The first time the omicron variant breached Hong Kong¡¯s coronavirus defenses, in late 2021, the city stamped it out, cementing its status as one of the world¡¯s most formidable redoubts of ¡°COVID zero.¡±
But a few weeks later, omicron came to the metropolis again, this time causing an outbreak among cleaners at a public-housing estate that spiraled out of control. The conflagration of resulting cases is now killing people at a rate exceeding that of almost any country since the coronavirus emerged.
Over the entire pandemic, Hong Kong¡¯s death toll per capita, once far lower than those of Western nations, is no longer exceptional. A month ago, Americans had died from COVID-19 at 90 times the rate of people in Hong Kong. By Monday, the cumulative American toll was 3? times as high.
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