Paris, France 
<meta content="uuidW2BaDagkREc7" name="uuid"/>
The dismal quality of housing across Mayotte has compounded the devastating impact of Cyclone Chido on the poverty-stricken French Indian Ocean territory where hundreds, or maybe thousands, are feared dead.
Before the storm hit, around a third of the island's population was living in iron-sheeted huts that never stood a chance against the powerful cyclone.
By the time it was gone, all of Mayotte's shantytowns were flattened, burying lives—and livelihoods—beneath them.
"We fear there will be a considerable number of deaths," a French government official told AFP. "Several hundred, or maybe several thousand."
Mayotte is the poorest part of France, of which it is an integral part. 
Recent official data on the state of housing in Mayotte are hard to come by, but 2017 data published by the National Statistics Institute said 40 per cent of the island's homes are built with metal sheets, and around a third have no access to running water.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/cyclone-chido-devastates-frances-mayotte-death-toll-could-reach-thousands-784261">Cyclone Chido devastates France's Mayotte: Death toll could reach thousands</a>
<h2>Flimsy </h2>
"They're made of wood, corrugated iron, and situated on hills, on beaten earth," said Florent Vallee, who runs the French Red Cross branch's emergency operations. 
"You can easily imagine the wind barreling into them and the rain creating mudslides."
Over the decades, French authorities have tried to improve housing conditions for the island's population which numbers 320,000 according to official data but is much greater because of an influx of undocumented migrants who do not show up in government statistics.
As recently as the late 1970s, modern building materials were virtually unknown in Mayotte, said Megane Aussedat, a sociologist and expert on informal housing on the island.
Despite government programmes to replace precarious shelters with solid housing, the number of available homes is still inadequate compared to the size of the population and the migration influx.
They are also out of reach for many people in Mayotte, where the median monthly income is 260 euros ($273), compared with around 2,600 euros pretax on the French mainland.
Subsidised housing projects have also been slow to materialise, said Aussedat.
However, since 2018, the authorities have been allowed to raze substandard housing, provided they immediately offered inhabitants new homes.
Such clearing operations, involving massive police contingents, are sometimes thought to have the secondary objective of flushing out undocumented migrants, but Aussedat observed that telling illegals from legal can be a challenge.
"There is almost no family in Mayotte," she said, "where everybody's status is either documented or undocumented."
<h2>Comoros influx </h2>
Mayotte's immigration issue is almost entirely due to an influx from the Comoros, an archipelago whose closest shores are just 70 kilometers (44 miles) from Mayotte, and that declared independence in the 1970s while Mayotte opted to remain French.
As poor as Mayotte is by French standards, the Comoros are even poorer, tempting many there into a perilous journey across the water in search of a better life in Mayotte.
They often end up living in makeshift areas consisting mostly of so-called "bangas"—small" houses made of cloth and thatch.
When Chido hit, many refused to leave their homes, taking their chances with the cyclone  rather than face the danger of their homes being looted or being picked up by the authorities.
Vallee said emergency services had rescued "entire families, and also a lot of children who were left alone."
Sanitary conditions, already precarious, have worsened since, mostly because of patchy access to clean water that could prompt another cholera outbreak like the one in the spring of 2024 that killed seven people, said Jean-Francois Coty, president of the Medecins du Monde NGO.
<h2>'Brakes on healthcare access' </h2>
Undocumented migrants' "fear of moving is putting the brakes on healthcare access," he said.
A French government scheme allowing undocumented people access to state healthcare is not available in Mayotte.
Coty said he hoped that French officials would pause forced deportations so immigrants can seek help without fear of expulsion.
"This is a time for humanitarian aid, not for a crackdown," he said. 
Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

Recent official data on the state of housing in Mayotte are hard to come by, but 2017 data published by the National Statistics Institute said 40 per cent of the island's homes are built with metal sheets, and around a third have no access to running water.



