• Posted on: 30 June 2020

What is the mystery behind Hong Kong’s low COVID-19 confirmed cases and low fatality rate? This is the key question which drew the interest of researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), among them Christian Joy P. Cruz, University Researcher at the UP Population Institute. Ms. Cruz is doing her PhD in Public Policy at the HKUST.

Using data sets from various sources, Cruz and fellow researchers at the HKUST presented a clear picture of the Hong Kong experience, where combined immigration and aggressive government measures as well as the young demographic profile of the confirmed cases have resulted to low case and mortality numbers. Most of Hong Kong’s confirmed cases are young, in the 15 to 44 age bracket and are ‘imported’. This differs from trends elsewhere in the world where confirmed cases and mortality are at the upper end of the population pyramid. Specifically, many of the confirmed cases are brought by young Hong Kong students and workers returning from countries like the United Kingdom where the pandemic is still yet to show a downtrend. The government’s decisive reaction to ban travelers from highly-affected countries coupled with aggressive testing, contact-tracing, quarantining, and community measures of social distancing, work from home, school closures, and wearing of masks led to the containment of infections.

Entitled “Exploring the young demographic profile of COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong: Evidence from migration and travel history data”, the article by Cruz, Rachel Ganly, Zilin Li, and Stuart Gietel-Basten is published in PLOS ONE.


Share