Addressing yesterday’s press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus situation, Tai Wa Hou, a clinical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, announced that from tomorrow the Guangdong and Macau governments will raise the current 48-hour validity of the negative nucleic acid test (NAT) result for those travelling between the two regions back to seven days, regardless of whether they have been inoculated against COVID-19.

Tai said that the decision on the relaxation, which will take effect at 00:00 tomorrow, was made after considering that the COVID-19 threat to Macau from the neighbouring province has decreased and that not all age groups are covered by the Macau government’s COVID-19 vaccination drive.

Guangdong’s novel coronavirus epidemic started to ease over a fortnight ago.

Early last month, the Macau government tightened the validity of the negative NAT result for those travelling between Macau and Guangdong without having to undergo quarantine to 48 hours from the previous time of seven days, in response to the then relatively serious COVID-19 threat to Macau due to Guangdong’s then “somewhat serious” situation of novel coronavirus transmissions, particularly in Guangzhou which was then being hit by transmissions of the delta variant.

Guangdong has not recorded a new local COVID-19 case for about 17 days, while its provincial capital of Guangzhou has not reported a new local case for about 20 days. Guangzhou had reported 153 new local COVID-19 cases, including asymptomatic ones, in the latest wave of COVID-19 transmissions since May 21 when the first new local case was detected in the provincial capital.

Early last month, the Macau government imposed its 14-day hotel quarantine on those who had been to Haizhu, Liwan, Nansha, Panyu or Yuexiu districts in Guangzhou, and Chancheng or Nanhai districts in Foshan within the previous 14 days. On June 25, the Macau government lifted its quarantine requirement for arrivals from Guangzhou’s Haizhu and Yuexiu districts and Foshan’s Chancheng district, before removing Guangzhou’s Panyu district from its 14-day quarantine requirement list on Tuesday last week, and finally removing Guangzhou’s Liwan and Nansha districts and Foshan’s Nanhai district from its quarantine requirement list on Saturday last week.

Since early this month, the Macau government has also gradually removed certain areas in Dongguan and Shenzhen from its quarantine requirement list. Currently, no areas in Guangdong are on the Macau government’s 14-day quarantine requirement list.

Since July last year when Guangdong lifted its quarantine requirement for arrivals from Macau, the negative NAT result for those travelling between the two regions had been valid for seven days, prior to early last month when the validity was shortened to 48 hours.

The Health Bureau said last week that the Guangdong and Macau governments were planning to relax the 48-hour validity of the negative NAT result for those travelling between the two regions who had received at least one COVID-19 jab.

‘Good news to announce’

During yesterday’s press conference, Tai said that “we now have good news to announce to everybody”. Tai said that after discussions between the Guangdong and Macau governments, the two sides have decided to “fully return the NAT validity for those travelling between the two regions back to seven days”, considering that the COVID-19 risk to Macau from Guangdong has decreased and that not all age groups are able to be inoculated against COVID-19.

Tai said that different from what the Health Bureau had previously mentioned – the relaxation of the NAT validity would have only covered those who had received at least one COVID-19 jab, the NAT validity returning to the seven days, which will take effect at 00:00 tomorrow, will be applicable to all those travelling between Guangdong and Macau, regardless of whether they have been inoculated against COVID-19.

Nevertheless, Tai urged residents to be inoculated against COVID-19 so as to protect themselves and their family members from the novel coronavirus and help create herd immunity in Macau.

“As long as there is movement of people [between Guangdong and Macau], the risk of COVID-19 infection always exists. In particular, the delta variant, which has been spreading across the globe, is highly contagious and has a fast transmission speed, apart from the fact that the percentage of those who will suffer serious conditions after having been infected with the delta variant is high,” Tai said.

Tai underlined that COVID-19 vaccinations can reduce the risk of infection, and in case those who have been inoculated against COVID-19 are still infected with the disease, the vaccinations can reduce the risk of suffering serious conditions or even dying from the disease.

394,909 jabs

As of 4 p.m. yesterday, 394,909 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered to 256,136 people in Macau, comprising 115,819 who had received their first jab and 140,317 who had received their second jab.

Macau’s COVID-19 vaccination rate stood at 37.5 percent as of 4 p.m. yesterday – i.e. over one-third of the population has received at least one jab.

A total of 29 adverse events were reported in the past 24 hours (until 4 p.m. yesterday). The total number of adverse events since the start of the vaccination drive stood at 1,725, or 0.44 percent of the total number of jabs, including five serious cases.

Macau has not recorded a new local COVID-19 case for 466 consecutive days.

Macau has confirmed 55 COVID-19 cases since January last year, 53 of which have been classified as imported, while two cases have been classified as “connected to imported cases”.

Tai said yesterday that the first 53 patients have been cured and discharged from hospital. No COVID-19 fatalities have been reported in Macau.

Post-vaccination Bell’s palsy cases

Meanwhile, Tai also said that one of the nine Bell’s palsy cases following COVID-19 vaccinations that have been reported so far has been classified by the Health Bureau as merely a coincidental event – i.e. the patient’s adverse event was not related to his or her COVID-19 vaccination, while the causal relationship between five of them and their respective COVID-19 vaccinations has been classified as “inconclusive”. According to Tai, the Health Bureau is still assessing the remaining three Bell’s palsy cases following COVID-19 vaccinations.

Bell’s palsy is a type of facial paralysis that results in a temporary inability to control the facial muscles on the affected side of the face. Symptoms can vary from mild to severe

Tai Wa Hou, one of the three clinical directors of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, addresses yesterday’s press conference about the city’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. From next week the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre will reschedule its regular press conferences to every Friday only, a change from the hitherto two press conferences per week, every Monday and Thursday. Photo: GCS