During yesterday’s press conference by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre, Leong Iek Hou, who heads the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Division, confirmed that the bureau will buy monkeypox vaccine from Denmark’s Bavarian Nordic.
Leong did not mention when the jabs are slated to be delivered to Macau, merely saying that the bureau was still discussing details about the delivery with the manufacturer.
The Hong Kong government announced on Wednesday that it will start its monkeypox vaccinations for high-risk groups of people early next month.
According to international news reports, there is currently only one biotechnology company that produces an approved vaccine for monkeypox, the Jynneos vaccine developed by Bavarian Nordic.
Leong underlined that the Macau government will not vaccinate the general population against monkeypox. She noted that the World Health Organisation (WHO) currently recommends that monkeypox doses should only be administered to high-risk groups such as those with high-risk sexual practices (such as gays and those with multiple sexual partners) and healthcare workers tasked with taking care of monkeypox patients.
