Macau’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre has announced that three more arrivals from Hong Kong have tested positive for COVID-19, one of whom has meanwhile been diagnosed with pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus after coming down with COVID-19 symptoms, which raised Macau’s novel coronavirus tally to 81.
The other two cases have been classified as asymptomatic. All the three cases have been classified as imported from Hong Kong.
Since December last year, the Macau government has separately classified and announced asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and confirmed COVID-19 cases.
The centre identified the latest confirmed COVID-19 patient – Macau’s 81st novel coronavirus case – as a 63-year-old local man who had received only one shot of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, last month.
According to a statement by the centre yesterday, the man travelled from Hong Kong to Macau on a shuttle bus (aka Golden Bus) via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) on February 19, and tested negative for the novel coronavirus upon arrival here, after which he was transferred to Pousada Marina Infante – one of the government’s “quarantine hotels” for medical observation.
The man still tested negative for COVID-19 in four follow-up tests, on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday last week. However, according to the statement, he tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a follow-up test on Saturday night.
The man, who has come down with symptoms of cough and headache, has been transferred to the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Public Health Clinical Centre in Coloane for isolation treatment.
The two asymptomatic COVID-19 patients arriving from Hong Kong comprise a 70-year-old Hong Kong man and a 62-year-old local woman.
According to a statement by the centre on Friday, the 70-year-old man received his first and second Sinovac inactivated jab in Hong Kong in September and earlier this month. He travelled to Macau on a Golden Bus on Monday last week, and tested negative for the novel coronavirus upon arrival here, after which he was transferred to Regency Art Hotel – one of the government’s “quarantine hotels” for medical observation.
According to the statement, the man travelled to Macau with an asymptomatic carrier of the novel coronavirus whose case was announced on Wednesday last week, because of which, the statement said, he was then classified as a COVID-19 close contact and transferred from the hotel to the Public Health Clinical Centre for quarantine.
The man still tested negative for COVID-19 in two follow up tests, on Tuesday and Thursday last week. However, according to the statement, he tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a follow-up test on Friday, because of which has to stay at the Public Health Clinical Centre for isolation treatment.
According to a statement by the centre last night, the 62-year-old woman is the wife of Macau’s 81st confirmed COVID-19 patient. She received two Sinopharm inactivated jabs in Macau, in November and December respectively. She travelled to Macau on a Golden Bus on February 19 with her husband, and tested negative for the novel coronavirus upon arrival here, after which she was transferred to the Pousada Marina Infante hotel for medical observation.
The woman still tested negative for COVID-19 in five follow-up tests, on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday last week. After her husband was confirmed as Macau’s 81st COVID-19 patient, she was transferred from the hotel to the Public Health Clinical Centre for quarantine, where she tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a follow-up test yesterday, because of which she is having to stay there for isolation treatment.
2 returnees from UK and Switzerland have COVID-19
Meanwhile, two local residents who returned to Macau on Saturday from the United Kingdom and Switzerland via Singapore have tested positive for COVID-19, the centre announced yesterday.
The two cases have also been classified as imported and asymptomatic, because of which they have not been added to Macau’s COVID-19 tally.
The two patients comprise two men, aged 65 and 20.
According to a statement by the centre yesterday, the 65-year-old local man received three shots of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine, in April and November respectively.
The man tested negative for COVID-19 in a nucleic acid test (NAT) in the UK on Thursday. He flew to Singapore the next day and caught a connecting flight to Macau on Saturday, the statement said.
The man tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon arrival at the local airport, because of which he has been transferred to the Public Health Clinical Centre in Coloane for isolation treatment.
According to the same statement, the 20-year-old man received his first and second Sinopharm inactivated jab in Macau in April and May respectively.
The young man tested negative for COVID-19 in a nucleic acid test in Switzerland on Thursday. He flew to Singapore the next day and caught a connecting flight to Macau on Saturday, the statement said.
The man tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon arrival at the local airport, because of which he has also been transferred to the Public Health Clinical Centre for isolation treatment.
In addition to the total of 81 confirmed COVID-19 cases, the centre pointed out yesterday that Macau has reported a total of 35 asymptomatic COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.
People queue for COVID-19 testing in Tsuen Wan in Hong Kong on Friday. Photo: Xinhua
