BioNTech inoculations are now available at the COVID-19 vaccination facility in the Macau Forum complex in Zape.
The Macau Forum inoculation facility, which had only offered Sinopharm jabs since its opening in May, started to also provide BioNTech shots on Saturday, according to a statement by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre.
Consequently, the Macau Forum complex has now become the only COVID-19 inoculation facility in Macau where both Sinopharm and BioNTech jabs are available.
Friday’s statement said that 1,000 places for BioNTech inoculations are available per day at the Macau Forum vaccination facility, which opens from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily.
The statement said that the availability of BioNTech vaccinations at Macau Forum aims to encourage more residents to be inoculated against COVID-19.
Friday’s statement reaffirmed that over 10,000 places for COVID-19 vaccinations are available per day at Macau’s 18 regular inoculation facilities.
The statement also reaffirmed that in addition to places allocated to those who have made a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, walk-in places for inoculations are also “sufficiently available” at the city’s various vaccination facilities.
Two types of COVID-19 vaccines are currently available in Macau, China’s Sinopharm inactivated vaccine and Germany’s BioNTech mRNA vaccine. Currently, Sinopharm jabs are administered to those aged 18 or over in Macau, while BioNTech shots are given to those aged 12 or over.
Macau’s COVID-19 vaccinations are currently carried out at 18 regular inoculation facilities, comprising two inoculation facilities at the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, eight public health centres, two public health stations, the Macau Forum inoculation facility, the Mong Ha vaccination facility, as well as the private Kiang Wu Hospital, the University Hospital run by the private Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Taipa, and two clinics run by the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (commonly known as Gung Luen) – one of the city’s biggest community associations.
Three out of Macau’s 18 regular inoculation facilities are only used for BioNTech inoculations, namely the public hospital’s blood sample collection room, the Ocean Gardens Health Centre and the Ilha Verde Health Centre, while all other facilities, except the Macau Forum which has been offering both types of COVID-19 vaccines since Saturday, are only used for Sinopharm inoculations.
COVID-19 vaccinees in Macau can choose to make an appointment for jabs or to get their walk-in inoculations.
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.
In addition to the 18 regular vaccination facilities which serve members of the general public, COVID-19 vaccinations are also available to blood donors at the Health Bureau’s Blood Transfusion Centre. Only Sinopharm inoculations are offered at the blood donation centre, which is located on the second floor of Hotline Centre in Nape.
Vaccination rate reaches 46.7 pct
According to the website of the Health Bureau’s COVID-19 vaccination programme, as of 4 p.m. yesterday, 579,784 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered to 318,726 people in Macau, comprising 55,807 who had received their first jab and 262,919 who had received their second jab.
Macau’s COVID-19 vaccination rate stood at 46.7 percent as of 4 p.m. yesterday – i.e. about 46 percent of the population has received at least one jab. According to the latest demographic statistics, Macau’s population stood at 682,500 at the end of June.
A total of 10 adverse events were reported in the past 24 hours (until 4 p.m. yesterday). The total number of adverse events since the start of the vaccination drive stood at 2,446, or 0.42 percent of the total number of jabs, including eight serious cases.
According to the website, around 85 percent of vaccinees in Macau have chosen Sinopharm jabs since the launch of the vaccination programme in February, while the remainder have opted for BioNTech shots.
Medical workers’ vaccination rate increases slowly
Meanwhile, the Health Bureau (SSM) has admitted that Macau’s COVID-19 vaccination rate among public medical workers has only been increasing at a “slow” pace over the past few months and that there are a small number of public medical workers who do “not believe” that COVID-19 vaccines are safe.
During a COVID-19 press conference last week, The Macau Post Daily asked about the latest COVID-19 vaccination rate among public medical workers. Tai Wa Hou, a clinical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, admitted last week that their vaccination rate had slowly increased to 67 percent at that time from the 65 percent reported in May. Tai said he believed that the increase in public medical workers’ COVID-19 vaccination rate had reached a “bottleneck” – i.e. it was unlikely to constantly increase at a relatively fast pace.
The Macau Post Daily asked during the press conference on Monday last week why around one third of public medical workers had still not been inoculated against COVID-19 after the vaccination programme started months ago. Tai admitted that while certain public medical workers were unable to get vaccinated against COVID-19 due to certain health reasons such as pregnancy, planning for pregnancy or vaccine allergies, a small number of public medical workers had chosen not to have their jabs due to their perceived view that COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe, or because they believed there was no need to get inoculated as Macau was safe from COVID-19. Tai said, “We don’t know what to do” with those who insist on not getting inoculated against COVID-19, as COVID-19 vaccinations are voluntary in Macau.
Tai was quick to add that around two thirds of public medical workers have been inoculated against COVID-19, representing a vaccination rate higher than members of the general public – which stood at around 45 percent early last week.
“I have repeatedly said that medical workers have the responsibly and obligation to be inoculated against COVID-19 so as to protect themselves and their patients. They, as role models for residents, should have had a vaccination rate higher than what it is,” Tai said.
“Whenever I see my colleagues, I ask them whether they have had their jabs, or why they have still not got the jabs. Although I am their superior, they do not need to explain why they have still not got the jabs,” Tai said.
Tai said that some of his colleagues had replied to him that they “simply” chose not to be inoculated against COVID-19 for the time being, adding that “we don’t know what to do with them”.
“I admit that a small number [of public medical workers] do not believe COVID-19 vaccine’s safety,” Tai said.
“I have told them that their view [that COVID-19 vaccine is unsafe] is wrong. Instead, COVID-19 vaccines are absolutely safe and effective. Compared to members of the general public, medical workers should be even more willing to get vaccinated against COVID-19,” Tai said, adding that “regrettably, there are some medical workers who have chosen not to get vaccinated”.
Tai quoted some public medical workers who had chosen not to get vaccinated against COVID-19 for the time being as telling him: “Even though I am working at a medical institution, I am safe from COVID-19. I don’t think I need to get jabs now until I face a dangerous situation. It’s still not too late to get the jabs before I need to travel [outside Macau].”
‘Short development time doesn’t mean not safe’
Meanwhile, during a COVID-19 press conference earlier this month, Tai underlined that the fact that COVID-19 vaccines have been developed in a shorter time than all previous vaccines does not mean that they are unsafe.
Tai made the remarks when asked by The Macau Post Daily about views held by a small number of medical workers in the city that as COVID-19 vaccines are unsafe they choose not to get inoculated.
Tai said earlier this month that a large amount of data has demonstrated COVID-19 vaccines’ safety and effectiveness. Tai said that four billion doses had been administered worldwide at that time, which fully showed the COVID-19 vaccines’ safety and effectiveness. Tai said he believed that most medical workers in Macau recognise COVID-19 vaccines’ safety and effectiveness, and also understand the importance and urgency of getting vaccinations.
“Of course, different individuals have their own views, but if some doctors tell you that the [COVID-19] vaccines are unsafe, please tell them on my behalf that their views are wrong,” Tai said.
This photo taken yesterday shows the entrance to one of the city’s COVID-19 vaccination facilities at the Macau Forum complex in Zape. The Macau Post Daily was waiting for potential vaccinees to enter or leave the inoculation facility yesterday evening but no one showed up for around 15 minutes. Photo: Prisca Tang