Paris, France The dismal quality of housing across Mayotte has compounded the devastating impact of Cyclone Chido on the poverty-stricken French Indian Ocean territory where hundreds, or maybe thousands, are feared dead. Before the storm hit, around a third of the island's population was living in iron-sheeted huts that never stood a chance against the powerful cyclone. By the time it was gone, all of Mayotte's shantytowns were flattened, burying lives—and livelihoods—beneath them. "We fear there will be a considerable number of deaths," a French government official told AFP. "Several hundred, or maybe several thousand." Mayotte is the poorest part of France, of which it is an integral part. Recent official data on the state of housing in Mayotte are hard to come by, but 2017 data published by the National Statistics Institute said 40 per cent of the island's homes are built with metal sheets, and around a third have no access to running water. Also Read: Cyclone Chido devastates France's Mayotte: Death toll could reach thousands Flimsy "They're made of wood, corrugated iron, and situated on hills, on beaten earth," said Florent Vallee, who runs the French Red Cross branch's emergency operations. "You can easily imagine the wind barreling into them and the rain creating mudslides." Over the decades, French authorities have tried to improve housing conditions for the island's population which numbers 320,000 according to official data but is much greater because of an influx of undocumented migrants who do not show up in government statistics. As recently as the late 1970s, modern building materials were virtually unknown in Mayotte, said Megane Aussedat, a sociologist and expert on informal housing on the island. Despite government programmes to replace precarious shelters with solid housing, the number of available homes is still inadequate compared to the size of the population and the migration influx. They are also out of reach for many people in Mayotte, where the median monthly income is 260 euros ($273), compared with around 2,600 euros pretax on the French mainland. Subsidised housing projects have also been slow to materialise, said Aussedat. However, since 2018, the authorities have been allowed to raze substandard housing, provided they immediately offered inhabitants new homes. Such clearing operations, involving massive police contingents, are sometimes thought to have the secondary objective of flushing out undocumented migrants, but Aussedat observed that telling illegals from legal can be a challenge. "There is almost no family in Mayotte," she said, "where everybody's status is either documented or undocumented." Comoros influx Mayotte's immigration issue is almost entirely due to an influx from the Comoros, an archipelago whose closest shores are just 70 kilometers (44 miles) from Mayotte, and that declared independence in the 1970s while Mayotte opted to remain French. As poor as Mayotte is by French standards, the Comoros are even poorer, tempting many there into a perilous journey across the water in search of a better life in Mayotte. They often end up living in makeshift areas consisting mostly of so-called "bangas"—small" houses made of cloth and thatch. When Chido hit, many refused to leave their homes, taking their chances with the cyclone rather than face the danger of their homes being looted or being picked up by the authorities. Vallee said emergency services had rescued "entire families, and also a lot of children who were left alone." Sanitary conditions, already precarious, have worsened since, mostly because of patchy access to clean water that could prompt another cholera outbreak like the one in the spring of 2024 that killed seven people, said Jean-Francois Coty, president of the Medecins du Monde NGO. 'Brakes on healthcare access' Undocumented migrants' "fear of moving is putting the brakes on healthcare access," he said. A French government scheme allowing undocumented people access to state healthcare is not available in Mayotte. Coty said he hoped that French officials would pause forced deportations so immigrants can seek help without fear of expulsion. "This is a time for humanitarian aid, not for a crackdown," he said. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

How ramshackle housing left Mayotte exposed to Cyclone Chido's fury

The dismal quality of housing across Mayotte has compounded the devastating impact of Cyclone Chido on the poverty-stricken French Indian Ocean territory where hundreds, or maybe thousands, are feared dead.

