The latest tally of Macau’s current COVID-19 outbreak has reached 414, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced yesterday.

According to a statement by the centre yesterday morning, 57 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases were reported between 00:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on Monday, raising the outbreak tally from 357 as of Sunday night to 414 as of Monday night.

The current outbreak’s latest tally of 414 was up by 23 compared with the figure of 391 announced by the centre during Monday evening’s press conference.

Leong Iek Hou, who heads the Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Division of the Health Bureau (SSM), announced case details of the outbreak’s latest tally during yesterday evening’s daily press conference about the city’s current COVID-19 outbreak.

According to Leong, 105 of the 414 cases have been classified as confirmed COVID-19 cases as they have come down with symptoms, while the other 309 have been classified as asymptomatic cases as they had not developed any symptoms. The 414 COVID-19 carriers are aged between eight months and 89.

Leong also said that 33 of the 57 new local cases reported on Monday were detected in the community, while the other 24 were detected among COVID-19 carriers subject to control measures such as lockdowns and quarantine.

Leong said that her bureau has provisionally concluded that 366 of the 414 cases involved 11 clusters, while the bureau was still carrying out its epidemiological investigations into the other 48 cases. Leong’s remarks meant that a new cluster was added yesterday.

When asked by reporters during yesterday evening’s press conference, Leong said that as of yesterday afternoon 37 preliminary positive cases had been reported.

652,544 tested, 24 batches of pooled samples positive as of last night

Meanwhile, according to a Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre statement last night, a total of 652,544 people were tested under the government’s third mandatory citywide nucleic acid testing (NAT) drive, which ended at 6 p.m. yesterday, 406,835 of whom had come up with a negative result, while 24 batches of pooled samples had tested positive COVID-19 as of last night.

The government said yesterday that it has changed the number of swabs mixed in a batch of pooled samples from 10 to 6. The new arrangement aims to reduce the number of affected testees in case a batch of pooled samples tests positive.

All in Macau must self-test twice, today & tomorrow, otherwise health code turns yellow

Meanwhile, the government announced last night that everyone in Macau must take a rapid antigen test (RAT) for COVID-19 (self-test) today and another tomorrow. Different to the government’s previous self-testing requirements during the current outbreak, which was detected on June 18, this time those failing to report their negative RAT result on the RAT online declaration system will have their Macau Health Code colour turn yellow.

Previously, while the government required residents and others to test themselves for COVID-19 with a RAT kit, those failing to do so did not have their Macau Health Code colour affected.

A Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination statement last night announced the new two mandatory rapid antigen tests.

Operation instructions and other details about a COVID-19 rapid antigen test in English can be checked at: https://www.ssm.gov.mo/apps1/covidagtest/en.aspx

After testing themselves for COVID-19 with a rapid antigen test kit, everyone will have to report their results on: https://app.ssm.gov.mo/generalrat

The link is also available on the frontpage of the Macau Health Code system.

Last night’s statement reaffirmed that those who report a positive RAT on the system will have their Macau Health Code colour turn red. Those who test positive for COVID-19 in a rapid antigen test and those living with them are not allowed to leave home, and they should call an ambulance by phoning 119, 120 or 2857 2222 that will take them to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre for a nucleic acid test, regardless of whether they have come down with a fever or other respiratory symptoms, the statement reaffirmed.

Last night’s statement announced that those failing to report a negative RAT result on the system today will have their Macau Health Code colour turn yellow from 00:00 a.m. tomorrow. Those whose health code colour has become yellow due to this reason will have it return to green after reporting a negative RAT result on the system by 11:59 p.m. tomorrow.

According to last night’s statement, those still failing to report a negative RAT result on the system by 11:59 p.m. tomorrow will have their health code colour even “locked” as yellow at 00:00 a.m. on Friday, in which case they will have to undergo a nucleic acid test at their own expense in order for their health code colour to return to green.

A yellow Health Code means that the holder cannot enter a wide range of premises such as government offices and shops, and he or she is barred from public transport, with the exception of taxis, and can’t leave Macau. However, they can go to work but need to inform their employer about their yellow Health Code status. Some private businesses do not allow yellow Health Code holders to go to work but to work from home instead, or not to work at all.

Outbreak caused by BA.5.1

Meanwhile, Leong also reaffirmed during the press conference that all COVID-19 carriers in the current outbreak have been infected with the Omicron subvariant BA.5.1. She noted that in addition to being highly contagious, the BA.5.1 subvariant is more likely to attack the patient’s lower respiratory tract compared to other Omicron subvariants. 

This photo taken earlier this week shows a rapid antigen test (RAT) device displaying a negative COVID-19 result. Photo: MPDG