logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2022
15m 14s

How Hong Kong’s ‘zero covid’ policy back...

THE WASHINGTON POST
About this episode

Since the omicron outbreak began a few months ago, 10 times as many people have died in Hong Kong as in the previous two years. Today on Post Reports, how Hong Kong’s “zero covid” policy led to a devastating surge.


Read more:


Body bags, overflowing morgues and chaotic hospitals. Hong Kong — a wealthy financial center — now has the highest covid-19 death rate in the developed world. More than 4,000 people have died since the start of the city’s most recent outbreak, compared with just 213 in the two years prior. Those dying are overwhelmingly elderly, unvaccinated residents, but they also include toddlers and children too young to be immunized.


Shibani Mahtani reports from Hong Kong on how the city has gone from “zero covid” to a catastrophe.

Up next
Yesterday
Trump ran to save himself in 2024. He won back America.
President Donald Trump left the White House in 2021 with a historically low approval rating. After the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, his attempt to overthrow the 2020 presidential election, and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, Republicans, and much of the nat ... Show More
30m 1s
Jul 10
How AI is changing dating
Artificial intelligence can help you draft better emails, summarize long documents and now it could even be your online dating coach. Dating app companies say generative AI is a great way for people who might be shy or awkward to present themselves better. But others are worried ... Show More
23m 33s
Jul 9
The Supreme Court opens the door to mass federal layoffs
On Tuesday the Supreme Court lifted an order by a lower court that prevented the Trump administration from laying off thousands of federal workers. While the order was unsigned – meaning that the justices have not yet ruled on its legality – this is one of several recent decision ... Show More
18m 12s
Recommended Episodes
May 2020
Grippe de Hongkong : pourquoi on l'a tous oubliée
Il y a seulement 52 ans, la grippe de Hongkong causée par un virus H3N2 partait de Chine centrale pour se propager à travers la planète. Le bilan est terrible : plus d’un million de morts dans le monde dont 30 000 à 35 000 en France. Pourtant, plus personne ne semble s’en souveni ... Show More
17m 34s
Jan 2023
China’s Abrupt Reversal of ‘Zero Covid’
For nearly three years, China had one of the lowest coronavirus death rates in the world, thanks to its strict yet effective “zero Covid” approach.But last month, the government suddenly abandoned the policy. Since then, there have been millions of coronavirus cases across the co ... Show More
23m 42s
Mar 2024
Ep.517: “Hong Kong è finita”
Hong Kong ormai assomiglia a una normale città cinese. I dissidenti e gli stranieri come Stephen Roach, che l’hanno a lungo considerata casa, ormai non la riconoscono più. La città che era famosa come centro finanziario ora è famosa per le leggi repressive. La protesta ha perso e ... Show More
8m 22s
Aug 2021
The struggle for the soul of Hong Kong
Each Monday this August, we're looking back at some of the stories from the past year that stuck with us.In June 2020, with the world's attention on the pandemic, Hong Kong’s freedoms were under threat as the Chinese government imposed a draconian new security law. Now, the city ... Show More
28m 21s
Jul 2020
A Turning Point for Hong Kong
After protests convulsed Hong Kong for much of the last year, the city’s pro-democracy movement has been chilled by a new law that some say may change the semiautomonous territory forever. Today, we examine why China chose this moment to assert control, and what the new law means ... Show More
25m 5s
Aug 2020
Where We Stand on the Pandemic
In the U.S., emergency-use authorization has been granted for convalescent plasma, the efficacy of which is yet to be robustly tested. For some, this echoes the situation with hydroxychloroquine and the government’s subsequent U-turn on its rollout.Meanwhile, America’s infection ... Show More
25m 12s