Two local residents who returned to Macau from Australia and the Philippines on Monday have tested positive for COVID-19, Macau’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced yesterday.
According to a statement by the centre, the first patient is a four-year-old girl who returned to Macau from the Philippines via Singapore. She has not been inoculated against the novel coronavirus.
The second patient is a 51-year-old local man who returned to Macau from Australia via Singapore. He has received three COVID-19 mRNA shots, according to the statement.
Both 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.
Both cases have been classified as imported and asymptomatic, because of which they have not been added to Macau’s novel coronavirus tally, which therefore remains at 82.
The two asymptomatic COVID-19 patients have told Health Bureau officials that they had never been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease.
‘Re-positive’ returnee from HK
Meanwhile, the same statement also announced an imported COVID-19 “re-positive” case, a 36-year-old local man who returned to Macau from Hong Kong 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.
According to the statement, the man, who has received three mRNA jabs, tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon arrival in Macau on Monday. The man, 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 man was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease in Hong Kong on March 5, because of which his case has been classified as a “re-positive” case.
In addition to the total of 82 confirmed COVID-19 cases, the centre pointed out yesterday that Macau has now reported a total of 62 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.
New round of sales of ‘govt masks’
Meanwhile, the 40th round of the government’s facemask sales scheme starts today. The facemasks sold under the scheme are colloquially known as “government masks”.
Under the facemask purchase scheme, each local resident, non-resident worker and non-local student enrolled in Macau’s higher education institutions are entitled to buy 30 facemasks at the fixed price of 24 patacas every 30 days at designated outlets.
“Government masks” are sold at 55 designated pharmacies and 10 community association venues for the 40th round of the programme, which will end on April 21.
