Govt adviser: HK shouldn't open up until vaccination rate hits 80%

Hong Kong should not consider shifting its zero-tolerance COVID-19 strategy to one of "living with the virus" until the vaccination rate is 80 percent to 90 percent, said a top virus adviser to the government.

COVID Zero is not a long-term policy, we can try to boost the vaccination as much as we can during this policy.

David Hui, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who leads an expert committee that advises the HK government

"COVID Zero is not a long-term policy, we can try to boost the vaccination as much as we can during this policy," said David Hui, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who leads an expert committee that advises the government.

"When we have about 80 percent or even 90 percent of vaccination rate, we may consider living with the virus instead of maintaining the zero target," he said in an interview with Bloomberg News on Thursday. Even then, Hong Kong will still be led by the Chinese mainland's strategy, he said, adding that the 80-90 percent target rate would preferably be of the entire population and not just those eligible for vaccination.

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The city is still far from that vaccination milestone, with just 58 percent of residents having been vaccinated with an initial dose, according to Bloomberg's Vaccine Tracker. That lags rival financial hubs, with Singapore at 82 percent.

Hong Kong has reported just two unlinked local cases in the past three months. Neither led to further transmission, making it one of the most COVID-free places in the world. Yet the continued isolation is hurting its reputation as a financial hub where global businesses gather.

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Visitors enter and exit a community vaccination center in Hong Kong on Aug 18, 2021. (PHOTO / BLOOMBERG)

Hui said that it remains to be seen if abandoning the zero-tolerance approach is feasible even when inoculation is widespread.

Even Singapore is now "under pressure" though its vaccination rate is over 80 percent and the rate is high among elderly, said Hui. Singapore is now seeing daily infections approach the four-figure mark as it slowly reopens.

"So, this direction may be a bold experiment like gambling for now," said Hui.

(Source: Xinhua)