A local family of six who returned to Macau on Wednesday from Uganda via Dubai, the Maldives and Singapore have tested positive for COVID-19, Macau’s Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced yesterday.
All of them are local residents.
According to a statement by the centre, the six asymptomatic patients are a 44-year-old woman, her three sons aged 7, 13 and 15, her 11-year-old daughter, and her 43-year-old husband.
The family flew from Uganda to Dubai on Sunday, from where they flew to the Maldives on Tuesday, when they then caught a connecting flight to Singapore. They returned to Macau the next day.
All six members of the family tested positive for the novel coronavirus upon arrival at the local airport on Wednesday.
The couple had previously received three mRNA jabs, while none of the four children have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
According to the statement, the 13-year-old and 15-year-old boys each hold a certificate issued by Uganda’s health authorities confirming that they are unable to be inoculated against the novel coronavirus.
All those aged 12 or over departing for Macau from foreign countries must have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Meanwhile, yesterday’s statement also announced another asymptomatic COVID-19 case, a 44-year-old local man who returned to Macau on Wednesday from the United States via Singapore. He had previously received three mRNA jabs.
The seven cases have raised Macau’s asymptomatic COVID-19 tally to 171.
Macau’s total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases remains at 83.
2 ‘re-positive’ cases from Portugal
Meanwhile, yesterday’s statement also announced two COVID-19 “re-positive” cases imported from Portugal.
Both are local residents who returned to Macau on Wednesday from Portugal via Germany and Singapore.
The two “re-positive” patients comprise an 85-year-old woman and a 55-year-old man. Both had previously received three mRNA jabs.
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 two patients’ cases have been classified as “re-positive” cases as both had previously been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease.
All nine asymptomatic or “re-positive” patients are now undergoing isolation at the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Public Health Clinical Centre in Coloane.
COVID-19 “re-positive” cases are not classified as confirmed COVID-19 cases for Macau, neither are they classified as asymptomatic COVID-19 cases.