The dismal quality of housing across Mayotte has compounded the devastating impact of Cyclone Chido on the poverty-stricken French Indian Ocean territory where hundreds, or maybe thousands, are feared dead. Before the storm hit, around a third of the island's population was living in iron-sheeted huts that never stood a chance against the powerful cyclone. By the time it was gone, all of Mayotte's shantytowns were flattened, burying lives—and livelihoods—beneath them. "We fear there will be a considerable number of deaths," a French government official told AFP. "Several hundred, or maybe several thousand." Mayotte is the poorest part of France, of which it is an integral part. Recent official data on the state of housing in Mayotte are hard to come by, but 2017 data published by the National Statistics Institute said 40 per cent of the island's homes are built with metal sheets, and around a third have no access to running water. Also Read: Cyclone Chido devastates France's Mayotte: Death toll could reach thousands Flimsy "They're made of wood, corrugated iron, and situated on hills, on beaten earth," said Florent Vallee, who runs the French Red Cross branch's emergency operations. "You can easily imagine the wind barreling into them and the rain creating mudslides." Over the decades, French authorities have tried to improve housing conditions for the island's population which numbers 320,000 according to official data but is much greater because of an influx of undocumented migrants who do not show up in government statistics. As recently as the late 1970s, modern building materials were virtually unknown in Mayotte, said Megane Aussedat, a sociologist and expert on informal housing on the island. Despite government programmes to replace precarious shelters with solid housing, the number of available homes is still inadequate compared to the size of the population and the migration influx. They are also out of reach for many people in Mayotte, where the median monthly income is 260 euros ($273), compared with around 2,600 euros pretax on the French mainland. Subsidised housing projects have also been slow to materialise, said Aussedat. However, since 2018, the authorities have been allowed to raze substandard housing, provided they immediately offered inhabitants new homes. Such clearing operations, involving massive police contingents, are sometimes thought to have the secondary objective of flushing out undocumented migrants, but Aussedat observed that telling illegals from legal can be a challenge. "There is almost no family in Mayotte," she said, "where everybody's status is either documented or undocumented." Comoros influx Mayotte's immigration issue is almost entirely due to an influx from the Comoros, an archipelago whose closest shores are just 70 kilometers (44 miles) from Mayotte, and that declared independence in the 1970s while Mayotte opted to remain French. As poor as Mayotte is by French standards, the Comoros are even poorer, tempting many there into a perilous journey across the water in search of a better life in Mayotte. They often end up living in makeshift areas consisting mostly of so-called "bangas"—small" houses made of cloth and thatch. When Chido hit, many refused to leave their homes, taking their chances with the cyclone rather than face the danger of their homes being looted or being picked up by the authorities. Vallee said emergency services had rescued "entire families, and also a lot of children who were left alone." Sanitary conditions, already precarious, have worsened since, mostly because of patchy access to clean water that could prompt another cholera outbreak like the one in the spring of 2024 that killed seven people, said Jean-Francois Coty, president of the Medecins du Monde NGO. 'Brakes on healthcare access' Undocumented migrants' "fear of moving is putting the brakes on healthcare access," he said. A French government scheme allowing undocumented people access to state healthcare is not available in Mayotte. Coty said he hoped that French officials would pause forced deportations so immigrants can seek help without fear of expulsion. "This is a time for humanitarian aid, not for a crackdown," he said. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

As per an annual bee survey conducted by the University of Maryland and Auburn University, honeybee hives in the United States have experienced the second highest death rate on record, with beekeepers losing nearly half of their managed colonies. However, despite this staggering loss, the survey also found that the overall number of honeybee colonies in the country has remained relatively stable, reported the Associated Press.

Honeybees play a vital role in pollinating more than 100 crops, including nuts, vegetables, berries, citrus fruits, and melons. Scientists attribute the high mortality rate to a combination of factors, including parasites, pesticides, starvation, and the effects of climate change.

The survey reports that the 48 per cent&nbsp;loss of colonies in the past year is higher than the previous year's loss of 39% and the 12-year average of 39.6 per cent.&nbsp;However, it is not as severe as the 50.8 per cent&nbsp;mortality rate observed in the 2020-2021 period. Beekeepers participating in the survey indicated that a 21 per cent&nbsp;loss over the winter is deemed acceptable, yet more than three-fifths of them reported losses higher than threshold.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/fierce-heat-of-el-nino-may-be-carrying-risk-of-resurgent-deadly-viruses-608252">Fierce heat of El Nino may be carrying risk of resurgent deadly viruses, warns WHO</a>

To maintain the overall population of honeybee colonies, commercial beekeepers invest significant resources in splitting and restocking their hives. This involves finding or purchasing new queens or even starter packs for colonies, which is an expensive and time-consuming process. This approach has helped beekeepers rebound from substantial losses, contributing to the relative stability of the bee colony population.

<h2>Combination of factors including parasites, pesticides, starvation, and climate change lead to significant die-offs</h2>

While the current situation is far from the crisis observed 15 years ago, when managed pollination was under serious threat, challenges persist. Experts believe that honeybees will not go extinct but will continue to face environmental threats. The varying degrees of colony losses experienced by different beekeepers demonstrate the unpredictable nature of these challenges. Factors such as parasitic mites, bad weather, queen issues, and pesticides further compound the difficulties faced by honeybees.

