Coronavirus: Hong Kong could cut hotel quarantine to 5 days, with another 2 in home isolation, incoming health minister says
Professor Lo Chung-mau, who will be new secretary for health on July 1, reveals ‘5+2’ option among possibilities being considered to help shorten quarantine ⌘ Read more

JD.com founder Richard Liu cashes out nearly US$1 billion from e-commerce giant after retreat from top job
Liu has sold Nasdaq-listed JD.com stock and Hong Kong-listed JD Health shares worth a combined US$988 million since April, according to filings. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong’s greenhouse gas emissions fall for third year in a row
Greenhouse gas emissions drop, but environmentalists warn more work is needed. ⌘ Read more

Human cost of China’s zero-Covid policy measured in stress, anxiety
Lockdowns and unpredictable restrictions have led to soaring mental health problems in numbers which may exceed global averages. ⌘ Read more

School in China ditches sleeping on desks at nap time for health reasons and lets students set up their own tents to sleep in
A school in China, concerned by the health impacts of students sleeping with heads on desks, tried something different — now its ‘sleep lying down project’ is winning praise nationally. ⌘ Read more

Moderna seeking Hong Kong regulatory approval for Omicron-targeted Covid-19 booster vaccine
Patrick Bergstedt, US company’s senior vice-president of commercial vaccines, says discussions with city government at advanced stage, but no green light given yet. ⌘ Read more

Biden unveils US$600 billion global infrastructure plan at G7 summit to counter China’s Belt and Road
Clean energy, secure communications technology and health systems among focus areas for programme funded by grants, federal financing and private sector. ⌘ Read more

Coronavirus: Hong Kong frontline workers still waiting for Covid-19 subsidies because companies are refusing to apply
Essential workers in Hong Kong still waiting on Covid-19 emergency payments. ⌘ Read more

Biden signs landmark gun control bill into law with bipartisan support ‘to save lives’
President Biden called the legislation the most significant of its kind in decades; measures include restricting gun access for youngest buyers and bolstering mental health support. ⌘ Read more

Coronavirus: Hong Kong hotels raise rates for quarantine rooms as number of arrivals to city outpaces available spots
More 40 quarantine hotels have raised their prices by as much as 80 per cent since the launch of the scheme 1½ years ago. ⌘ Read more

The Age of Health Misinformation: From Pandemic to Infodemic
COVID-19 has sadly fuelled a torrent of false or misleading information that has complicated efforts to limit the spread of the virus ⌘ Read more

Global Discussions on Sustainable Solutions for the Future of Food
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The current food system relies heavily on intensive farming which is unsustainable and harmful to both our planet and our health. Although industrial farming provides us affordable food prices and high crop yield, it is also believed that factory-farmed animals are invariably stressed and riddled with disease from cramped and unhealthy living con … ⌘ Read more

Can Indonesia’s Jokowi breathe easy, with air pollution in Jakarta and other cities still causing tens of thousands of premature deaths?
Despite air quality in Jakarta often exceeding WHO guidelines, campaigners say the government is still not tackling pollution. It is even appealing against last year’s landmark court ruling which said air quality must be improved. ⌘ Read more

China relaxes barriers for transgender health, but family approval remains an obstacle
While policy changes make it easier for LGBT youth to access gender affirmation surgery, many still struggle with getting their parents’ consent. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong’s public hospitals unveil scheme to hire doctors from Greater Bay Area in bid to ease manpower crunch
Programme allows one-year exchange of doctors, but only professionals from top three tiers of mainland hospitals are eligible. ⌘ Read more

Coronavirus: Hong Kong logs over 1,000 cases for ninth day as Macau shuts gaming hubs, restricts eateries to combat surge in infections
Health officials in Hong Kong confirm 1,650 Covid-19 cases, including 128 imported infections, and one additional death ⌘ Read more

