A resident has mistakenly received a second COVID-19 jab that was different from the first one, the Health Bureau (SSM) has announced.
According to a statement by the bureau on Friday, the resident’s first COVID-19 inoculation at the Ocean Gardens Health Centre on March 11 was of China’s Sinopharm inactivated vaccine, which he had requested.
However, when the resident booked his second novel coronavirus jab he opted for Germany’s BioNTech mRNA vaccine, with which he was inoculated on Friday at the Ocean Gardens Health Centre, according to the statement.
It was only after the resident had received his second jab that the respective medical worker discovered that he had been inoculated with the Sinopharm vaccine for his first jab, the statement said.
The statement underlined that the resident did not suffer “any abnormal health condition” after his second jab.
The Health Bureau later confirmed that despite the fact that its COVID-19 vaccination appointment system automatically detected that the resident had been inoculated with Sinopharm vaccine for his first jab, when booking his second jab the resident himself changed his vaccination record on the appointment system – from receiving the Sinopharm vaccine to getting the BioNTech vaccine for his first shot – and then chose the BioNTech vaccine for his second jab, according to the statement.
According to the statement, the bureau apologised to the resident for the medical worker’s “negligence” in failing to “carefully” verify his vaccination record when giving him the second COVID-19 jab.
The statement said that the bureau has meanwhile amended its COVID-19 vaccination appointment system to prevent residents from changing their vaccination records when booking their second jab. The bureau also said that it had launched an internal investigation into the incident.
Two types of COVID-19 vaccines are currently available in Macau, Sinopharm inactivated vaccine and BioNTech mRNA vaccine. Both require two jabs for people to develop immunity.
People can make an appointment to get their second COVID-19 jab 28 days after their first jab at the earliest.
The government’s free COVID-19 vaccination drive covers local residents, non-resident workers and non-local students enrolled in Macau. However, all other non-locals who hold a permit to stay in Macau, such as the family members of non-resident workers employed in Macau, have to pay 250 patacas per jab – which means that they have to pay 500 patacas to be inoculated against COVID-19 considering that each person requires two jabs.
The Ocean Gardens Health Centre has been used only for the BioNTech inoculations since March 14. Previously the health centre was earmarked for the administration of Sinopharm jabs only.
Macau’s COVID-19 vaccinations are carried out at two inoculation facilities at the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, eight public health centres and two public health stations.
In addition to the Ocean Gardens Health Centre, currently the Ilha Verde Health Centre and the public hospital’s blood sample collection room are also used only for the BioNTech inoculations. The other nine vaccination facilities, including the one at the public hospital’s outpatient department, are used only for the Sinopharm inoculations.
Meanwhile, a resident surnamed Lio, who was inoculated with Sinopharm vaccine for his first jab last month, told The Macau Post Daily yesterday that when he booked his second jab for this month on the COVID-19 vaccination appointment system on March 15, his vaccination record at that time already indicated that his first inoculation which was of Sinopharm vaccine could not be changed.
As of 4 p.m. yesterday, the number of vaccinations stood at 67,431, comprising 44,838 first and 22,593 second jabs.
Cars drive past the Ocean Gardens Health Centre on Saturday. Photo: Tony Wong
