In the recent Omicron wave, Hong Kong recorded more than 35 COVID-19 deaths per million population every day for at least a week. No other region has ever recorded such a high COVID-19 daily death rate during the pandemic. Comparatively, India’s peak daily death rate was three fatalities per million people, Brazil’s peak was 14 per million, while the U.S. peaked at 10 deaths per million. A lowdown of the causes behind this sudden surge in deaths.
The city has a zero-COVID policy, so the number of cases during the previous waves was very low, resulting in poor immunity levels in the population. When the Omicron wave started in mid-February, only 25% of the 80+ population were vaccinated, among the lowest globally. And so, during the Omicron wave, though the 80+ group formed only 5.4% of the population and 4.7% of COVID-19 cases, they formed more than 70% of the COVID-19 deaths. Vaccination also played a crucial role in fatalities in the 80+ age group. Over 70% of those who died in the cohort were unvaccinated.
Deaths compared
| The chart shows the seven-day average of daily COVID-19 deaths in all countries relative to their population. Hong Kong’s graph is highlighted. The grey lines depict the death rates in other nations. None of the rates comes close to Hong Kong’s current death rate at any point of time during the pandemic.
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Hong Kong’s cases
Hong Kong’s zero COVID strategy had insulated it from the outbreak for two years as daily cases recorded stood at less than 1 per million. The graph shows average cases per million people over time. However, by mid-February 2022, cases started rising driven by the Omicron wave, and peaked at 8,700 per million in March.
Vaccination share
The chart shows the age-group-wise share of the population fully vaccinated by February 10, when Omicron cases first began rising in Hong Kong. Only 25% of the vulnerable 80+ population had received both doses of the vaccine.
Age-group wise
The chart shows the age-group-wise % of cumulative deaths, % of hospitalisations, % of ICU admissions, % of reported cases, and % of population in Hong Kong during the Omicron wave. While the 80+ population forms a minuscule share of population and cases, more than half of hospitalised patients and over 70% of total deaths were 80+.
80+ deaths by vaccination status
The chart shows the vaccination status of the above 80 population who died due to COVID-19. Over 70% of deaths in the cohort were reported among those who were unvaccinated.
Source: Our World in Data and Centre for Health Protection, Hong Kong
Also read: Data | Will BA.2 lead to another surge in India?