Obesity among Hong Kong children increased during coronavirus pandemic due to unhealthy lifestyle, survey shows
Number of overweight or obese children aged between nine and 13 rises from seven per cent to 24 per cent. ⌘ Read more

Polio back in UK after virus detected in London sewage samples
Health officials in Britain warned parents to ensure their children have been vaccinated against polio after the virus that causes the disease was found in London sewage samples. ⌘ Read more

Reef shark rescued from Singapore oil refinery
Shell plc said it would be taking action ‘to enhance preventive measures’ at its seawater intake areas. A sea turtle got stuck in the same intake bay in 2017. ⌘ Read more

Häagen-Dazs Hong Kong apologises after banned pesticide found in 2 types of vanilla ice cream products
Centre for Food Safety halts sale of Häagen-Dazs’ pint-sized and bulk-sized vanilla ice cream after Taiwan’s food authorities found ethylene oxide in them. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong and BNO passport holders can travel to South Korea visa-free again after Seoul relaxes restrictions
From July 1 travellers will only need to apply for electronic travel authorisation and obtain approval 72 hours before boarding. ⌘ Read more

What’s the key to stopping Covid overload of health systems in China? Focus on the vulnerable, study finds
Research on Shanghai’s outbreak points to low risk of milder cases becoming severe. ⌘ Read more

**“This decision is not only a hollow response to Covid-19, but it sends the message that intellectual property rights outweigh the rights to health and life.”

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/06/covid-19-wto-ministerial-decision-on-trips-agreement-fails-to-set-rules-that-could-save-lives/**
“This decision is not only a hollow response to Covid-19, but it sends the message that intellectual property rights outweigh the rights to health and life.”

[amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2…](https://www.amnesty. … ⌘ Read more

Coronavirus: elderly Hongkongers turn to expressive arts therapy to ease pandemic blues
The treatment has helped elderly residents suffering from long Covid open up and come out of their shell, says therapist Janet Li Wai-chong. ⌘ Read more

Resuming quarantine-free travel with mainland China to be top priority, Hong Kong’s incoming health minister says
Dr Lo Chung-mau says he intends to form anti-epidemic measures rooted in evidence to reconnect Hong Kong with mainland China and the wider world. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong’s border control measures are not tenable, city should decide whether to fully reopen by end of year, Carrie Lam says
‘If the city is still sticking to the existing border control measures in the coming half-year, or by the end of this year, I will be a bit worried,’ Lam says. ⌘ Read more

Health of Hong Kong’s poor is in the hands of the whole of society, not just the heathcare sector
Marked health inequalities exist in wealthy Hong Kong, and government intervention alone is not enough to address them. Civil society and businesses play a major role in the improvement of living and working conditions, thereby minimising illness and injury. ⌘ Read more

Masks, Covid-19 test kits, plastic bottles: more than 9,000kg of litter found on Hong Kong’s hiking trails, seashore last year, green group says
Plastic bottles, bottle lids and buoys top three types of rubbish commonly found on seashore, while cigarettes, tissue paper and food packaging dot hiking trails, green group Ecobus says. ⌘ Read more

Chinese disciplinary watchdog to investigate after bank protesters flagged as health risk
The Zhengzhou commission for discipline inspection says it has started a probe into why angry depositors found their health codes had suddenly turned red. ⌘ Read more

Oil-producing Gulf nations are pursuing greener energy. What does this mean for Asia?
Most of Asia’s electricity needs come from oil-producing Gulf nations, which are trying to position themselves as leaders in the development of green energy. ⌘ Read more

Coronavirus: sixth wave could come in September, but with less impact, Hong Kong labour minister says
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong makes forecast, warning city’s immunity barrier could have waned by then. ⌘ Read more

‘I need a room’: overseas Hong Kong students struggling to book quarantine hotels for summer return to city
Bulk of 66 quarantine hotels fully booked until end of July, while some hotels on new list of designated facilities only have availability from middle of August. ⌘ Read more

