scholarly journals Imported cases, community action, policy and institutional systems drive Hong Kong’s COVID-19 experience

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Joy P. Cruz ◽  
Rachel Ganly ◽  
Zilin Li ◽  
Stuart Gietel-Basten

This paper investigates the profile of COVID-19 cases in Hong Kong, highlighting the unique age structure of confirmed cases compared to other states. Whilst the majority of cases in most states around the world have fitted an older age profile, our analysis shows that positive cases in Hong Kong have been concentrated amongst younger age groups, with the largest incidence of cases reported in the 15-24 age group. This is despite the population’s rapidly ageing structure and extremely high levels of population density. Using detailed case data from Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Department and Immigration Department, we analyze the sex and age distribution of the confirmed cases along with their recent travel histories and immigration flows for the period January to April, 2020. Our analysis highlights Hong Kong’s high proportion of imported cases and large overseas student population in developing COVID-19 hotspot areas such as the United Kingdom. Combined with targeted and aggressive early policy measures taken to contain the virus, these factors may have contributed to the uniquely younger age structure of COVID-19 cases in the city. Consequently, this young profile of confirmed cases may have prevented fatalities in the city-state.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-26
Author(s):  
Edmund W. Cheng

Abstract This paper surveys the process of discursive contestation by intellectual agents in Hong Kong that fostered a counter-public sphere in China's offshore. In the post-war era, Chinese exiled intellectuals leveraged the colony's geopolitical ambiguity and created a displaced community of loyalists/dissenters that supported independent publishing venues and engaged in the cultural front. By the 1970s, homegrown and left-wing intellectuals had constructed a hybrid identity to articulate their physical proximity to, yet social distance from, the Chinese nation-state, as well as to appropriate their sense of belonging to the city-state, through confronting social injustice. In examining periodicals and interviewing public intellectuals, I propose that this counter-public sphere was defined first by its alternative voice, which contested various official discourses, second by its multifaceted inclusiveness, which accommodated diverse worldviews and subjectivities, and third by its critical platform, which nurtured social activism in undemocratic Chinese societies. I differentiate the permissive conditions that loosened constraints on intellectual agencies from the productive conditions that account for their penetration and diffusion. Habermas's idealized public sphere framework is revisited by bringing in ideational contestation, social configuration and cultural identity.


Author(s):  
A. Shapkin ◽  
R. Ivanova ◽  
N. Arsentseva ◽  
N. Sukhanova

Objective: mathematical demography means to identify and evaluate the age distribution of male and female of Taimyr tundra reindeer in the first decade of the XXI century and future trends in demographic situation Taimyr population.Materials and methods. The base material for evaluating the current state of the population age structure Taimyr steel fishing representative sample of male and female wild deer (n = 10845 individuals) collected in the West, Central and Taimyr Putorana in 2001-2008., And the deer samples (n = 1569 individuals), the floor of which is unknown. Determination of individual animals from age and older (n = 9773 individuals) performed on histological sections of cutters according to the corresponding procedure. To repay the random deviations of sample data because of a lack of presence of immature animals (calves, yearlings, young 1-2 years) (selectivity of fishing is directed primarily at the production of individuals older than 3 years, why animals in different age groups in the samples is greater than there are in the population) applies a smoothing procedure. Then, positive deviation of the number of individuals in the same age group were leveled due to negative deviations in adjacent groups.Results. By smoothed age ranges of the field samples from 2001-2008 the current age distribution of Taimyr wild reindeer calculated and analyzed. The study showed that the theoretical current age distribution of males with realized breeding is 77.03, females - 80.56, in the combined groups of animals - 82.35%. The real population has 18-19 age generations of males and females. The reproductive core of males from 3 to 10 years old is 48.43%, individuals of age limit 11 years and older occupy 1.96% of this sex and age structure, calves and young animals for 1-2 years - 24.64%. For the reproductive part of females aged 3–15 years, the overall age distribution is 55.34%, and the proportion of juveniles and young animals, according to calculations, is determined in this part of the population at 25.16%. In the combined current age distribution, males, females: calves and young animals accounted for 27.72%, the sexually mature part with animals of older and age-specific ages - 54.63%.Conclusion. Demographic Taimir population modeling operation in the first decade of the XXI century long materials commercial samples collected at commercial points shown at current age distribution of the realized and reproduction conditions for existing commercial load males - 77.03 for females - 80.56 and for unified groups (males, females) - 82.4%. Meanwhile, the steady state and stable age distribution Taimyr tundra wild deer can reach a middle-level only when the fecundity of female reproductive generations with clean reproduction rate (R0) equal in population groupings 1.0


2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (42) ◽  
pp. 25982-25984
Author(s):  
Rainer Kotschy ◽  
Patricio Suarez Urtaza ◽  
Uwe Sunde

