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Lam Foon, 98, sits propped up and swaddled in soggy woollen blankets in a hospital bed just outside the entrance to Hong Kong’s Caritas Medical Centre, waiting for tests to confirm her preliminary positive result for Covid-19, Reuters reported.

“I don’t feel so good,” she told Reuters through a surgical mask, next to a similarly wrapped patient wearing a mask and face shield.

Lam was one of dozens of patients lying in the parking lot of Caritas on Thursday, after there was no more room inside the hospital that serves 400,000 people in the working-class district of Cheung Sha Wan on the Kowloon peninsula. Temperatures dipped to 15 degrees Celsius (59 Fahrenheit) amid some rain.

Medical staff were unable to say how long Lam would have to wait. People who test preliminarily positive for Covid have to take further tests before treatment.

This and similar scenes across the global financial hub are signs of a public healthcare system under severe strain as Covid-19 cases surge, with more than 95 percent of all hospital beds full.

Once largely insulated from the coronavirus pandemic, Hong Kong is facing a citywide outbreak, with businesses buckling and some losing patience with the government’s “zero Covid” policies.

In the cluster of working-class districts in nearby Sham Shui Po, some residential blocks and public housing estates have been sealed off, crowds in malls and street markets have thinned, and once teeming diners known as dai pai dongs and stalls selling knick-knacks are quieter after dark.

Trevor Chung, 29, a medic at Caritas, blamed the government in part for inadequate planning, a shortage of beds and other medical equipment, and chronic manpower shortages.

“The government underestimated the situation,” said Chung, clad in a full-face visor and blue hazmat suit. “I expect things to get a lot worse ... There are many elderly people in this district, and many aren’t vaccinated.”

Hong Kong authorities on Thursday apologised for the dire situation at hospitals serving the city of 7.4 million.

The city’s zero-Covid policy has meant even asymptomatic people and those with mild conditions have been sent to hospitals or quarantine centres, although the government is now adjusting its strategy as the healthcare system is overwhelmed.

Lam under pressure

The outbreak has piled further pressure on Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, whose five-year term is due to end in June.

While Lam says surrendering to the virus “is not an option” and Chinese President Xi Jinping has said the “overriding mission” for Hong Kong is to rein in the virus, some are skeptical.

“You can see I’m wearing two masks. I need to protect myself because the government won’t protect me,” said Lo Kai-wai, a 59-year-old logistics worker queuing at a mobile testing centre that had already reached its daily quota of 3,000 people.

“I don’t want to see her (Lam) get a second term.”

Some business owners impacted by government-imposed restrictions also question the sustainability of current policies.

“The government needs to find a better balance to both control the virus, but also to allow people to better get on with their lives,” said Timothy Poon, 23, the manager of a cafe close to the hospital, whose business has dropped by up to 60 percent amid the outbreak.

“The zero-Covid policy is a mission impossible.”

Others, however, are more upbeat.

“If everyone is willing to get vaccinated, the situation will improve,” said Lung Mei-chu, 78, at a testing centre in another district.

Query

My 12-year-old son, who is in Grade VI, cannot concentrate on his studies and his grades are deteriorating. As a parent, I help him with his homework. His teachers complain that he does not respond in classes, nor does he complete his assignments. My son apparently has a problem grasping lessons. I have noticed that he is not ready to answer questions asked by his teachers during online classes, and his mind is distracted. Although he is an inquisitive and active young boy, he does not engage in classroom activities. He has to be coaxed and cajoled into everything. He also has a problem comprehending time or distance properly. How can I help him? -Y

Answer by Dr Rishav Koirala, Psychiatrist at Grande Hospital

All symptoms here are related to concentration. But there is a need for further exploration to find out more and discover other symptoms.

Your son is at an age when he is bound to go through many behavioral changes. You must try to determine what is causing the changes that are hindering his ability to concentrate and affecting his studies. Is he not able to do everyday things for his age because of lack of motivation? Or is he just displaying oppositional behavior since you, as a parent, have been pushing him into doing things?

I would recommend visiting either a clinical psychologist or a child psychiatrist who can assess your son’s symptoms. Kanti Children’s Hospital at Maharajgunj has a children guidance clinic with a team of experts who specialize in child psychology. They can guide you on how you can help your son.

On a personal level, try to understand him. It is wonderful that you make time for him and help him out with school-work. But try to understand what he is thinking as well. Maybe ask him how he is feeling. What is happening? What is he thinking about? Why is it hard for him to concentrate? Why doesn’t he finish assignments?

Often, direct questioning may not be fruitful as he may not know the answers himself. But it is important to create an environment for your son to comfortably communicate and express his feelings. You can then ask him these questions. Your job is to create that environment at home, acknowledge his feelings with utmost care and love, and consult professionals if you deem it necessary for your son’s development.

With online classes, lack of interaction with peers has separated many children from the real world. Has your son been struggling since before or after the pandemic’s onset? This may help you understand its cause and that is the first step to figuring out how you can improve things. As you said, he is an inquisitive and active child, so with proper guidance, care and treatment, he could well be able to fulfill his responsibilities. 

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said China opposes "coercive diplomacy," during a press conference on Friday, commenting on news that the US urged Nepal to endorse the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) by February 28, Global Times reported.

China welcomes the international community to cooperate with Nepal, contribute to Nepal's economic development and livelihood improvement, but this should be done based on Nepalese people's willingness without political conditions, Wang said.

