Addressing yesterday afternoon’s press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus situation, Health Bureau (SSM) Director Alvis Lo Iek Long said that that the government expects its ongoing three-day mass nucleic acid testing (NAT) drive to be completed ahead of schedule, as 55 percent of the population had already had their swabs collected at the city’s various testing stations during the first 31 hours of the 72-hour campaign – i.e. as of 4 p.m. yesterday, while a 300-member team of medical workers from Guangdong came to Macau yesterday to assist in the mass testing campaign.
The ongoing three-day mass NAT campaign for everyone, which started at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, is scheduled to end at 9 a.m. tomorrow.
From yesterday, the government also started to use the Mong Ha Sports Centre, one of the city’s COVID-19 inoculation facilities, as a testing station under the mass NAT drive, meaning that the government’s COVID-19 vaccinations have now been completely suspended.
Before yesterday, the government had already suspended COVID-19 vaccinations at all inoculation facilities other than the Mong Ha facility after Wednesday morning’s launch of the mass NAT drive. The use of the Mong Ha testing station has raised the number of mass testing stations to 42.
According to Lo, as of 4 p.m. yesterday 376,000 people had had their swabs collected for COVID-19 tests under the NAT drive, accounting for 55 percent of Macau’s population – which stood at 682,500 at the end of March, according to the latest available official demographics.
‘Very ideal’ testing situation
Among the 376,000, the government had come up with the results of 115,000, all negative. Lo said the situation indicated that the citywide NAT drive’s progress was “very ideal”, urging residents not to rush to get tested.
Lo underlined that the government had tested 55 percent of the population during the first 31 hours of the mass NAT drive and that – as of 4 p.m. – the government still had 41 hours to test the population’s remaining 45 percent.
Guangdong NAT team arrives
The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced in a statement yesterday that the Macau government had asked its Guangdong counterpart to provide support and assistance for Macau’s ongoing mass NAT. The statement said that the Guangdong provincial government had set up a team “in the shortest possible time”, adding that the team comprising 300 members arrived in Macau yesterday. In the statement the Macau government expressed “sincere gratitude” to the Guangdong government for its “strong support”.
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Lo noted that the Guangdong team will enable the Macau government to complete the mass NAT drive earlier than the initial schedule. Lo said that the team was “an extra bonus” that could help the mass NAT campaign be completed earlier than planned.
Meanwhile, Lo insisted that the situation of very long queues outside many of the city’s testing stations “significantly” improved yesterday compared to the first day of the mass NAT drive – Wednesday.
Walk-in tests were initially available under the citywide NAT drive after its launch on Wednesday morning, but since Wednesday afternoon everyone has to make an appointment to be tested for COVID-19 – i.e. those who have not made an appointment are not accepted for testing.
Lo noted that the very long queues on Wednesday were due to a number of major reasons, namely the malfunctioning of the Macau Health Code system in the morning, a large number of appointments for that day, and a “very large” percentage of those queuing outside the testing stations were walk-ins.
Lo said that after the government had rolled out its measure requiring people to make an appointment first, the situation of the very long queues outside various testing stations “significantly” improved yesterday.
Oropharyngeal sampling now available at all stations
Meanwhile, the centre announced last night that sample collection via an oropharyngeal swab was now available at all testing stations under the mass NAT drive. Before the new measure, sample collection via an oropharyngeal swab was only available at the testing station in the Taipa Ferry Terminal in Pac On. Now, people can opt for a nasopharyngeal swab or an oropharyngeal swab at all testing stations.
Lo also underlined during yesterday’s press conference that the government has decided to complete the mass NAT drive in 72 hours with the aim of identifying possible hidden transmission chains in the community as soon as possible. Lo made the remarks in response to media questions quoting views from some residents that the government should have carried out the drive over a longer period of time. Lo said that the shorter a mass NAT drive lasts, the better it helps contain a possible COVID-19 outbreak.
Lo said that in case there are hidden COVID-19 transmission chains in the community, Macau would constantly be hit by new local COVID-19 cases as residents are travelling across the city, because of which, he said, the government has “resolutely” decided to complete the drive in three days.
The government launched the mass NAT drive after Macau confirmed four COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, a family of four comprising a couple and their two children, a schoolboy and a schoolgirl.
Lo also reaffirmed that the government does not rule out the possibility of launching a second round, or even a third round, of mass nucleic acid tests, depending on the results of the current round of testing and depending on whether those who had been in close contact with the latest four COVID-19 patients are later diagnosed with COVID-19.
Testing is mandatory for all those who wish to leave Macau, enter certain premises or take public transport, as those who fail to take the test and come up with a negative result within the three-day period will have their Macau Health Code colour turn yellow. Those who test negative will have their Macau Health Code stay green. Those who test positive will have their Macau Health Code turn red and will be taken into isolation treatment.
According to Lo, those who have a yellow Macau Health Code due to their failure to undergo the free mass test within the three-day period will then have to undergo a paid test for their code colour to return to green if the test turns out to be negative.
Meanwhile, Lo also underlined that Macau is facing a “very big” challenge to contain a possible COVID-19 outbreak, as the latest four COVID-19 patients, all carrying the Delta variant, had visited various places and venues in the city before being confirmed as COVID-19 patients on Tuesday.
Consequently, the health chief said, the government has rolled out “quick, decisive and resolute” COVID-19 prevention and control measures in response to Macau’s new novel coronavirus situation.
Secondary close contacts
Lo also said that at the time of press conference the Health Bureau had identified 702 people, who had been in close contact with the latest four COVID-19 patients, who are “secondary COVID-19 close contacts”, or who had visited the same places as the four COVID-19 patients at the same time. “A close contact of a close contact” of a confirmed COVID-19 patient is known as a “secondary COVID-19 close contact”.
Lo also said that 244 residents are currently living in the two locked-down areas (red code zones) – the building where the four-member family usually live, its nearby buildings, and buildings near the fruit shop where the woman patient usually works.
The four family members are undergoing isolation treatment at a Health Bureau facility.
The COVID-19 family cluster put an end to over 490 days without a local novel coronavirus case in Macau.
Including the four-member family cluster Macau’s COVID-19 tally has risen to 63. The first case was confirmed on January 22 last year. All the cases have been classified by the Health Bureau as imported or “connected to an imported case”. No COVID-19 fatality has been reported in Macau.
Over 70 pct tested already
Meanwhile, the centre said in a statement late last night that the number of people tested for COVID-19 had reached 483,829 as of 11 p.m. yesterday, or 70.8 percent of the population. A total of 154,874 of the tests have meanwhile been confirmed to be negative.
Health Bureau (SSM) Director Alvis Lo Iek Long addresses yesterday’s press conference about the city’s novel coronavirus situation. Photo: Tony Wong