The demographic dividend has long been viewed as an important factor for economic development and provided a rationale for policies aiming at a more balanced age structure through birth control and family planning. Assessing the relative importance of age structure and increases in human capital, recent work has argued that the demographic dividend is related to education and has suggested a dominance of improving education over age structure. Here we reconsider the empirical relevance of shifts in the age distribution for development for a panel of 159 countries over the period 1950 to 2015. Based on a flexible model of age-structured human capital endowments, the results document important interactions between age structure and human capital endowments, suggesting that arguments of clear dominance of education over age structure are unwarranted and lead to potentially misleading policy conclusions. An increase in the working-age population share has a strong and significant positive effect on growth, even conditional on human capital, in line with the conventional notion of a demographic dividend. An increase in human capital only has positive growth effects if combined with a suitable age structure. An increasing share of the most productive age groups has an additional positive effect on economic performance. Finally, the results show considerable heterogeneity in the effect of age structure and human capital for different levels of development. Successful policies for sustainable development should take this heterogeneity into account to avoid detrimental implications of a unidimensional focus on human capital without accounting for demography.


1979 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. L. Terzin ◽  
S. Djurišić ◽  
B. Vuković ◽  
V. Vujkov

SUMMARYSera of 197 apparently well persons were tested for residual haemagglutination-inhibiting antibodies against live Hong Kong/68, A/FM/47 and A/PR/34 strains. Sera of 62 well persons, regularly exposed to contacts with swine, were tested against an inactivated A/New Jersey/76 antigen.Those born some time before and during a certain influenza era showed a significantly greater proportion of homologous residual titres against the subtype prevailing in that influenza era, than those born after the termination of the same era.In each of the seven age groups tested both the percentage of positives and the geometric mean titres were usually highest against the Hong Kong strain (representing the most recent era); the next highest were those against the FM1 strain and the lowest were those against the PR8 strain (representing the most distant of these three influenza eras).The serological involvement of donors exposed to regular contacts with swine was relatively stronger against the New Jersey antigen than the response of other serum donors shown against the other three, more recent, prototypes of influenza virus A. The oldest age groups showed significantly lower antibody response against the PR8, FM1 and Hong Kong strains (but not against the New Jersey antigen) than the next one or two of the younger age groups.


2010 ◽  
pp. 221-227
Author(s):  
Radmila Vicentijevic

The most important age structure represents an age structure of population. The results of census which was held on territory of the Republic of Serbia show that the Republic of Serbia is considered to be among the countries with the oldest population. In the last fifty year's time there was registered a constant decrease in number of young people, and constant increase in number of old people. During the period of the 80s, a number of young people from 0-14 years old was twice larger than the number of people older than 65, on the republic and the city of Belgrade's level, in the last census held in 2002 for the first time there was noticed a higher amount of people older than 65 related to population in an age from 0-14. An average old age of people in the Republic has grown from 35.8 to 40.3, and in Belgrade, which was always considered as a city of youth, it is noticed an increase in average old age from 34.9 to 40.4 years of age. Index of aging increased from 0.51 in the Republic of Serbia, 0.41 in Belgrade, to 1.01 or 1.07. In the Republic of Serbia and the city of Belgrade, for more than 50 years, the average size of household became smaller for more than one member, a number of single man households has increased for 5.5%, and participation of some old age groups in a structure of household members in a specific way shows a difficult demographic situation in Serbia and the city of Belgrade. Almost 83% of households in Central Serbia don't have even one pre-school child, and among households which have children at the age of 7, one child households form the majority. In the same period the number of households with members older than 65 has increased, so households like this in 2002 formed about 39%. Out of 435491 households in Serbia, every fifth household is named as OLD AGE HOUSEHOLD and SINGLE MAN HOUSEHOLD. .


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 0-0
Author(s):  
M. Zalewska ◽  
A. Zubrycki ◽  
Zenon Sosnowski ◽  
J. Jamiołkowski ◽  
M. Zakrzewski ◽  
...  

Introduction: Proper nutrition and physical activity are very important elements in the proper functioning and development of children. The lack of daily, systematic physical effort in younger and younger age groups is a public health problem. Purpose: To evaluate the nutrition and physical activity of children attending primary school. Materials and methods: The study was conducted among 707 pupils form randomly selected elementary schools using the authors’ own questionnaire in the school year 2013/2014. The questionnaire included questions on selected dietary habits and physical activity as well as the socio-economic conditions of the families. Results: Among the studied children, 88.6% consumed 4 or 5 meals a day. There was a statistically significant relationship between the number of meals consumed and the age of the children. Breakfast was consumed by 86.4% of children, more often residents of the city than the village (88.0% vs. 81.7%, p <0.05). Daily consum-ption of second breakfast was declared by 71.5% of boys and 74.2% of girls. The vast majority of the studied students (86.8%) have always taken part in physical education classes. Outdoor leisure time was declared by 75% of the surveyed children. Rural students showed greater involvement in outdoor activities than students from the city (86.1% vs. 70.2%, p <0.001). A total of 62.2% of boys and 51.8% of girls (p <0.05) participated in sports activities. Conclusions: Inappropriate nutrition and lack of physical activity affected both girls and boys, and the abnormalities were dependent on where they lived and were age-related.


