In hospitals, especially Hong Kong’s public facilities, the fact that staff are fumbling and making occasional mistakes should not be news any longer. But people shouldn’t blame them for dereliction of duty. For the reason behind the fumbles is a lack of manpower, especially at a time when hospitals tackling an explosion in patient numbers because of the coronavirus pandemic. In recent weeks, headlines were made when a Covid-positive patient escaped from an isolation ward and was on the run for more than two days. The news provoked a strong public reaction and became the talk of the town. In this case, a hospital staff member had discovered the patient trying to leave the isolation ward and chased after him. But the worker did not manage to grab hold of the patient, who quickly disappeared down a staircase. Ward staff immediately informed hospital security, but a follow-up search of the hospital compound was not able to locate the patient. Days later, a young woman in compulsory isolation at Penny’s Bay quarantine centre absconded after visiting a doctor at North Lantau Hospital. Thereafter, not only hospital workers but also security guards caught a lot of flak for not doing their jobs satisfactorily. The city’s quarantine system was even likened to a chicken coop missing a flap, with potential patients coming and going without any restriction, as if they were still at home. Admittedly, the consequences of Covid patients sneaking out are extremely serious in terms of community transmission, especially if the person turns out to be a super spreader. However, the hospital staff involved in these cases should not have received such harsh criticism for what was an act of selfishness on the part of the patient. Hong Kong’s medical workers are our Person of the Year Our hospital workers, who have long faced severe manpower shortages , have been doing their best to deal with a surge in patient numbers ever since the pandemic broke out in the city. They are putting in gruelling hours, many of those in restrictive PPE, at huge cost to their own physical and mental health. If anything, they deserve empathy, and our appreciation for the sacrifices they have made, not harsh words. They are the true heroes in our battle against the pandemic. Randy Lee, Ma On Shan