The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre has announced that a Taiwan man – Macau’s latest and 53rd COVID-19 patient, who has been classified as an imported case and been diagnosed with carrying the Delta variant, initially failed to inform the local authorities that he had worked in India between February and last month.
The Delta variant was first detected in India.
The man only admitted later that he had been in India after being repeatedly asked by Macau Health Bureau (SSM) staff about his travel history.
After arriving in Macau from Taiwan last week, the man only told SSM officials that he had worked in Vietnam between October last year and January.
Macau’s 53rd COVID-19 case was confirmed on Thursday, when the 59-year-old male tourist flew to Macau on a Starlux Airlines flight. According to Thursday night’s announcement by the centre, the man tested negative for COVID-19 in a nucleic acid test (NAT) in Taiwan on Tuesday last week. However, upon arrival in Macau on Thursday, the man tested positive for COVID-19 in a nucleic acid test, Thursday’s announcement said, adding that he tested negative for IgM antibodies and positive for IgG antibodies in a serology test.
The centre first announced in a statement on Saturday that the man was diagnosed with carrying the Delta variant. Saturday’s statement said that the man worked in Vietnam between October last year and January, when the Delta variant, the statement said, was already spreading there.
Saturday’s statement said that the man’s positive NAT result showed that he had a low viral load. In addition, he only “weakly” tested positive for IgG antibodies and negative for IgM antibodies in a serology test, because of which, the statement said, the Health Bureau concluded at that time that the man merely “had later tested positive for the novel coronavirus again in a nucleic acid test” after having previously been infected with COVID-19 and recovered elsewhere. Saturday’s statement said it was likely that the man had been infected with COVID-19 in Vietnam.
However, a statement by the centre yesterday rectified Saturday’s statement. Yesterday’s statement said that only after being repeatedly asked by SSM officials did the man finally admit that he had worked in India between February and last month – in addition to his work history in Vietnam. During his stay in India, the statement said, the man came down with minor respiratory symptoms such as runny nose. He returned to Taiwan last month, where he tested negative for COVID-19 in a number of nucleic acid tests, the statement said.
Yesterday’s statement noted that the Delta variant has been widely spreading across India, because of which, the statement said, the Health Bureau has now concluded that the man has been infected with COVID-19 in India. The statement said that the centre “deeply regretted” the man’s concealment of his travel history.
Article 270 of Penal Code
Yesterday’s statement noted that according to Article 17 of the Law on the Prevention, Control and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, those who have contracted an infectious disease, those who have possibly been infected, or those facing the risk of infection are obliged to report their state of health, the places that they have visited, and the people with whom they have been in contact.
Yesterday’s statement also warned that according to Article 270 of the Macau Penal Code, those who have caused the transmission of an infectious disease, thereby putting other people’s lives in jeopardy, face a prison term of between one and eight years.
The statement noted that upon arrival in Macau on Thursday, the Taiwan man was taken to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre for COVID-19 testing. After testing positive for COVID-19, he was immediately transferred to the Health Bureau’s Public Health Clinical Centre in Coloane for isolation treatment. Although the man has not posed a threat to Macau’s public health safety and others’ lives and health in the city, the statement urged all residents and visitors to always report their travel history and all other information concerning infectious diseases truthfully, so as not to break the law.
NAT validity for Taiwan arrivals tightened to 24 hours
Meanwhile, the centre announced during its COVID-19 press conference on Friday that from today all those arriving in Macau from Taiwan must present a nucleic acid test (NAT) certificate confirming that they have tested negative for COVID-19 within the past 24 hours when boarding a Macau-bound plane, a change from the 72-hour-validity requirement which had been in force until yesterday.
Around the middle of last month, the Macau government already shortened the validity of the negative NAT result for arrivals from Taiwan to 72 hours from the previous seven days.
SSM officials said during Friday’s press conference that the shortened validity of the negative NAT result for Taiwan arrivals aims to better protect the health of the flight crew members.
10,000 BioNTech jabs have arrived
Meanwhile, the fourth batch of about 10,000 doses of BioNTech mRNA vaccine was delivered to Macau from Germany via Hong Kong on Friday morning. Health Bureau officials said during Friday evening’s press conference that another batch of BioNTech doses was expected to arrive in Macau at the end of this month, adding that the number of doses and the exact delivery date were yet to be decided.
The officials also noted during the press conference that the 2870 0800 hotline of the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre has 10 lines. They made the remarks when replying to media questions according to which some residents said that it was difficult to contact the centre on the hotline – i.e. they could not reach the centre on the phone or no one answered the phone for a long time. The officials also said that residents can call 8390 1460 if they want to consult doctors about COVID-19 vaccinations.
NAT for those from Shenzhen airport
Meanwhile, the centre announced in a statement last night that all those in Macau who were at Shenzhen’s airport between June 10 and Friday last week are required to undergo five nucleic acid tests (NATs) within 14 days after they left the airport. Their Macau Health Code colour will become yellow during the 14-day period.
The statement said that the Macau government has decided to implement the measure as evidence has indicated the occurrence of transmissions of the Delta variant at Shenzhen’s airport.
The statement said that those people are required to undergo three nucleic acid tests within the first five days, and the three tests must be carried out at least 24 hours apart from each other.
The statement said that the Macau Health Code colour of those failing to undergo the tests on the required schedules will turn red.
A car drives past the Ocean Gardens Health Centre yesterday, one of Macau’s three facilities for BioNTech inoculations. Photo: Tony Wong