2016 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 62-72
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Podogrodzka

In the assessment of the demographic age and ageing a lot of measures are being exploited. Among the most commonly used may be mentioned those which express the relationship between the number of people in two age groups (the elderly and the general population or younger age group). Rarely are used such measures, which take into account all the age structure of the population. The article presents a new method to analyze spatial diversity of the population age structure using the method of agglomeration with the Euclidean metric. The test objects were the voivodships (provinces), and the explanatory variables were five-year age groups (20 variables). In addition, a hypothetical business was introduced, which has a regressive age structure. Its introduction allowed for an evaluation of how the test regions differ not only among themselves, but also how far they deviate from the pattern of development of the Polish population. Considerations were conducted separately for men and women and the 1991, 2001, 2011.


2013 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 243-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Kaneko ◽  
Luis F. Chaves ◽  
George Taleo ◽  
Morris Kalkoa ◽  
Rie Isozumi ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTResurgence is a major concern after malaria elimination. After the initiation of the elimination program on Aneityum Island in 1991, microscopy showed thatPlasmodium falciparumdisappeared immediately, whereasP. vivaxdisappeared from 1996 onward, untilP. vivaxcases were reported in January 2002. By conducting malariometric surveys of the entire population of Aneityum, we investigated the age distribution of individuals with parasites during this epidemic in the context of antimalarial antibody levels and parasite antigen diversity. In July 2002,P. vivaxinfections were detected by microscopy in 22/759 individuals: 20/298 born after the beginning of the elimination program in 1991, 2/126 born between 1982 and 1991, and none of 335 born before 1982. PCR increased the number of infections detected to 77, distributed among all age groups. Prevalences were 12.1%, 16.7%, and 6.0%, respectively (P< 0.001). In November, a similar age pattern was found, but with fewer infections: 6/746 and 39/741 individuals were found to be infected by microscopy and PCR, respectively. The frequencies of antibody responses toP. vivaxwere significantly higher in individuals born before 1991 than in younger age groups and were similar to those on Malakula Island, an area of endemicity. Remarkably low antigen diversity (h, 0.15) ofP. vivaxinfections was observed on Aneityum compared with the other islands (h, 0.89 to 1.0). AP. vivaxresurgence was observed among children and teenagers on Aneityum, an age distribution similar to those before elimination and on islands whereP. vivaxis endemic, suggesting that in the absence of significant exposure, immunity may persist, limiting infection levels in adults. The limited parasite gene pool on islands may contribute to this protection.


1985 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-292 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. H. Lo ◽  
T. M. Leung

Coroners' statistics indicated there were 684 suicides for the whole of Hong Kong in 1981. This gave a crude suicide rate of 18.1 per 100,000 population aged 15 years and over and constituted 2.7% of all deaths reported in that year. Only a few data were recorded in all coroners' files but additional data were obtained from police records on 168 of these suicides. The age and sex distribution among the suicides as well as the effect of marital and employment status on suicide rates were found to be similar to western countries. Jumping from a height was the most common method of suicide (47.2%) followed by hanging (30.8%). Psychiatric illness and chronic physical disability were two most important precipitating causes of suicide (39.8% and 35.7% respectively). Twenty per cent had a history of previous attempts with one-third occurring within six months of their completed suicide. Over 40% had communicated their suicide intention to others, while 19% left a note. ‘Psychiatric’ cases as a group had special features: there were more in the younger age groups, more with records of previous suicide attempts and more chose readily available methods.


Subject Singapore diplomacy outlook. Significance Singapore's defence ministry announced on January 30 that nine Terrex infantry carrier vehicles seized by Hong Kong customs on November 23 had been returned. The vehicles were detained in Hong Kong en route back from military exercises in Taiwan. Despite the resolution of this incident, Singapore's diplomatic relations will be tested further in 2017 as the city state is facing a regionally ascendant China and a new Asian foreign policy vacuum in Washington, following US President Donald Trump's inauguration. Impacts Despite the Terrex episode, Singapore's ties with Taiwan are unlikely to weaken. Singapore will likely pursue alternatives to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, such as a non-US arrangement, in the short term. The city state will also embrace the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, currently being negotiated.


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