The parasitic mite Varroa destructor, which transmits viruses, is identified as the primary culprit behind honeybee losses. Pesticides exacerbate the problem by weakening bees' immune systems and reducing their ability to seek food. Even small infestations of varroa in colonies can have devastating effects, as they make bees more susceptible to viruses.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-authorities-seize-millions-of-illegal-vapes-in-three-years-shows-data-608229">UK: Authorities seize millions of illegal vapes in three years, shows data</a>

Other contributing factors include landscapes dominated by a single crop, which deprive bees of diverse food sources, as well as bouts of extreme weather. Despite these challenges, the demand for pollination from commercial bee colonies continues to grow, necessitating increased efforts from beekeepers to replenish their losses. The honeybee's crucial role in pollinating insect-dependent plants highlights the importance of addressing the threats and finding sustainable solutions to protect these vital pollinators.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe>

As per an annual bee survey conducted by the University of Maryland and Auburn University, honeybee hives in the United States have experienced the second highest death rate on record, with beekeepers losing nearly half of their managed colonies.

As per an annual bee survey conducted by the University of Maryland and Auburn University, honeybee hives in the United States have experienced the second highest death rate on record, with beekeepers losing nearly half of their managed colonies. However, despite this staggering loss, the survey also found that the overall number of honeybee colonies in the country has remained relatively stable, reported the Associated Press. Honeybees play a vital role in pollinating more than 100 crops, including nuts, vegetables, berries, citrus fruits, and melons. Scientists attribute the high mortality rate to a combination of factors, including parasites, pesticides, starvation, and the effects of climate change. The survey reports that the 48 per cent loss of colonies in the past year is higher than the previous year's loss of 39% and the 12-year average of 39.6 per cent. However, it is not as severe as the 50.8 per cent mortality rate observed in the 2020-2021 period. Beekeepers participating in the survey indicated that a 21 per cent loss over the winter is deemed acceptable, yet more than three-fifths of them reported losses higher than threshold. Also read | Fierce heat of El Nino may be carrying risk of resurgent deadly viruses, warns WHO To maintain the overall population of honeybee colonies, commercial beekeepers invest significant resources in splitting and restocking their hives. This involves finding or purchasing new queens or even starter packs for colonies, which is an expensive and time-consuming process. This approach has helped beekeepers rebound from substantial losses, contributing to the relative stability of the bee colony population. Combination of factors including parasites, pesticides, starvation, and climate change lead to significant die-offs While the current situation is far from the crisis observed 15 years ago, when managed pollination was under serious threat, challenges persist. Experts believe that honeybees will not go extinct but will continue to face environmental threats. The varying degrees of colony losses experienced by different beekeepers demonstrate the unpredictable nature of these challenges. Factors such as parasitic mites, bad weather, queen issues, and pesticides further compound the difficulties faced by honeybees. The parasitic mite Varroa destructor, which transmits viruses, is identified as the primary culprit behind honeybee losses. Pesticides exacerbate the problem by weakening bees' immune systems and reducing their ability to seek food. Even small infestations of varroa in colonies can have devastating effects, as they make bees more susceptible to viruses. Also read | UK: Authorities seize millions of illegal vapes in three years, shows data Other contributing factors include landscapes dominated by a single crop, which deprive bees of diverse food sources, as well as bouts of extreme weather. Despite these challenges, the demand for pollination from commercial bee colonies continues to grow, necessitating increased efforts from beekeepers to replenish their losses. The honeybee's crucial role in pollinating insect-dependent plants highlights the importance of addressing the threats and finding sustainable solutions to protect these vital pollinators. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

US beekeepers fight to replenish honeybee colonies amid high death rates

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 “zero COVID.”

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 at 90 times the rate of people in Hong Kong. By Monday, the cumulative American toll was 3 1/2 times as high.

As the United States braces for its own, less punishing rise in cases, and mainland China battles its biggest outbreak in two years, scientists have looked to Hong Kong for clues about the threat omicron poses in an entirely different setting: a dense city where people were not only largely untouched by previous infections, but whose oldest and most vulnerable residents were also largely unvaccinated.

Several critical lessons emerged, health experts said.

In the era of omicron and its even more infectious subvariant, BA.2, vaccinating a broad swath of the population remained important, scientists said. But inoculating as many older people as possible had become far and away the top priority.

