A Macau resident has received a 2nd COVID-19 jab that was different from the first one, the Macau Health Bureau (SSM) has announced. 

According to a statement by the bureau yesterday, the resident's first COVID-19 inoculation at the Ocean Gardens Health Centre on March 11 used China's Sinopharm vaccine, which he had requested.  

However, when the resident booked his second novel coronavirus jab he opted for Germany's BioNTech vaccine, with which he was inoculated yesterday. It was only after he had received his second jab that the respective healthcare professional discovered that the first time the resident had been inoculated with the Sinopharma vaccine.

The statement underlined that the resident did not suffer "any abnormal health condition" after his second jab. 

The bureau "deplored" the health care professional's "negligence" in failing to "carefully" verify the resident's vaccination registration. According to the statement, the bureau has meanwhile amended the vaccination registration system to prevent the possibility of changing the vaccine used for the first and second jabs. The bureau also said that it has launched an internal investigation into the incident. 

Macau residents, non-resident workers (NRWs), non-local students and others living in Macau have the choice between Sinopharma and BioNTech. The government-organised vaccinations are free of charge for residents, NRWs and non-local students. 

Meanwhile, the government's Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre said in a statement that the number of COVID-19 vaccination stood stood at 62,893 as of 4 p.m. yesterday, comprising 42.802 first and 20,091 second jabs. 

Macau's population stand at about 680,000, according to official statistics. 

The number of officially registered adverse events since the start of the vaccination drive had reached 251 at 4 p.m. yesterday. Just one of the adverse events was serious, the statement said.