Two more arrivals from Hong Kong have tested positive for COVID-19, Macau’s Novel Coronavirus and Coordination Centre announced yesterday.
The centre has classified the two cases as imported and asymptomatic, because of which they have not been added to Macau’s novel coronavirus tally, which therefore remains at 79.
The centre identified the two patients as a 46-year-old Hong Kong man and a 41-year-old Hong Kong woman. The man is a non-resident worker employed in Macau.
According to a statement by the centre, the man received two shots of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, in October and November respectively.
The man travelled from Hong Kong to Macau on a shuttle bus (aka Golden Bus) over the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) on Tuesday night. After having his nasopharyngeal swab collected for a COVID-19 test upon arrival in Macau, he was transferred to Regency Art Hotel – one of the government’s “quarantine hotels” – for medical observation, after which his test came up with a positive result yesterday, the statement said.
The centre announced the woman’s case in another statement late last night, according to which she received her first and second Sinovac inactivated jab in Hong Kong in May and June respectively.
The woman travelled to Macau on a Golden Bus on Sunday, and tested negative for the novel coronavirus upon arrival here, after which she was transferred to Regency Art Hotel for quarantine. She tested negative for COVID-19 in a follow-up test again on Tuesday. However, according to last night’s statement, she “weakly” tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a follow-up test yesterday.
Both have been transferred to the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Public Health Clinical Centre in Coloane for isolation treatment.
The two cases announced yesterday came after a 51-year-old Hong Kong man who entered Macau on Friday last week tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Monday. He is also a non-resident worker employed in Macau.
Those arriving in Macau from Hong Kong must undergo 14 days of hotel quarantine upon their arrival here.
Currently, those departing for Macau from Hong Kong must present a nucleic acid test (NAT) certificate confirming a negative COVID-19 result valid for 24 hours when boarding a shuttle bus at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.
From Monday next week, all those aged 12 or over departing for Macau from Hong Kong and Taiwan will have to present a certificate confirming that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at least 14 days prior – i.e., having developed basic full immunity, or a doctor’s certificate confirming that they are unable to be inoculated against the novel coronavirus. The travellers must present the required certificate when boarding a Golden Bus from Hong Kong to Macau, or boarding a flight from Taiwan. Their last required shot of a novel coronavirus vaccine must have been administered within seven months prior to departing for Macau.
The Macau government announced its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirement for arrivals from Hong Kong and Taiwan on Tuesday night.
Single-dose, 2-dose, 3-dose vaccines
Meanwhile, the centre noted in another statement yesterday that many of the COVID-19 vaccines that are being used worldwide are two-dose vaccines, meaning that those who have received their second jab at least 14 days prior are regarded as having been fully inoculated against COVID-19.
Both types of COVID-19 vaccines currently available in Macau, China’s Sinopharm inactivated vaccine and Germany’s BioNTech mRNA vaccine, are two-dose vaccines.
In addition to the Sinopharm vaccine and the BioNTech vaccine, other two-dose COVID-19 vaccines that are being used worldwide also include China’s Sinovac inactivated vaccine, an mRNA vaccine developed by US-company Moderna, and the AstraZeneca-Oxford adenovirus vector vaccine.
Yesterday’s statement pointed out that China’s CanSinoBIO adenovirus vector vaccine, and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen adenovirus vector vaccine, are both single-dose COVID-19 vaccines, meaning that those who have received one jab of either of the two vaccines at least 14 days prior are regarded as having developed basic full immunity against the novel coronavirus.
The statement also pointed out that the Zifivax recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine produced by Chinese biopharmaceutical company Anhui Zhifei Longcom is a three-dose vaccine, meaning that those who have been inoculated with the Zifivax vaccine can only be regarded as having been fully inoculated against the novel coronavirus at least 14 days after receiving their third dose.
Yesterday’s statement noted that the new entry measure for arrivals from Hong Kong and Taiwan, which will take effect on Monday next week, means that those who have had the last required shot of a COVID-19 vaccine more than seven months ago will have to receive a booster jab in order for them to meet the Macau government’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirement.
Meanwhile, Guangdong reported a total of 19 imported COVID-19 cases from Hong Kong on Tuesday, comprising eight in Shenzhen, four in Dongguan, four in Foshan, two in Guangzhou, and one in Zhuhai. In addition, three COVID-19 asymptomatic cases imported from Hong Kong were also reported in Dongguan on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Macau Public Security Police (PSP) yesterday urged residents to cross the border checkpoints less often in the wake of “the latest COVID-19 development in neighbouring regions”. A PSP statement said that those commuting between Macau and Zhuhai should only travel between their workplace, their home, and COVID-19 testing stations.
COVID-19 patients lie in hospital beds outside Caritas Medical Centre in Hong Kong on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
