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OpinionLetters

Letters | Coronavirus in Hong Kong is a wake-up call on added risks faced by chronic disease sufferers

  • People, especially the elderly, with chronic conditions are the weakest links in a society fighting an epidemic like Covid-19

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Elderly Hongkongers queue for free surgical masks in Sham Shui Po on February 14. Photo: Edmond So
Letters
In times of epidemics, people tend to ask why there has not been enough research to inform our strategies to address the crisis. The emergence of the highly infectious Covid-19, a potential pandemic, just across our northern border in mainland China, does propel one into thinking that much more must be done.

Indeed, knowledge gained from research is much-needed for a quick epidemic response; however, that should not mean the government must fund more research into infectious diseases by cutting funding for chronic disease research.

Let us not forget that the first death from Covid-19 in Hong Kong was a 39-year-old man with diabetes. In all likelihood, had this man not had any pre-existing conditions, he might have had a better chance to survive, given a more resilient immune system in the first place. In such cases, the epidemic is more appropriately considered as the trigger rather than the sole reason for the patient’s death.
During an epidemic, people with chronic conditions, typically the elderly, are at significantly heightened risk
During an epidemic, people with chronic conditions, typically the elderly, are at significantly heightened risk. In fact, local research has suggested that at least one-third of the older population in Hong Kong has two or more chronic conditions, that is, multimorbidity (“Hong Kong records third death from coronavirus, as 5 more cases confirmed”, March 8).
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Such people require much more attention than others, as they need to manage their chronic diseases and, at the same time, must try to prevent an infection.

In addition, a significant proportion of these patients are financially dependent (mostly retired older people) and therefore have a compromised capacity to respond to a fast-spreading epidemic.

A chain is as strong as its weakest link. People with chronic conditions are the weakest links in society amid the epidemic. To build up our capacity to respond, we need to focus on strengthening their capacity to cope with the virus.

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