Dynamic clearance remains HK’s goal: Zhong Nanshan

A leading respiratory disease expert on the mainland says the “dynamic clearance” strategy against Covid-19 will not change, because authorities will not allow a large number of elderly people to die of the virus.

Zhong Nanshan said in a video message to Hong Kong that the most important task is to separate patients and those not infected with the coronavirus.

“The confirmed cases cannot stay home. They must be isolated somewhere else. At present, Hong Kong is facing a lot of difficulties. But I believe such difficulties are temporary,” said Zhong.

“I understand that the SAR and the central governments are speeding up work in building makeshift hospitals at the Kai Tak cruise terminal and Penny’s Bay,” he said.

The expert said the government should also consider using sports centres as well as convention centres if necessary.

He said regardless of people’s political stance, the most important thing in the fight against the virus is people’s lives, which, he said, is different from some Western countries’ ideology.

The expert said the “guiding principle” of fighting Covid-19 in mainland China and the SAR is to put people’s lives and health first.

Zhong said while the symptoms of Omicron are relatively mild compared with other variants, it is much more infectious than flu and the mortality rate is higher among the elderly population.

“We will not allow a large number of elderly people to die of natural infection. Therefore our policy of ‘dynamic clearance’ remains unchanged,” Zhong said.

Zhong said citizens must get their booster shots in order to bring down the mortality rate, adding the vaccination rate among elderly people aged 60 and above is still undesirable.

He also said he’s liaising with manufacturers to supply Hong Kong with drugs that are proven to be effective against Covid-19, and the response has been positive.