Three local residents who returned to Macau from Australia, France, Nepal and Singapore on Monday have tested positive for COVID-19, Macau’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced yesterday.
The centre has classified the three cases as imported and asymptomatic, because of which they have not been added to Macau’s novel coronavirus tally, which therefore remains at 82.
One of the three had stayed in Singapore before returning to Macau, while the other two returned to Macau via Singapore. All of them caught the same flight from Singapore to Macau on Monday.
According to a statement by the centre, the first patient is an unjabbed 62-year-old man who returned to Macau from France via Singapore. He holds a doctor’s certificate confirming that he is unable to be inoculated against the novel coronavirus.
The second patient is a 63-year-old woman who returned to Macau from Singapore. She has received three Moderna mRNA jabs, according to the statement.
The third patient is a 36-year-old man who returned to Macau from Nepal via Singapore. He has received two Sinopharm inactivated jabs, the statement said.
All the three tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon arrival at the local airport on Monday, because of which they have been transferred to the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Public Health Clinical Centre in Coloane for isolation treatment, the statement said.
The three asymptomatic COVID-19 patients have told Health Bureau officials that they had never been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease.
‘Re-positive’ returnee from Australia
Meanwhile, the same statement also announced an imported COVID-19 “re-positive” case, a 32-year-old local woman who returned to Macau from Australia via Singapore on Monday.
A COVID-19 “re-positive” case means that a person has tested positive for the novel coronavirus again in a nucleic acid test (NAT) after having previously been infected with COVID-19 and recovered.
The woman caught the same flight from Singapore as the three asymptomatic patients.
According to the statement, the woman, who has received two shots of the AstraZeneca-Oxford adenovirus vector vaccine, also tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon arrival at the local airport on Monday. The woman, who has not come down with any COVID-19 symptoms, has also been transferred to the Public Health Clinical Centre for isolation.
The statement said that the woman was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease outside Macau on January 11, because of which her case has been classified as a “re-positive” case.
Asymptomatic tally rises to 54
In addition to the total of 82 confirmed COVID-19 cases, the centre pointed out yesterday that Macau has now reported a total of 54 asymptomatic COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.
Since December last year, the Macau government has separately classified and announced asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and confirmed COVID-19 cases.
COVID-19 “re-positive” cases are not classified as confirmed COVID-19 cases for Macau, neither are they classified as asymptomatic COVID-19 cases for Macau.
Regular testing for supermarket staff
Meanwhile, the local government also announced yesterday that all those that come into contact with goods who are working for local importers, distributors or supermarkets are now covered by its regular COVID-19 testing for “key” groups of people working in certain occupations. They are required to undergo a COVID-19 nucleic acid test (NAT) every seven days.
The Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) made the announcement in a statement last night. According to the statement, DSEDT officials told representative from local importers, distributors and supermarkets about the Health Bureau’s (SSM) latest COVID-19 testing requirement during a meeting yesterday. Those failing to comply with the regular testing will have their Macau Health Code turn yellow, the statement noted.
According to the statement, around 8,900 staff members are covered by the regular testing requirement. Those who have been inoculated against COVID-19 do not need to pay for their regular tests, the statement said.
Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) officials meet with representatives from local importers, distributors and supermarkets at the bureau yesterday. Photo: DSEDT
