HK leader urges vaccinations as COVID infections swamp city

HONG KONG, March 11 (Reuters) - Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said on Friday that the city’s COVID-19 vaccination programme would focus on its elderly and children, as authorities battled to reduce a surge of coronavirus infections and climbing death rates.  

Health authorities reported 29,381 new infections and 196 deaths on Friday. In total since early 2020, the global financial hub has recorded almost 650,000 COVID-19 infections and about 3,500 deaths - most of them in the past two weeks.  

Hong Kong registered the most deaths per million people globally in the week to March 9, according to data publication Our World in Data. Most have been unvaccinated senior citizens.  

Until this year, the Chinese-ruled city had an enviable track record of controlling the virus due to stringent measures as part of its “zero covid” approach, which like mainland China seeks to eradicate outbreaks at all costs.