China’s Covid-19 health code system is ripe for abuse and must not outlast the pandemic
A recent scandal in Henan province that saw protesters issued bogus red health codes to restrict their movements shows how open the system is to misuse. ⌘ Read more

G20 to raise US$1.5 billion for global pandemic fund, host Indonesia says
The money will finance efforts such as surveillance, research, and better access to vaccination for lower-to-middle income countries, health officials said. About US$1.1 billion has been pledged so far. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong health experts propose 5 key groups, including animal care workers, be vaccinated against monkeypox before exposure
Pre-exposure jab considered for five target groups, but should not be given within four weeks before or after a Covid-19 vaccine is administered. ⌘ Read more

Coronavirus: crackdown under way on patrons, operators in Hong Kong nightlife sector to enforce new rapid-test rule at bars and clubs
Food and Environmental Hygiene Department director urges businesses not to provide test kits at the door for customers, after reports surface of such acts. ⌘ Read more

How Hong Kong’s ‘Covid-19 heroes’ rose to the challenges they faced
The Post talks to some of Hong Kong’s ‘Covid-19 heroes’, people who have risen to the challenges thrown at them by the virus over the past two years. ⌘ Read more

Hong Kong’s biggest health crisis in 25 years: why did city stumble over Covid-19? Experts say it was too slow to change tactics, inflexible, put politics first
Insistence on ‘zero infections’ left authorities unable to act swiftly when Omicron variant of coronavirus arrived, experts say. ⌘ Read more

Customers should not take rapid Covid tests on premises of Hong Kong nightspots, health experts warn, as new rule comes into effect
Professor Ricky Chiu warns patrons of bars, pubs, clubs to avoid taking tests on premises, cites risks of coronavirus transmission. ⌘ Read more

Going for a night out? What you need to know about Hong Kong’s new Covid rapid-test rule for bars and clubs
The Post answers questions on authenticity of test results and authorities’ policy direction ⌘ Read more

Patients almost 10 times more likely to survive cardiac arrests with CPR or AED applied, but few in Hong Kong receive such aid, research finds
Of the 829 young patients studied, only 34 per cent received CPR while less than 7 per cent had help with AED. ⌘ Read more

WHO will share vaccines to stop monkeypox amid inequity fears
Agency chief says the initiative for ‘fair access’ to vaccines and treatments will be ready within weeks, but health experts say it’s a missed opportunity to control monkeypox in Africa where it has been for decades. ⌘ Read more

Singapore ramps up ‘Wolbachia’ mosquito breeding as dengue crisis escalates
Amid earlier-than-usual surge in cases, which can be fatal, nation will breed 5 million male Aedes mosquitoes a week instead of 2 million. Carrying Wolbachia bacteria, when they mate with female urban mosquitoes the eggs that are laid do not hatch. ⌘ Read more

Coronavirus: Hong Kong bar and club patrons cancel bookings over rapid-test proof rule, as industry leader slams ‘unclear guidelines’
‘What did our industry do wrong?’ sector representative Ben Leung says on radio show. ⌘ Read more

Health Data
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Health Data
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Erlang Solutions: Using Elixir and WhatsApp to Fight COVID19

Discover the inside story of how the World Health Organisation’s WhatsApp COVID-19 hotline service was launched in 5 days using Elixir. At the beginning of March 2020, Turn.io launched the world’s first WhatsApp-based COVID-19 response for the South African Ministry of Health. The service was designed, deployed, stress-tested, and launched.

In 5 days. It scaled, before any kind of public launch, to 450K unique … ⌘ Read more

An update on recent service disruptions
Over the past few weeks, we have experienced multiple incidents due to the health of our database. We wanted to share what we know about these incidents while our team continues to address them. ⌘ Read more

Off to my first health check-up in 3 ½ years. I’m almost 40 pounds lighter than I was back then, so I hope this goes well.

Health Stats
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