![Hong Kong leader says city 'overwhelmed' by Omicron wave](https://www.portugalcolonial.pt/media/shared/articles/04/7c/c2/Hong-Kong-leader-says-city--overwhe-864448.jpg)
-
First Olympic medals up for grabs as rain disrupts Games
-
Epic pool rivalry lights up first day of Olympic medal action
-
IOC apologises for South Korea gaffe in Olympics opening ceremony
-
Bangladesh says student leaders held for their own safety
-
Japan's Sado mines added to World Heritage list
-
'Windmill love' sees Dutch artist become mill operator
-
US defends law forcing sale of TikTok app
-
Messi out for defending champ Miami as Leagues Cup begins
-
Australia bans uranium mining at Indigenous site
-
Divers attempt to reach sunken Philippine oil tanker
-
Trump accuses Harris of anti-Semitism in overblown speech
-
Coughlin clings to lead at LPGA Canadian Women's Open
-
Trump offers tech sector policy flips ahead of election
-
Spacecraft to swing by Earth, Moon on path to Jupiter
-
What's the fallout of Mexican drug lords' capture?
-
Video game makers see actors as AI 'data,' says union on strike
-
Chinese qualifier Shang to face Thompson in ATP Atlanta semis
-
'Massive attack' on French rail threatens more chaos
-
'We did it!': France breathes sigh of relief after Olympics ceremony
-
Regional concern grows as Venezuela blocks vote observers
-
Historic river parade, Dion show-stopper ignite Paris Olympics
-
Rainy Paris Olympic parade dampens many spectators' spirits
-
The one of a kind Paris opening ceremony: five memorable moments
-
Justin Timberlake seeks to dismiss DUI case
-
Warner Brothers Discovery sues NBA over Amazon rights deal
-
Kobe Bryant locker, Maradona jersey up for auction in New York
-
Historic river parade launches Paris Olympics
-
New York family of Holocaust victim reclaims Nazi-looted art
-
NASA Mars rover captures rock that could hold fossilized microbes
-
Thousands evacuate season's biggest wildfire in northern California
-
Ethiopia mourns victims of landslide tragedy
-
Lady Gaga adds sparkle to star-studded Olympic show
-
Airbus and Boeing supremacy secure despite turbulence
-
Teams sail down Seine in rain-soaked Olympics opening ceremony
-
West Indies' treble strike rocks England in third Test
-
Olympic opening ceremony under way on River Seine
-
Mott's England future uncertain as ECB chief fails to offer support
-
Trump meets Israeli PM Netanyahu in Florida
-
S.African police say 95 Libyans detained at suspected military camp
-
Blinken set for talks with Chinese counterpart in Laos
-
Norris heads Piastri in McLaren one-two at Belgian GP practice
-
G20 seeks common ground on taxing super-rich
-
European medicines watchdog rejects new Alzheimer's drug
-
Habib, Ebden eye Alcaraz and Djokovic shocks at Olympics tennis
-
Long queues, ticketing problems ahead of Paris opening ceremony
-
Two Sinaloa Cartel leaders face US charges after stunning capture
-
Spain train driver jailed for 2.5 years over deadly 2013 crash
-
Paris poised for Olympic opening ceremony spectacular
-
Judoka fails doping test in first case at Paris Olympics
-
Holder and Da Silva keep England at bay after West Indies collapse
![Hong Kong leader says city 'overwhelmed' by Omicron wave](https://www.portugalcolonial.pt/media/shared/articles/04/7c/c2/Hong-Kong-leader-says-city--overwhe-864448.jpg)
Hong Kong leader says city 'overwhelmed' by Omicron wave
Hong Kong's health facilities have been overloaded by an "onslaught" of Covid-19 infections, its leader said, as a rise in Omicron cases threatens to bring down the city's "zero-Covid" policy.
Authorities have adhered to mainland China's policy of stamping out the smallest outbreak with mass quarantine, widespread tracking, and prolonged social distancing measures since the start of the pandemic.
But the extremely contagious Omicron variant breached the Chinese territory's defences in late December, piling up more than 8,000 infections in a few weeks with researchers warning that daily cases could exceed 25,000 by next month.
While the infection rate remains low compared to major cities around the world, Hong Kong's policy of sending even asymptomatic cases to hospitals and quarantine facilities has filled up beds and amplified wait times.
"The onslaught of the fifth wave of the epidemic has dealt a heavy blow to Hong Kong and overwhelmed the city's capacity of handling," leader Carrie Lam said in a statement issued Sunday night.
The surge in cases has increased wait times "for admitting people who test positive to isolation facilities," she added.
Surrounded by patients queuing for tests all of last week, the city's hospitals on Sunday told people who have "stable or have mild symptoms" to stay at home.
But Lam said the government "will spare no effort to implement" the "zero Covid" strategy and that China will help the city to bolster testing and quarantine resources.
Hong Kong has struggled to persuade its elderly population to get vaccinated with only around 50 percent of people over the age of 70 receiving a jab.
The government has repeatedly said its "zero Covid" policy is to buy more time for them to get inoculated.
Researchers warned Friday that by the end of March, the city could be racking up 28,000 daily infections. By the end of 2021, Hong Kong had only recorded a touch over 12,000 cases.
Last week marked the city's first Covid-19 deaths in five months, with seven patients over 70 and one four-year-old boy falling to the virus.
S.Caetano--PC