to achieve full herd immunity.

That's easier said than done. In a recent survey, only 30 percent of respondents said that they would be willing to receive the vaccine. If we are to take this as a sampling of the public’s sentiment, it may take longer than a year to build herd immunity in the city.

This hurdle isn't unique to Hong Kong. In Britain, the result has been highly disappointing so far. The British government only managed to vaccinate about one million citizens in a month — far lower than its initial target of half of its 66 million population. It means it could take several years for it to finally achieve the target.

In the US, the situation isn't any better either; they only managed to vaccinate 3 million by the end of 2020 instead of the 20 million they had hoped for.

The logistics will be challenging. The stark reality is that this won't be achieved any time soon. In actuality, we may not be able to achieve this until the start of 2022; which means we need to rely on carrying out our individual responsibilities in stopping the spread of the virus within the city.

By now, we know all too well how much can change in a year. This means it is more important than ever that we keep our guard up and follow the stringent measures that are currently in place.

Yes, this means being kept away from our loved ones and have less time doing things that we in normal times take for granted, such as eating out. However, defeating our invisible enemy will require sacrifices on everyone’s part, so we must continue to act responsibly for the greater good of those we love and for Hong Kong itself, if we wish to see it thrive once more.

In the meantime, this means that our retail, food and beverage, and tourism industry will continue to suffer badly.

Just this week, it was also reported that our local beauty industry — which comprises cosmetics, skincare, and dermatology — is crumbling. Beauty salons have appealed to the government to reconsider the social distancing restrictions, and as many as 56,000 employees have lost their job or a significant portion of their earnings due to closures.

The struggles these sectors are facing are also having a direct impact on the livelihoods of many, who are struggling to make ends meet due to reduced salaries, redundancies, and joblessness.

And it goes without saying that financial strain, in combination with social isolation, is putting a serious strain on the emotional, mental, and social well-being of Hongkongers. Further to this, our medical infrastructure's inability to care for everyone in need has meant that non-COVID related illnesses remain untreated.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po recently shared his concerns about Hong Kong's current economic status but remains optimistic that the city would begin to recover in the second half of 2021. I myself don't share his optimism, since a recent poll suggested a lack of faith in the vaccine.

In the said survey, only 30 percent of respondents are willing to receive vaccination. If we are to take this as a representative sample of the general public's sentiment, it may take longer than a year to build general immunity in Hong Kong.

This being the case, our government also needs to work extra hard to earn the public's trust. We are all weathering the same storm, so we need to come together as one to ensure we can weather it safely and the rest will be plain sailing.

The author is president of Wisdom Hong Kong, a think tank.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.