【明報專訊】LIANG WANNIAN, head of the mainland expert team supporting Hong Kong's anti-epidemic efforts, visited the city to learn about its pandemic situation. He argued that while Hong Kong should uphold the overall "dynamic zero" strategy, anti-epidemic efforts at this stage should focus on the priority of reducing infections, severe cases and deaths. One can expect that the Hong Kong government's anti-epidemic strategy will be adjusted. Prevention is better than treatment in disease control. Anti-epidemic strategies are inseparable from vaccination and the "three Early's" (early identification, early isolation and early treatment of infected people). But the lamentable fact is that the Hong Kong government has failed to respond to the situation properly. From boosting the vaccination rate of elderly people in care homes to rolling out the compulsory universal testing scheme, the best windows of opportunity were all missed, leading to the high death toll. Now the city can only mend the fold after the sheep are lost, focusing on treating and saving those infected first. If one examines Liang's remarks closely, one can see that adjusting the strategy does not mean changing the goal. Compulsory universal testing is the critical means of achieving zero infection. To postpone its implementation does not mean there is no need to implement it anymore. From anti-epidemic leadership to the mobilisation of people to implement policies, the government's anti-epidemic efforts have been shambolic throughout the onslaught of the fifth wave of outbreaks. An incapable commander will drag down all the troops with him. No matter how the anti-epidemic strategy is to be adjusted, the government must strengthen and consolidate the chain of command and execute the nitty-gritty of the actual task vigorously.