As a friendly neighbor and development partner to Nepal, China will continue to support Nepalese people to choose their own development path and support Nepal to make a decision that is in accordance with their country's interest and demonstrates people's willingness, Wang said, noting that China will continue to provide support to and help Nepal's development. 

According to Nepalese media, US Assistant Secretary Donald Lu recently held separate telephone conversations with Nepal's leaders, during which Lu urged them to endorse the MCC pact by February 28 or Washington would "review its ties with Nepal."

Media also reported that Lu further warned that the US "would consider China's interests behind Nepal's failure to ratify the compact.'' 

Nepal and the US signed the MCC agreement in 2017. The US said the deal is designed to improve the availability of electricity and increase road maintenance to advance connectivity, drive growth, and lay a strong foundation for new investment. But Nepal's Parliament has not ratified the compact. 

Nepal's political parties are sharply divided over the issue of whether to accept the US' grant assistance under the MCC agreement. Kathmandu and other cities of Nepal have frequently witnessed protests and rallies against the MCC deal. Critics of the pact in Nepal see it as undermining Nepal's sovereignty, integrity and constitutional autonomy.

Experts say that critics opposing the pact in Nepal have realized that it is a part of the US' Indo-Pacific military strategy. As Washington's Indo-Pacific Strategy clearly targets China, they do not want Nepal to get involved.

Experts noted that Nepal's Parliament has not ratified the compact not out of the so-called China's disinformation campaign, but Nepal's own domestic concerns. The US' criticism of China is totally groundless. The US has smeared China as an attempt to achieve its own geostrategic goals by sowing discord and creating a rift between China and Nepal. But China and Nepal's long-term friendly cooperative relationship won't be affected, which is the very thing that the US does not want to see. 

Nepal logged 437 new Covid-19 cases and two deaths on Friday.

With this, the country's active caseload mounted to 1,113,544. Similarly, the death toll has climbed to 11,913. 

According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 5,133 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 275 returned positive. Likewise, 3, 958 people underwent antigen tests, of which 162 tested positive.

The Ministry said that 2,454 infected people recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours.

As of today, there are 12, 435 active cases in the country. 

The Ministry said that 13, 828 people are staying in home isolation while 607 are in institutionalized isolation.

The United States, which has been piling pressure on the Nepal government to endorse the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) at the earliest, said that it would not accept any form of violence in the name of protest.

US Ambassador to Nepal Randy W. Berry said that the United States would not accept activities to incite violence. He said so after the cadres of various political parties started staging demonstrations against the MCC in recent days.

Saying that the United States is a strong supporter of free speech and public discourse based in fact, including on MCC, he urged to express one’s views peacefully.

“We are a strong supporter of free speech & public discourse based in fact, including on MCC. The right to express one’s views is intrinsic to democracy, and people must be allowed to peacefully share their views,” he said.

The United States has set the government of Nepal a deadline of February 28 for the parliamentary ratification of the MCC.

Prime Minister and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba is in favour of endorsing the MCC at the earliest while CPN (Maoist Centre) and CPN (Unified Socialist) have been saying that the MCC could not be ratified in the existing form.

That’s why, the ruling coalition has been holding discussions every day to narrow down the differences.

The meeting of the House of Representatives has been postponed till Sunday.

Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota postponed the meeting till 1 pm Sunday.

A report of National Adibasi Janajati Commission for the fiscal year 2021/22 was tabled in the Parliament today amid protest from the main opposition CPN-UML.

Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Dilendra Prasad Babu on behalf of the government presented the report this afternoon.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) was not included in the list.

CPN (Maoist Centre) and CPN (Unified Socialist) cadres staged demonstrations against the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in the New Baneshwor area on Friday.

The demonstrators also burnt tires on the road. The cadres carrying placards and banners written ‘No MCC’ chanted slogans like ‘We don’t want MCC, no one can sell the country’ among others.

A large number of security personnel has been deployed in the area to prevent untoward incidents.

In a major decision, 38 accused have been sentenced to death by hanging in the Ahmedabad serial blast case. This is the first time in India in which so many accused have been sentenced to death in a single case.

Eleven of the accused have been sentenced to life in prison. The case will now go up to the Gujarat High Court, where the death sentences will be confirmed.

All the accused were digitally present from different jails in the country while the court was announcing the sentence.

The special court had last week convicted 49 people and acquitted 28 others, more than 13 years after a series of bomb blasts killed 56 people and left over 200 injured in Ahmedabad, within 70 minutes, on July 26, 2008.

The accused were convicted under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, UAPA, Explosive Substances Act and Damage to Public Property Act. One accused was also convicted under the Arms Act.

They were convicted under sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 121 (a) (conspiracy to wage war or attempt to wage war against the nation) and 124 (a) (sedition) among others of the IPC, and 16(1)(a)(b) of the UAPA related to punishment for a terrorist act.

The court had concluded a trial against 77 accused in September last year. Of the 78 accused put on trial, one had turned an approver.

The police had claimed that people associated with the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen (IM), a faction of radicals of the banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), were involved in the blasts.

It was alleged that the IM terrorists had planned these blasts to avenge the 2002 post-Godhra riots.

Days after the serial blasts in Ahmedabad, the police had recovered bombs from different parts of Surat, following which 20 FIRs were registered in Ahmedabad and 15 in Surat. The trial was conducted after the court merged all 35 FIRs.