That message, they said, was most pressing for China, where vaccinations in older age groups also appear to be lagging and there is little immunity from earlier infections.

But it was relevant again in the United States, too, where subpar vaccination and booster rates among older people have left scientists concerned about a potential surge of BA.2 cases. Partly because so many more Americans have been infected and killed by the coronavirus during earlier waves, scientists do not expect the United States to face as serious a situation in the coming months as Hong Kong.

Hong Kong’s dreadful outbreak also signals the perils of trying to eliminate the virus without a plan for what would come next, health experts said. Omicron’s high transmissibility, they said, made outbreaks almost inevitable.

Hong Kong, which along with mainland China had been among the last holdouts of a strategy of tight restrictions and border controls to eradicate the virus, was left vulnerable by how few of its residents had any immunity from prior infections: Before the omicron surge, scientists estimated that only 1% of Hong Kong’s population had contracted the virus.

Those low levels of immunity can leave places vulnerable to waves of cases, as more contagious variants sneak in or restrictions are lifted. But governments can still prepare for those waves, said Dr. Gabriel Leung, dean of medicine at the University of Hong Kong.

Less than one-quarter of people aged 80 and over in Hong Kong had been given two doses of a vaccine before omicron surged, compared with more than 90% of people in Singapore and New Zealand.

Because of the number of unvaccinated older people in China, scientists said, it might also have some difficulty lifting “zero COVID” restrictions. More than 87% of China’s population have been vaccinated. But just over half of people 80 and older have had two shots, and less than 20% of people in that age group have received a booster, Zeng Yixin, a vice minister of the National Health Commission, said Friday.

“I don’t think it’s quite ready for the transition,” Leung said.

A number of Asian and Pacific countries had largely kept the virus at bay for two years, only to face omicron outbreaks because the virus was so contagious and their populations had avoided earlier infections. But high vaccination rates, including among older people, have helped many of those countries avoid more devastating surges.

In South Korea, for example, where 87% of people are vaccinated and 63% have booster shots, the cumulative death toll per capita is one-tenth of America’s, even though South Korea has recorded more than three-quarters as many cases as the United States over the entire pandemic.

Health experts said that Hong Kong’s difficulties vaccinating older people resulted from a combination of complacency, given the city’s earlier success in containing the virus, and unfounded fears that older people and those in poor health faced particular risks from vaccines.

The city has now vaccinated 39% of residents aged 80 and above, despite having inoculated almost two-thirds of 12- to 19-year-olds.

Many people in Hong Kong have been given the Chinese vaccine Sinovac, which appears to offer relatively little protection from omicron infections but a better defense against severe disease. Scientists noted that almost 90% of people who died during the latest wave were not fully vaccinated, suggesting that getting shots to the most vulnerable is more important than the particular brand.

“The problem in Hong Kong is, we haven’t succeeded in vaccinating our most vulnerable population — the elderly, especially those staying in elderly-care homes,” said Dr. Siddharth Sridhar, a clinical virologist at the University of Hong Kong. “And as a result, we are in a very bad situation.”

The United States has vaccinated many more of its older residents than Hong Kong but fewer than Western Europe and has seen a high death rate. And as immunity from early vaccinations wanes and booster shots become critical for shoring up protection against omicron among older people, the United States finds itself exposed on that count, too. About 41% of people 65 and over have not received a booster shot.

Unlike other parts of Asia that had gradually lifted restrictions in recent months, Hong Kong was not ready for its defenses to fail, scientists said.

“From the government’s point of view, there was such a strong fixation on ‘zero COVID’ that as long as that worked, vaccination was not necessarily the priority,” said Ben Cowling, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Hong Kong.

Many older residents and their families adopted the same view, public health experts said. If Hong Kong’s rigid social-distancing measures and careful border controls were going to keep the virus out anyway, the conventional thinking went, was getting a vaccine worth the trouble?

“If you’re telling people that the disease is never going to get in, then there’s less of an incentive to go and get vaccinated,” said Dr. David Owens, a family doctor in Hong Kong. “To an extent, the messaging around elimination confounded the need to vaccinate.”

Cowling, of the University of Hong Kong, said that his city could have responded in one of two ways to signs that cases would surge: either double down on “zero COVID” through measures like building better quarantine facilities for overseas arrivals, or acknowledge that outbreaks are unavoidable and raise vaccination rates.

