The Macau Health Bureau (SSM) said yesterday that it is planning to purchase BioNTech mRNA vaccines specifically for children aged at least six months but under five.

Leong Iek Hou, who heads the Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Division of the Health Bureau, made the remarks during yesterday evening’s daily press conference by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre.

Currently, Germany’s BioNTech mRNA jabs are administered to those aged five or over in Macau, while the other type of COVID-19 vaccine currently available in the city, China’s Sinopharm inactivated vaccine, is used for those aged three years or over.

Leong noted yesterday that BioNTech mRNA vaccines specifically for children aged between 5 and 11 years had been delivered to Macau earlier this year, enabling the government to lower the minimum age for BioNTech mRNA jabs from 12 to 5 years. Leong said that the manufacturer has also successfully developed an mRNA vaccine specifically for children aged from six months through four years.

Leong said that before the latest COVID-19 outbreak that began on June 18, the Macau Health Bureau had contacted the manufacturer about its intention to purchase the newly developed mRNA vaccine specifically for children aged at least six months but under five. The manufacturer has recently replied to the Macau Health Bureau that it still does not have a timetable as to when it will be able to deliver the vaccines to Macau, Leong said.

Nevertheless, Leong said that the local government has still not decided how many doses it will order, adding that the number of doses to be purchased would depend on the number of parents who want to choose mRNA vaccines for their children aged from six months to four years.

Govt mulls lowering minimum age for Sinopharm jabs to 6 months

Meanwhile, Leong also said that the Health Bureau is collecting and assessing more scientific research data worldwide with the aim of deciding whether the minimum age for Sinopharm inactivated jabs can also be lowered to six months in Macau.

Leong said that the bureau has been aware that the Hong Kong government has recently decided to lower the minimum age for COVID-19 inactivated jabs to six months, adding that the Macau Health Bureau will also take this into consideration in its assessment. The COVID-19 inactivated vaccine administered in Hong Kong is China’s Sinovac.

Meanwhile, Lei Wai Seng, a clinical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, noted during yesterday’s press conference that the Health Bureau has now resumed COVID-19 vaccinations at all public health centres, which had stopped after the outbreak that began on June 18 and is now basically over. Extensive human resources from the health sector had been allocated to tackle the city’s worst COVID-19 outbreak.

Lei also said that while senior citizens or unvaccinated individuals infected with COVID-19 during the outgoing outbreak had normally not come down with very serious symptoms and only a small number of them had been classified as serious cases, it took them a relatively long time to eventually test negative for COVID-19 in a nucleic acid test following isolation treatment compared to younger people or vaccinated individuals. He urged still unvaccinated people to get their COVID-19 jabs as soon as possible.

In addition to public health centres, Macau’s COVID-19 vaccinations are also carried out at some other facilities such as the Macau Forum complex in Zape.

Macau to shorten arrivals’ quarantine from 10 to 7 days

Meanwhile, the Macau government announced yesterday that it will shorten its hotel quarantine period for arrivals from Hong Kong, Taiwan and foreign countries, as well as areas affected by COVID-19 in the mainland, from the current 10 days to 7 days, which will take effect on Saturday.

From Saturday, those who have completed their seven-day hotel quarantine will have to practise three days of self-health management, during which they will have a yellow Macau Health Code – which bars them from entering certain premises and facilities, using public transport, and entering the mainland from Macau.

The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced the new “7+3” arrangement for arrivals from Hong Kong, Taiwan, foreign countries and the mainland’s COVID-19-affected areas, which will take effect on Saturday, in two statements – one statement for arrivals from Hong Kong, Taiwan and foreign countries, and the other for arrivals from the mainland’s COVID-19-affected areas.

According to the two statements, the Macau government has decided to implement the “7+3” arrangement based on the latest characteristics of COVID-19 transmissions and the Protocol for COVID-19 Prevention and Control (9^th Edition) published by the Joint COVID-19 Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council.

Currently, those who have completed their 10-day hotel quarantine after arriving from Hong Kong, Taiwan, foreign countries or COVID-19-affected areas in the mainland are required to practise seven days of self-health monitoring, during which their Macau Health Code colour indicates green, but are required to undergo five COVID-19 nucleic acid tests (NATs).

From Saturday, according to yesterday’s two statements, those arriving from Hong Kong, Taiwan or foreign countries must undergo five COVID-19 nucleic acid tests after completing their seven-day hotel quarantine, on the first, second, third, fifth and seventh day after their hotel quarantine. Nevertheless, those arriving from COVID-19-affected areas in the mainland will only have to undergo three nucleic acid tests after completing their seven-day hotel quarantine, on the first, second and third day after their hotel quarantine.

As of Monday, the tally of the outgoing COVID-19 outbreak has remained unchanged at 1,821, after Macau had had zero new cases for four consecutive days. Macau had had no community cases for 10 consecutive days as of Monday.

‘One of the world’s lowest tallies per capita’ 

Thanks to its strict quarantine and other COVID-19 prevention and control measures, Macau has one of the world’s lowest COVID-19 tallies and death tolls per capita, medical sources have told The Macau Post Daily.

As of yesterday, Macau’s COVID-19 tally stood at 791 confirmed and 1,381 asymptomatic cases, including six fatalities. Macau, which has a population of about 680,000, confirmed its first novel coronavirus case on January 22, 2020.

The six COVID-19-related deaths occurred during Macau’s recent outbreak, the first case of which was detected on June 18. The six victims were senior citizens afflicted with a range of chronic illnesses. The outbreak subsided last week.

In the wake of its worst outbreak since January 2020, Macau entered yesterday a weeklong stabilisation period in its ongoing fight against COVID-19, including the resumption of restaurants’ dine-in services. 

Leong Iek Hou, who heads the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Division, addresses yesterday’s press conference about the city’s COVID-19 situation.
Photo: GCS