Macau’s daily number of new COVID-19 fatalities continues to decline, as eight people died of the novel coronavirus disease in three days, according to recent and yesterday’s official figures.

According to three latest daily statements by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre, which were released from Friday to yesterday, Macau recorded four COVID-19 fatalities on Thursday, three on Friday, and one on Saturday.

The eight fatalities recorded in the three days have raised Macau’s official COVID-19 death toll to 110.

The eight victims, four males and four females, aged between 89 and 99, had all suffered from underlying diseases, according to the three statements.

According to the statements, five of the eight fatalities had not been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, or 62.5 percent.

After Macau had the highest daily number of new COVID-19 fatalities of nine on January 5, the new daily number of fatalities has generally been declining. From January 6 to Wednesday last week, according to previous statements by the centre, the new daily numbers of COVID-19 fatalities were six, five, six, two, four, and seven.

Macau’s first six COVID-19 fatalities were reported during Macau’s previous COVID-19 outbreak that began on June 18 last year and started to subside in late July, colloquially known as 618 outbreak in Cantonese. The Macau government was pursuing a dynamic zero-COVID approach when the city was hit by the 618 outbreak.

Macau’s seventh COVID-19 fatality was reported on December 13, a few days after the Macau government switched to its “adjusted” anti-COVID-19 approach that implicitly allows constant transmissions of the novel coronavirus in the community.

New daily No. of COVID-19 patients also continues to dip 

In addition, recent and yesterday’s official figures also indicated that Macau’s daily number of new COVID-19 patients admitted to the Health Bureau’s (SSM) isolation and treatment facilities also continues to be on the decline.

From Thursday to Saturday, according to the three statements released from Friday to yesterday, the new daily number of patients admitted to the isolation and treatment facilities after having been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease were 16, 9, and 5 respectively.

From January 6 to Wednesday last week, according to figures at that time, the new daily numbers of COVID-19 patients admitted to the Health Bureau’s isolation and treatment facilities were 107, 77, 52, 26, 17, and 23 respectively.

Macau’s highest daily number of new COVID-19 patients admitted to the isolation and treatment facilities stood at 145 on December 29, following the local government’s decision to abandon its long-running dynamic zero-COVID approach early last month.

According to the Health Bureau’s COVID-19 website, which was updated yesterday, Macau’s official cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases stood at 3,430, of which 3,189 had meanwhile been cured.

Govt mulls closing East Asian Games Dome treatment centre

Meanwhile, Health Bureau Director Alvis Lo Iek Long has reaffirmed recent official figures according to which the city’s daily number of new COVID-19 patients admitted to the bureau’s isolation and treatment facilities has been dropping.

Lo made the remarks while speaking to reporters at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) in Nape on Friday after the government’s annual ceremony to award decorations, medals and honorific titles.

Lo said on Friday that after Macau suffered its first peak of widespread COVID-19 infections around the Christmas holiday period, the current number of COVID-19 patients still being treated in the bureau’s isolation and treatment facilities continues to drop significantly. For instance, he said, around 50 patients were still being treated at the community treatment centre in the Macau East Asian Games Dome in Cotai.

Lo said on Friday that 79 patients were still being treated at the Public Health Clinical Centre in Coloane, which had 120 beds, at that time.

Lo said that on average 10 to 20 new COVID-19 patients were currently admitted to the bureau’s isolation and treatment facilities per day, a significant decline from around 100 per day when Macau was hit by its COVID-19 peak last month.

Lo said that if Macau’s daily number of new COVID-19 patients needing treatment continues to drop, the government will consider closing the community treatment centre at the Macau East Asian Games Dome.

Lo also said that the number of the bureau’s healthcare workers was now sufficient to tackle the city’s current COVID-19 situation because almost all of those infected with COVID-19 have meanwhile recovered.

Hotline ceases wee-hours’ service

Meanwhile, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre’s enquiry hotline, 2870 0800, has only been operating from 9 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. daily since Friday, a change from a 24/7 operation previously.

From 00:00 a.m. to 9 a.m., people using the hotline can leave voice messages recorded by the hotline’s system, which will be replied to by the centre’s staff later the same day.

A statement on Thursday said that the centre had decided to reduce the hotline’s operation hours because the number of calls to the hotline during the wee hours every day had now significantly dropped to less than 10, after the city’s transition period tackling COVID-19 ended on January 8.

Health Bureau (SSM) Director Alvis Lo Iek Long talks to reporters at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) in Nape on Friday. – Photo courtesy of TDM