The Macau government announced yesterday that local senior citizens aged 65 or over who have been fully (twice) vaccinated against COVID-19 can collect vouchers worth 250 patacas at various community association venues across the city from next week.
Seniors aged 65 or over who hold a certificate issued by the Macau Health Bureau (SSM) confirming that their condition is unsuitable to be inoculated against the novel coronavirus will also be eligible to receive the 250-pataca vouchers.
The government’s Macau Foundation (FM) announced the measure that encourages seniors to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in a statement yesterday.
The statement said that with the aim of promoting the traditional Chinese virtues of respecting and caring for senior citizens, their health in particular, the Macau Foundation has decided to launch a programme of giving seniors an “anti-COVID-19 care package” in collaboration with a number of public entities. The programme aims to encourage seniors to get inoculated against COVID-19 in order to build an immunity barrier in the community, the statement said.
Jointly organised by the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS), the Health Bureau (SSM) and the Macau Foundation, the programme is being funded by the Macau Foundation, the statement said.
According to the statement, the programme will cover senior citizens holding a Macau ID card who reach the age of 65 on or before December 31 this year.
Seniors will be eligible to receive a “care package” as long as they have been fully (twice) vaccinated against COVID-19 on or before June 30 this year, or hold a Health Bureau certificate confirming that their condition is unsuitable to be inoculated against the novel coronavirus, the statement said.
The statement said that eligible senior citizens can collect a care package, which contains vouchers worth 250 patacas, at one of the distribution points from May 12 (Thursday next week) to June 30 upon presentation of their ID card. The statement underlined that each eligible seniors can only collect one “care package”.
55 distribution points
The statement said that eight community associations will participate in the programme by setting up a total of 55 distribution points across the city. The eight associations have been chosen to take part in the programme as each of them has multiple service centres and facilities across the city, and some of them are currently participating in the Health Bureau and Social Welfare Bureau’s campaigns to boost COVID-19 vaccinations.
The statement said that with the aim of avoiding large crowds and long queues at the distribution points amid COVID-19 prevention, the distributions of “care packages” will be carried out in four stages by age of the beneficiaries, i.e., four age groups. The distribution will start at 10 a.m. on May 12 and end at 6 p.m. on June 30.
According to the statement, eligible senior citizens can authorise a local resident to collect the “care package” for them. The authorised person will have to present his or her ID card and the senior citizen’s ID card when collecting the “care package”.
The eight community associations participating in the programme are the Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations (Kai Fong), Macau Federation of Trade Unions (Gung Luen), Macau Women’s General Association (Fu Luen), Macau Returned Overseas Chinese Association, Alliance for Common People Building Up Macau (API), Caritas Macau, Tung Sin Tong, and Macau Jiangmen Communal Society.
Macau’s COVID-19 vaccinations are currently carried out at 18 regular inoculation facilities, comprising two inoculation facilities at the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, eight public health centres, two public health stations, the Macau Forum inoculation facility, the Mong Ha vaccination facility, as well as the private Kiang Wu Hospital, the University Hospital run by the private Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Taipa, and two clinics run by the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (Gung Luen).
According to yesterday’s statement, two of the various collection points to be run by the Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations (Kai Fong) will be the Kiang Wu Hospital vaccination facility and the MUST University Hospital inoculation facility, where Kai Fong representatives are currently providing support for the COVID-19 vaccination services.
One of the various collection points to be run by the Macau Women’s General Association (Fu Luen) will be the Mong Ha vaccination facility, where Fu Luen representatives are currently providing support for the COVID-19 inoculation services, according to the statement.
Yesterday’s announcement of the programme came after the Macau government had previously said that it would not roll out any pecuniary measures to boost COVID-19 vaccinations.
Jab records issued elsewhere
The statement also said that senior citizens holding COVID-19 vaccination records issued in the mainland, other regions or foreign countries outside Macau will have to put their inoculation records into the Macau Health Bureau’s (SSM) system first at one of five regular vaccination facilities, namely the Kiang Wu Hospital vaccination facility, the MUST University Hospital inoculation facility, the Mong Ha vaccination facility, and the two Gung Luen clinics – which are also five of the 55 distribution points of the “care package” programme, before they can collect a “care package” there.
The statement also said that any eligible senior citizens who received their second COVID-19 jab in one of the five vaccination facilities during the programme’s distribution period can directly collect his or her “care package” there, without being subject to the staged distribution arrangements by age groups.
Normally, those vaccinated against COVID-19 require two jabs to develop basic full immunity, i.e., if they receive a two-dose vaccine.
Many of the COVID-19 vaccines that are being used worldwide are two-dose vaccines. Some COVID-19 vaccines are single or three-dose vaccines.
Both types of COVID-19 vaccines currently available in Macau, China’s Sinopharm inactivated vaccine and Germany’s BioNTech mRNA vaccine, are two-dose vaccines.
Finally, the statement urged eligible senior citizens not to rush to collect their “care package” as there are sufficient amounts.
A health worker talks to a senior citizen before administering a COVID-19 jab to her at the Mong Ha vaccination facility last month.
Photo: GCS