“Zero COVID is a really good strategy if you can stay at zero,” Cowling said. “But as we found in Hong Kong, it doesn’t last forever.”

Hong Kong eventually took steps to persuade older people to become vaccinated, once earlier inducements like vaccine passes proved ineffective. In January, the government announced that it would ban unvaccinated people from restaurants that serve dim sum, which are popular among older residents. But it was too late.

With cases and deaths now declining, Hong Kong announced Monday that it would lift certain restrictions.

Singapore began abandoning “zero COVID” policies in the summer. Dr. Ooi Eng Eong, an infectious disease expert at Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, said that it took a wave of the delta variant to raise vaccination rates and disabuse people of the notion that they did not need protection.

Now, cases in Singapore have surged, but deaths are relatively low.

“It’s so much more transmissible that I think wearing a face mask and all — that helps but not to the extent that it has impacted the epidemiology,” Ooi said of omicron. “The trends are really driven by vaccination.”

Still, even after five or six waves of the pandemic, the reasons that some countries have succeeded while others have suffered remain unclear.

Japan, for example, has tamped down on cases throughout the pandemic without resorting to full-fledged lockdowns, scientists said.

The country benefited from its government sharing sound public health advice early in the pandemic. As much as residents tired of precautions, they largely took the advice seriously, said Taro Yamamoto, a professor at the Institute of Tropical Medicine at Nagasaki University.

Roughly 80% of people in Japan have had their initial vaccine series. But even though the country is lagging in administering booster doses and had a surge of omicron infections, death rates during omicron have remained considerably lower than in nearby South Korea.

“Partly it’s a mystery,” Yamamoto said. “We cannot explain it all.”

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 “zero COVID.

