Mar 11: 18888 (PCR) / 10493 (RAT) Cases, (196 + 98) Deaths and CE Press Conf

[shri]

Not really expecting anything major from the CE press conference.. but might as well keep an eye out for meltdowns, flip flops and emotions.

Daily CE Press Conference @ 11:00AM

Attending:

1. Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam
2. Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Dr Law Chi-kwong
3. Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Patrick Nip

Livestream:
https://webcast.info.gov.hk/revamp/eng/livecast.html

Highlights and Q&A

• CE: Here to update on the covid vaccination program.
  
  Leads with:
  
  
  • Need to boost vaccination rates in the community
  • Important condition for face to face learning restart
  • Civil Service Bureau lead the program under Patrick Nip
  • Patrick Nip blah blah ... skilled communicator (and about to get fired from the job, I suspect)
  • Goes over the lucky draw and some random song by some famous singer to get vaccinated.
  • Vaccine Pass and all the amazing PR we've done has not been enough.
  • We have CVCs and plenty of stock and appeals have been made (and failed).
  • 50% of kids between 3-11 have one dose.
  • Vaccination to focus on elderly and kids
  • Begging for support ...
  
  
  
• Civil Service: Goes over a lot of stats and thanks a lot of people. Come on .. drop the f'ing ball and tell us some we don't already know!
  
  New Measures
  
  
  • Outreach teams for care homes - have a clear goal to visit 1090 homes and achieve full coverage of atleast 1 dose (going from 50% to 100% .. best of luck!)
  • Recruited additional health care workers and increased the number of teams - including private medical sector teams and HA volunteer teams. 750 people have joined the team.
  • Sinovac shortened the interval between 1 and 2nd dose if there is no infection after 1.
  • Beginning to sound like a bit like the usual nonsense.. no new major changes, carrots or sticks so far. And he did not get fired like I thought he would...
  
  
• Labour & Welfare: No clue why Dr Law was put on stage .. did not do or say anything.
  
  He is going on about a few things.. guess the CE forgot he had some purpose at the press conference.
  
  
  • Containers will be setup for isolation or for employees to live in, close to some homes.
  • Starting from this week some hotels which were setup for isolation will be used for care home staff.
  • Cannot force employees into the closed loop as many have to take care of elders and others at home.
  
  
  
• Do you have confidence that you can vaccinate those who are in elderly homes and have not vaccinated so far?
  
  - Walking back the 100% vaccination goal... now saying "outreach teams have to visit by 18th of March" & "work is ongoing".
  - Some lists of homes are not updated. Officer from SWD will work with every outreach team and do some liasoning... (I suspect they don't have an accurate list of where to go and what to do!)
  
  
• Grundy: Would the govt consider lifting the ban on dining?
  
  
  • CE: I was surprised to see this study. Got a clarification from Gabriel Leung that the dining ban had no effect so far claim was taken out of context - categorically said he could be quoted that "He has been taken out of context".
  
  
  
• Grundy: Whats the logic in keeping people isolated for 14 days, when people who have tested -ve with RATs after 7 days can go about doing whatever they want? Does 14 days for travellers make sense?
  
  
  • CE: I do appreciate the frustrations. While we are introducing new discharge criteria within HK. Saying she explained that "HK is facing an unprecedented epidemic and we must protect people in HK and the public hospitals".
  • CE: The "CE would not like to see any additional risks". When the wave subsides, a new pathway will be announced for travel resumption.
  
  
  
• Grundy: (Paraphrasing) Can the govt get a grip on random flip flops?
  
  
  • Stop fucking accusing me of making U turn and saying govt officials (primary Secs etc) deliberately leaking information.
  • This is an unprecedented situation. And the epidemic has outgrown the capacity of Hong Kong.
  • Adjustments in policies are to enable HK to cope with the situation and save lives etc. These are not U turns, they're timely adjustments.
  • Produce the f'ing evidence to back your accusations.
  • From now on, I am the authoritative source, ask me at the daily conferences.
  • Don't accuse my ministers. "I do see some leakages, but we cannot trace them".
  
  ( Was nice knowing you Tom! )
  
  
• CE: People saying really weird things online causing panic buying. We need the community to have trust in the govt. Denies complaining to DAB (reissued their press release and an apology was offered.)
  
  Dear DAB - Please read out press releases and contact the CE's office before showboating!
  
  (Beatings will continue until trust is restored!)
  
  
• (Tomorrow's press conference will be about supply of panadols and lettuce in the markets. We might even cover toilet paper)
  

[shri]

Daily Covid Stats Press Conference @ 4:30PM

Attending:

1. Principal Medical and Health Officer of the Communicable Disease Branch of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health, Dr Albert Au
2. Chief Manager (Patient Safety and Risk Management) of the Hospital Authority, Dr Sara Ho

Livestream:
https://webcast.info.gov.hk/revamp/eng/livecast.html

Stats:
Cases:
- 18888 PCR - 4 imported
- 10493 RAT Confirmed (ID / RAT Photo Recd)
Deaths: 196 deaths in last 24 hours - (24 - 107 YO) (185 > 65 YO)
Backlogged Deaths: 98 backlogged deaths
Other Stats:

• 2500 specimens sampled - no Delta
• +13 homes - 9 elderly and 4 disabled have been added as newly infected homes
• 31% of elderly care home residents / 20.6% of staff at elderly care homes are infected
• 35% of disabled care homes / 22% of staff at disabled care homes are infected
• Deaths > 80 YO - 92.5% have not completed 2 vaccines.

Highlights and Q&A

• Signs that the epidemic is in control - no exponential increase. Number of daily cases is still > 30K and seems stable. No sign of numbers dropping significantly, even though the number is smaller than early March.
  
  
• RTD operations are showing rates of 10-20% - active community spread and hotspots around town.
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  

[shri]

If only my direct reports could keep track of meeting minutes like shri...

Thanks shri!

Sorry .. deleted the post, but have to add this.

Not many would tell you that "This meeting sir is rather masturbatory..."

: excessively self-absorbed or self-indulgent
write tedious, masturbatory books … about themselves for people to read … with envy
— D. R. Katz

[Cheeky Kiwi]

Must want them to die faster so can get their inheritance


https://twitter.com/tripperhead/stat...25429255438336

[Elegiaque]

For those of you who have not seen the daily press conference opening jingle posted on twitter, do check it out with sound on:

https://twitter.com/tripperhead/status/1502118009145806853?cxt=HHwWisDSnd2XzNgpAAAA

<-- I think this is the only important thing coming out of these daily press conferences. And watching her suck up wearing a mask every day so we can feel her emotions through her hair-dos.

[DanielFRA]

What a shitshow!

[shri]

CE's conference: https://geoexpat.com/forum/415/threa...ml#post3857835

[AsianXpat0]

https://twitter.com/tripperhead/status/1502132616006606848

”We will be as open, and as transparent, with the people of Hong Kong, in order to instil the needed confidence in taking HK out of this major health crisis.”

The non sequitur gives me a massive load of confidence.

[Coolboy]

Yep...the conference went more or less exactly as I expected.

[flameproof]

What exactly is the point of those press conferences?