Covid cases are ravaging Hong Kong. Does this suggest that people in Hong Kong haven't been social distancing/wearing masks/getting vaccinated enough?

[Anonymous]

Yes, people in Hong Kong have been doing something wrong. That is why it is surging there,

LOL No. The virus moves and affects people unpredictably. There is little you can do to ensure you don't get it.

[NamerOfStars]

No, just the opposite. It suggests that they've been distancing and masking TOO MUCH, because it hasn't spread enough to grant them exposure-based immunity, which is the only kind that actually exists. The choice is really quite simple: live your life and catch Covid sooner, almost certainly being perfectly fine, or hide away and try to avoid it, catching Covid later, almost certainly being perfectly fine, save for the consequences of everyone hiding.

Florida, Texas, and Sweden opened back up, and the pandemic's over in those places; Covid's just another endemic disease. It's the same thing that'll happen everywhere- the only variable is how long it takes to get there, and how many extra deaths get added in from restrictions.

[Anonymous]

it's because the vaccination rate among the elderly in hong kong is low.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/18/hong-kong-covid-crisis-why-is-the-death-rate-so-high

"Virologist Siddharth Sridhar at Hong Kong University’s Department of Microbiology said Hong Kong’s Covid-19 death rate – among the worst in the world – was “tragic but expected”, pinning it on a “perfect storm” of low vaccination rates among elderly people, low rates of prior infection and an overwhelmed healthcare system.

Dhanasekaran said: “The data is really clear … Most people who end up in hospitals are not vaccinated, most people who are in severe conditions are elderly. It is really clear what has gone amiss.”"

The unvaxxed / anti vaxxers get what they deserve.

[Asker]

That isn't the whole truth. It's not just deaths among the elderly that are disproportionate. The article also says "Hong Kong is in the grip of its worst Covid outbreak. The surge in infections during the fifth wave has outpaced other cities around the world." Why are cases (non-deaths) outpacing the rest of the word? Hong Kong vaccination rates are higher than USA. but Hong Kong citizens are far more likelier to get covid than Americans today. How come? I think it just makes the most sense when you believe that virus just moves on its own and affects people randomly. That is how you can understand why Hong Kong is currently ravaged by Covid, but USA isn't.

[Opinion Owner]

the article answers your questions.

just google for more info. sheesh.

[TheBigWhistle]

Have you ever been to Hong Kong? I have. It's one of the most crowded, densely populated cities on Earth. 7.5 million people in a relatively small area. Neighborhoods stuffed to the gills with people living on top of each other in tiny flats. Social distancing is almost impossible. So with low vaccination rates especially among the elderly, when someone gets it, it is very easy for it to spread like wildfire.

Also culturally, people in Hong Kong especially older people, don't keep refrigerators and freezers stuffed with food. They go to the market and get what they need that day. Again, an environment where it can easily spread before someone even realizes they have it.

[goaded]

Also, IIUI, the Chinese vaccine isn't as effective as the Western ones.