A tale of two medics witnessing weight of Hong Kong's worst COVID-19 wave

Emergency room medical staff work at a public hospital in Hong Kong, south China, Feb. 18, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

As hospitals are overstretched in Hong Kong's worst wave of COVID-19, medical workers like Chan Chi-chung and Tang Tsz-ha are overloaded.

Hong Kong's Hospital Authority is activating more designated clinics to cope with the situation, while help from the mainland is pouring in.

HONG KONG, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Ambulances kept moving in and out of Tuen Mun Hospital as COVID-19 patients were rushed into the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Department. Chan Chi-chung, the A&E operation manager, finally got a moment of relief between busy shifts for an interview.

"I can only afford 15 minutes," the nurse told a press pool in the hospital's open space. "The department is understaffed. Almost 20 percent of the staff have been infected, and the number is growing."

Hong Kong's ongoing fifth wave of infections from the virus has set grim milestones of daily case tallies, with the death toll keeping climbing. Medical workers like Chan are feeling overwhelmed.

The math is ominous: the number of patients keeps going up, and more and more of his colleagues have gone down with the coronavirus.

"I have been a nurse for 28 years, but have never experienced such a tough time," weary Chan said. "It is tough for all the medical workers in Hong Kong."

Emergency room medical staff work at a public hospital in Hong Kong, south China, Feb. 18, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

On Thursday, the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) reported 56,827 new COVID-19 cases, another record high, with 144 more deaths, official data showed.

Soaring infections are stretching the workload at the hospital to the limit. A shift at the A&E department used to take eight hours, but now over-10-hour shifts are a new normal.

"I hope to get help from other departments in the hospital and try our best to take care of the patients," Chan said.

Tang Tsz-ha, who works at Tuen Mun Hospital's intensive care unit, said she and her husband have not been home for a long time, for fear of infecting family members.

"Our mom and dad are old and have underlying diseases, and our brothers and sisters have their hands full taking care of their kids (and can not help)," said Tang, whose husband is kept busy at the A&E Department.

Hong Kong's Hospital Authority (HA) on Tuesday activated five more designated clinics to cope with the rapid and sharp increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 patients, which has overwhelmed the capacity of isolation facilities of public hospitals and the community treatment as well as isolation facilities.

"The HA once again thanks the public for their patience and being accommodating in compiling with the arrangements so that the isolation facilities in public hospitals can accord priority to the elderly, young, and patients with special medical needs," the HA said in a statement.

People wait outside the emergency room in a hospital in Hong Kong, south China, Feb. 18, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Shen)

Help from the mainland is pouring in.

A mainland-aided, newly built community isolation facility (CIF) started admitting its first batch of COVID-19 patients in Hong Kong on Tuesday evening. The facility located in Tsing Yi, which is capable of accommodating about 3,900 patients, was completed within just one week on Monday.

Also on Monday, the third team of mainland health experts and personnel arrived in Hong Kong to work with the HKSAR government in fighting the latest COVID-19 outbreak. The team leader is Liang Wannian, head of the COVID-19 response expert panel under China's National Health Commission (NHC).

Chan said the medical staff were moved by the support of Hong Kong people, as well as the support from the country. "Now we work together to win the battle."