Parents in the central district were asked by The Macau Post Daily yesterday whether they were considering to have their children vaccinated against the COVID-19 pandemic, with some noting that plans for doing so are in their mind.
Currently, the Health Bureau’s (SSM) website states that children aged three and up are eligible to be administered China’s Sinopharm inactivated vaccines, while children aged 12 and above can be inoculated with Germany’s BioNTech mRNA vaccine.
“[We are] planning because it is getting more serious” said a 40-year-old local male surnamed Lameiras. However, he added: “We are still afraid”, noting that both of his children are still young, with one aged 3 ½ while the other is aged five. When asked if he thinks children in Macau should be vaccinated, he noted that “it depends” but added that it would be a safer option in case of an outbreak in the city.
Yeung, a local woman in her thirties, also expressed concerns about an outbreak hitting Macau, citing the deteriorating situation in Hong Kong along with the rising number of cases. She said that her child’s school is still organising a vaccination drive and that she will act according to the government’s arrangements.
Moreover, a local resident surnamed Santos, aged 43, who works in the tourism industry, said that he was planning to have his son vaccinated next month, emphasising that his family’s main concern is that “he’s protected” regardless of the type of vaccine. He commended the government’s work and protection of the city against a COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, noting that they are “doing an efficient job”. However, he also said that despite the low possibility of an outbreak, he thought that everyone should get vaccinated to allow Macau to open its borders, relaunch flights, and enable foreign visitors to enter Macau again.
Also expressing plans to have her child vaccinated, a 36-year-old non-resident worker surnamed Delfino said that it would help in keeping her son safe from the virus, noting that having the COVID-19 vaccine was “just like any other immunisations that one should have”. She added that, in her opinion, children in the city should be vaccinated to develop a “stronger immunity” against the virus.
Meanwhile, Ho, a local woman aged 42, whose son had just had his first jab, said that the decision to have him vaccinated was due to the increasing number of cases in Hong Kong, citing the examples of kids who are in “serious situation” there. “I think it’s better to protect the kids”, she said. Moreover, she added, for safety reasons it would be better if parents are willing to have their kids vaccinated.
Although most interviewees expressed plans to have their children vaccinated, some also said that they currently have no concrete plans to do so.
“We’re just not confident in the vaccination yet” said a local woman in her late twenties, adding that she was still trying to assess the city’s pandemic situation.
Tracy, aged 41, said that she also had no plans to have her child vaccinated, pointing out the bad experiences of her friends in Hong Kong and the situation being less urgent in Macau. Moreover, she said: “I can see that from what they experience, it is not a good idea”.
Children play near the Tap Seac Multisport Pavilion yesterday afternoon. Photo: Rui Pastorin
