A local resident who returned to Macau from Cambodia on Saturday has tested positive for COVID-19, Macau’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced yesterday.
The centre has classified the case as imported and asymptomatic, because of which it has not been added to Macau’s novel coronavirus tally, which therefore remains at 82.
However, the case has raised Macau’s asymptomatic COVID-19 tally to 66.
According to a statement by the centre, the patient is a 53-year-old woman who received her first and second Sinopharm inactivated jab in June and July respectively. She tested negative for COVID-19 in three nucleic acid tests (NATs) in Cambodia, on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday last week.
The woman flew to Singapore on Friday and caught a connecting flight to Macau the next day, the statement said.
The woman tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon arrival at the local airport on Saturday, because of which she has been transferred to the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Public Health Clinical Centre in Coloane for isolation.
Meanwhile, the same statement also announced an imported COVID-19 “re-positive” case, a 56-year-old local man who returned to Macau from Singapore on Saturday.
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 received his first and second mRNA jab in October and November respectively. He flew from Singapore to Macau on Saturday, and tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon arrival at the local airport.
The man, who has not come down with any COVID-19 symptoms, has also been transferred to the Public Health Clinical Centre for isolation.
According to the statement, the man, who had previously stayed in Hong Kong before returning to Macau from Singapore on Saturday, was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease last month, because of which his case has been classified as a “re-positive” case.
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.
Yesterday’s statement said that when boarding their respective flights, the two returnees failed to present a COVID-19 vaccination certificate or an NAT certificate in compliance with the Macau government’s requirements. Consequently, the statement said, the Macau Health Bureau has asked the Macau Civil Aviation Authority (AACM) to issue warnings to the respective airlines.
Meanwhile, the statement also announced another imported COVID-19 “re-positive” case, a 68-year-old local man who returned to Macau from Hong Kong on Saturday.
According to the statement, the man received his first and second Sinopharm inactivated jab in June and July respectively. He tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon arrival in Macau on Saturday.
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 last month, because of which his case has also been classified as a “re-positive” case.
Meanwhile, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre has also announced two more imported COVID-19 “re-positive” cases from Hong Kong.
According to statements on Friday and Saturday, the two are a 77-year-old local man and a 51-year-old local woman. The man, who has not been inoculated against COVID-19, returned to Macau on Thursday, while the woman, who has received three mRNA jabs, returned to Macau on Friday. The man holds a certificate issued by Hong Kong’s health authorities confirming his unsuitability for COVID-19 vaccinations.
