Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) Director Kong Chi Meng said yesterday that as of 3 p.m. about 400,000 people had signed up for the third round of the city’s current mass nucleic acid tests (NATs) during the current COVID 19 outbreak, of whom around 130,000 had had their test already, adding he was confident that everyone in Macau will have had their tests for COVID-19 by 6 p.m. today when the current outbreak’s third mandatory mass testing drive ends.
The testing drive began at 9 a.m. yesterday.
Kong made remarks on the sidelines of his inspection visit to a new NAT station at Sacred Heart Canossian College (English Section) at 86 Avenida do Ouvidor Arriaga.
Kong said while the time frame has been shortened for this round of NATs, nine nucleic acid test stations have been added, while more sample collection points for the COVID-19 testing have been set up in some stations, adding that based on his observation, people waited for less than half an hour yesterday morning to get tested.
Kong pointed out that as the demand for workers increased for additional stations, more government officials from different entities, such as the Public Prosecutions Office (MP), Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) and the Commission of Audit (CA) have been participating in anti-epidemic works. He added that when there are enough staff working at the NAT testing stations, the staff can rotate shifts, especially those working outdoors.
Kong underlined that 61 NAT stations are in operation in the current mandatory testing drive, nine of which have been newly added, adding that the new NAT stations are basically running smoothly.
Apart from the regular NAT stations, the government has increased the number of nucleic acid sampling vehicles in some areas, such as Coloane, in order to make it more convenient for people there to get tested for COVID-19, Kong said, adding that as of yesterday afternoon, around 400 to 500 residents had been tested for COVID-19 in the vehicles.
Meanwhile, Kong urged the public to take one rapid antigen test (self-testing) (RAT) for COVID-19 and upload the results to the system in the Macau Health Code before they undergo a nucleic acid test, underlining that only people with a negative result from their RAT are able to enter a NAT station.
Kong noted that 570,000 people uploaded the results from their rapid antigen test to the system on Sunday. Therefore, he said, he believed that most people have adapted to the arrangements for self-testing.
When asked about some people who claimed that some NAT stations did not give them rapid antigen test kits, Kong said that he has not received any information about the lack of supplies, such as facemasks and rapid antigen test kits, from NAT stations. However, he said, such supplies will be restocked immediately if there is a shortage. Kong underlined that if residents did not receive the KN95 facemasks or rapid antigen test kits after their nucleic acid test, they can still register to receive them.
Testees queue yesterday at the NAT station in the Sacred Heart Canossian College (English Section). Photos: Yuki Lei
Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) Director Kong Chi Meng talks to reporters yesterday after his inspection visit to a nucleic acid test (NAT) station at the Sacred Heart Canossian College (English Section).
