The events of 2003, when the SARS epidemic claimed the lives of 299 residents of Hong Kong, have not yet been forgotten, and here is a new misfortune. On January 25, the city government declared the virus outbreak a "state of emergency", the highest level of warning. Coronavirus in Hong Kong made adjustments to the life of the city. The first thing the residents demanded was to close the borders with mainland China, and for new arrivals from the mainland to be forced to self-quarantine.
According to recent statistics, the following number of infected, dead and recovered in the city has been revealed:
- Infected - 158 people;
- Deceased - 4 people;
- Recovered - 84 people;
- On treatment - 70 people
Coronavirus patients in Hong Kong are treated appropriately, depending on how they feel. If the condition worsens, the patient is transferred to the ICU (intensive care unit), where artificial lung ventilation devices or oxygen therapy are applied to him - oxygen saturation of the blood.
The problem that occurs in infected people is that with this disease, the patient develops acute pulmonary insufficiency, and he is not able to breathe on his own, respiratory distress syndrome appears and, as a result, the death of the patient.
Therefore, early recognition of the coronavirus is essential for the successful treatment of the patient. At an advanced stage, especially if a person infected with coronavirus is over the age of 60, it is difficult to predict what the outcome of the disease will be.
The situation in the city: has life recovered in Hong Kong?
Life in the city is adapting to new realities. The situation on the labor market is deteriorating, the unemployment rate has risen from 0.3% to 3.7%. Serious failures were formed in the economic sphere. First of all, in Hong Kong, due to the coronavirus, the tourism business suffered, followed by the hotel and restaurant business. Previous anti-government protests last year also contributed to the economic downturn.
The worst economic fallout has slashed the credit rating of the city, which is in recession not only because of the coronavirus, but also because of the political environment. The situation in Hong Kong continues to be difficult, but the authorities are taking all measures to prevent the spread of infection and control the situation in the city.
Schools, 40% of businesses are closed. Trains, buses and ferries to mainland China have been suspended. People keep their distance from each other and everyone is required to wear a medical mask. Some even wear gas masks. Handshakes are prohibited. A third of Hong Kong residents remain in apartments, afraid to go out. If someone goes outside the apartment to buy food, they try to dress in such a way as not to expose their skin. Upon returning, they wash themselves thoroughly, the clothes are sent to the laundry. So they try to protect themselves from infection.
Hong Kong locks down all travelers
As soon as the scale of the problem with the coronavirus and the ways of its rapid spread became clear, the Hong Kong authorities decided to quarantine all newly arrived foreigners for 14 days. The travel restrictions will come into effect on March 19. This decision is due to the fact that 57 new cases of infection were detected in the previous two weeks, in 50 cases foreigners were infected. The Hong Kong authorities believe that if tough measures are not taken, all subsequent efforts to combat the coronavirus will be in vain.
The preventive security measures taken by the Hong Kong authorities to prevent the spread of the coronavirus may have prevented large-scale outbreaks of the infection. However, these measures cost the city's health department dearly.
Hong Kong International Airport was the first to apply preventive measures to prevent the epidemic. Aircraft arriving from countries with an unfavorable situation with coronavirus are sent to a specific terminal, passengers are checked and quarantined, then the aircraft and terminal are cleaned and disinfected.
Hong Kong pays residents $1,200 due to virus
The Hong Kong authorities decided to provide social support to all residents of the city over 18 years old. $1,200 in cash assistance will be provided to low-income families from the social fund as an incentive for financial support in the face of deteriorating economic conditions associated with the spread of the coronavirus.
Vaccine development by Hong Kong scientists
A team of scientists from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) recently set vaccination targets while developing a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus as the underlying cause of novel pneumonia (COVID-19)
The team, led by Prof. Matthew McKie and Dr. Ahmed Abdul Kvader, identified a set of B-cell and T-cell epitopes derived from SARS protein fragments. Epitopes are biomarkers recognized by the immune system to trigger action against a virus. These fragments can trigger an immune response against the new coronavirus. Scientists have developed a vaccine based on earlier research in the development of a vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
The data obtained are of fundamental importance for further research on the development of effective vaccines against COVID-19. The team performed a population coverage analysis and found that the T-cell epitopes identified in this study had the ability to elicit an immune response in a significant portion of the population.
A vaccine against the novel coronavirus is part of a larger global effort by the scientific community to fight the infection. Creating any vaccine usually takes years and involves a long process of animal testing, human clinical trials, and regulatory approval.
There is no vaccine against coronavirus yet, but scientists in many countries are trying to solve this problem. To treat coronavirus patients today, doctors use a potent array of anti-retroviral and flu medications. However, no one knows how effective it is.