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 “zero COVID.” 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 at 90 times the rate of people in Hong Kong. By Monday, the cumulative American toll was 3 1/2 times as high. As the United States braces for its own, less punishing rise in cases, and mainland China battles its biggest outbreak in two years, scientists have looked to Hong Kong for clues about the threat omicron poses in an entirely different setting: a dense city where people were not only largely untouched by previous infections, but whose oldest and most vulnerable residents were also largely unvaccinated. Several critical lessons emerged, health experts said. In the era of omicron and its even more infectious subvariant, BA.2, vaccinating a broad swath of the population remained important, scientists said. But inoculating as many older people as possible had become far and away the top priority. That message, they said, was most pressing for China, where vaccinations in older age groups also appear to be lagging and there is little immunity from earlier infections. But it was relevant again in the United States, too, where subpar vaccination and booster rates among older people have left scientists concerned about a potential surge of BA.2 cases. Partly because so many more Americans have been infected and killed by the coronavirus during earlier waves, scientists do not expect the United States to face as serious a situation in the coming months as Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s dreadful outbreak also signals the perils of trying to eliminate the virus without a plan for what would come next, health experts said. Omicron’s high transmissibility, they said, made outbreaks almost inevitable. Hong Kong, which along with mainland China had been among the last holdouts of a strategy of tight restrictions and border controls to eradicate the virus, was left vulnerable by how few of its residents had any immunity from prior infections: Before the omicron surge, scientists estimated that only 1% of Hong Kong’s population had contracted the virus. Those low levels of immunity can leave places vulnerable to waves of cases, as more contagious variants sneak in or restrictions are lifted. But governments can still prepare for those waves, said Dr. Gabriel Leung, dean of medicine at the University of Hong Kong. Less than one-quarter of people aged 80 and over in Hong Kong had been given two doses of a vaccine before omicron surged, compared with more than 90% of people in Singapore and New Zealand. Because of the number of unvaccinated older people in China, scientists said, it might also have some difficulty lifting “zero COVID” restrictions. More than 87% of China’s population have been vaccinated. But just over half of people 80 and older have had two shots, and less than 20% of people in that age group have received a booster, Zeng Yixin, a vice minister of the National Health Commission, said Friday. “I don’t think it’s quite ready for the transition,” Leung said. A number of Asian and Pacific countries had largely kept the virus at bay for two years, only to face omicron outbreaks because the virus was so contagious and their populations had avoided earlier infections. But high vaccination rates, including among older people, have helped many of those countries avoid more devastating surges. In South Korea, for example, where 87% of people are vaccinated and 63% have booster shots, the cumulative death toll per capita is one-tenth of America’s, even though South Korea has recorded more than three-quarters as many cases as the United States over the entire pandemic. Health experts said that Hong Kong’s difficulties vaccinating older people resulted from a combination of complacency, given the city’s earlier success in containing the virus, and unfounded fears that older people and those in poor health faced particular risks from vaccines. The city has now vaccinated 39% of residents aged 80 and above, despite having inoculated almost two-thirds of 12- to 19-year-olds. Many people in Hong Kong have been given the Chinese vaccine Sinovac, which appears to offer relatively little protection from omicron infections but a better defense against severe disease. Scientists noted that almost 90% of people who died during the latest wave were not fully vaccinated, suggesting that getting shots to the most vulnerable is more important than the particular brand. “The problem in Hong Kong is, we haven’t succeeded in vaccinating our most vulnerable population — the elderly, especially those staying in elderly-care homes,” said Dr. Siddharth Sridhar, a clinical virologist at the University of Hong Kong. “And as a result, we are in a very bad situation.” The United States has vaccinated many more of its older residents than Hong Kong but fewer than Western Europe and has seen a high death rate. And as immunity from early vaccinations wanes and booster shots become critical for shoring up protection against omicron among older people, the United States finds itself exposed on that count, too. About 41% of people 65 and over have not received a booster shot. Unlike other parts of Asia that had gradually lifted restrictions in recent months, Hong Kong was not ready for its defenses to fail, scientists said. “From the government’s point of view, there was such a strong fixation on ‘zero COVID’ that as long as that worked, vaccination was not necessarily the priority,” said Ben Cowling, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Hong Kong. Many older residents and their families adopted the same view, public health experts said. If Hong Kong’s rigid social-distancing measures and careful border controls were going to keep the virus out anyway, the conventional thinking went, was getting a vaccine worth the trouble? “If you’re telling people that the disease is never going to get in, then there’s less of an incentive to go and get vaccinated,” said Dr. David Owens, a family doctor in Hong Kong. “To an extent, the messaging around elimination confounded the need to vaccinate.” Cowling, of the University of Hong Kong, said that his city could have responded in one of two ways to signs that cases would surge: either double down on “zero COVID” through measures like building better quarantine facilities for overseas arrivals, or acknowledge that outbreaks are unavoidable and raise vaccination rates. “Zero COVID is a really good strategy if you can stay at zero,” Cowling said. “But as we found in Hong Kong, it doesn’t last forever.” Hong Kong eventually took steps to persuade older people to become vaccinated, once earlier inducements like vaccine passes proved ineffective. In January, the government announced that it would ban unvaccinated people from restaurants that serve dim sum, which are popular among older residents. But it was too late. With cases and deaths now declining, Hong Kong announced Monday that it would lift certain restrictions. Singapore began abandoning “zero COVID” policies in the summer. Dr. Ooi Eng Eong, an infectious disease expert at Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School, said that it took a wave of the delta variant to raise vaccination rates and disabuse people of the notion that they did not need protection. Now, cases in Singapore have surged, but deaths are relatively low. “It’s so much more transmissible that I think wearing a face mask and all — that helps but not to the extent that it has impacted the epidemiology,” Ooi said of omicron. “The trends are really driven by vaccination.” Still, even after five or six waves of the pandemic, the reasons that some countries have succeeded while others have suffered remain unclear. Japan, for example, has tamped down on cases throughout the pandemic without resorting to full-fledged lockdowns, scientists said. The country benefited from its government sharing sound public health advice early in the pandemic. As much as residents tired of precautions, they largely took the advice seriously, said Taro Yamamoto, a professor at the Institute of Tropical Medicine at Nagasaki University. Roughly 80% of people in Japan have had their initial vaccine series. But even though the country is lagging in administering booster doses and had a surge of omicron infections, death rates during omicron have remained considerably lower than in nearby South Korea. “Partly it’s a mystery,” Yamamoto said. “We cannot explain it all.”

High death rate in Hong Kong shows importance of vaccinating the elderly

death-rate

Death Rate, News on Death Rate, stories on Death Rate, articles on Death Rate, Death Rate stories at Wion, Death Rate news, Death Rate latest news