‘HK may record 180k daily cases in mid-March’
HONG KONG: Hong Kong faces a drastic spread of Covid-19 in coming weeks, as university researchers predicted new infections could peak at 180,000 daily in early to mid-March, with the Chinese-controlled city already barely able to cope with 6,000 cases a day.
Health authorities in the Asian financial hub said infections were rising “exponentially”, and a backlog in testing meant they were unable to get a full picture.
On Tuesday, they reported 6,211 new cases, 32 deaths and a further 9,369 cases that came up positive in preliminary tests.
In a paper titled “Modelling the fifth wave of Covid-19 in Hong Kong”, researchers at the University of Hong Kong said they updated their February 10 study to show the number of daily deaths potentially peaking at near 100 by late March, and cumulative deaths potentially rising to around 3,206 by midMay.
Less than two weeks ago the same researchers had predicted daily infections potentially peaking at around 28,000 by midMarch with a total of 954 deaths by the end of June.
Sars-CoV-2 can damage heart blood vessels
The SARS-CoV-2 virus may contribute to the damage of small blood vessels in the heart as seen in severely-ill Covid-19 patients, without infecting them, a study shows. The research, published in the journal Clinical Science, indicates blocking antibodies could represent a new treatment to alleviate cardiovascular complications.
Riot police clash with NZ anti-vax protesters
New Zealand anti-vaccine protesters pelted police with a “stinging substance” sending three to hospital with injuries on Tuesday, as tensions spilled over in an angry weeks-long protest.
PM Jacinda Ardern decried “absolutely disgraceful” scenes after the suspected acid attack, and a startling incident that saw one protester speed a car towards police lines before coming to a quick halt just centimetres away.
The Wellington protest began as a movement against vaccine mandates - inspired by similar protests in the Canadian capital Ottawa.