The acting director of the emergency department of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, Chang Tam Fei, said yesterday that once COVID-19 infectees’ nucleic acid test (NAT) or rapid antigen test (RAT) turns negative, the chance of reinfection within three to six months after recovering from the first infection was “quite low”.
However, Chang underlined, one could not rule out that some people with a weakened immune system may experience a second infection.
Chang made the remarks in a phone-in programme hosted by public broadcaster TDM’s Chinese-language radio station, Ou Mun Tin Toi.
Regarding Macau’s falling COVID-19 vaccine numbers, Chang urged those who have not been infected to be vaccinated as soon as possible to reduce severe illness or even death.
Visits to emergency department ‘rise significantly’
Meanwhile, Chang pointed out that the public hospital’s emergency department has been facing “unprecedented” pressure and challenges with the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. However, he added, the hospital immediately activated its disaster response mechanism and suspended some less urgent services such as public health centres through resource allocation, in order to free up more staff to join frontline medical staff members. Chang, a physician, also said that many frontline medical staff members returned to work as soon as possible after their COVID-19 symptoms had subsided.
Chang also said that it might take time to adapt to the changes in the initial deployment of manpower, but he believed that the emergency department “has not yet exploded”, i.e., the public hospital’s resource allocation was still able to deal with the number of patients in the emergency department.
As the number of COVID-19 infections continues to rise, Chang said, the number of visits to the emergency department has also “increased significantly”. In the past few days, Chang pointed out, residents have used ambulances more than 400 times, which was more than double the normal service volume. Consequently, according to Chang, the hospital has arranged with the Fire Services Bureau (CB) to divert some mild, non-emergency patients to the community treatment centre at the Macau East Asian Games Dome in Cotai, saving resources to treat severe patients. In addition, Chang pointed out, patients in a stable condition have been discharged or transferred to rehabilitation beds.
A coordination team has been formed with the Macau Red Cross, Public Security Police (PSP), Transport Bureau (DSAT) and the Fire Services Bureau to transport patients to appropriate facilities in order to increase the number of available beds for patients and also to concentrate resources on the treatment of severe COVID-19 cases, while raising the number of treatment beds available in the emergency department’s 24-hour outpatient clinic, according to Chang.
Over 30,000 residents seek treatment from community clinics
Meanwhile, Luís Gomes, chief of the Education and Youth Development Bureau’s (DSEDJ) Non-Tertiary Education Department, said during yesterday’s phone-in programme that in order to effectively triage infected patients, the number of community clinics has been recently increased from three to 17, which already have served more than 30,000 residents with low treatment needs. In the past three days, he noted, nearly 3,000 residents sought medical treatment daily, down from a peak of 3,800 daily visits previously.
In response to the recent DSEDJ announcement that the resumption of non-higher education classes would be postponed to January 9, Gomes said that the arrangement had been made in accordance with the Health Bureau (SSM) and also with the consent of schools and teaching bodies to avoid the expected peak of Macau’s current COVID-19 wave, and also in order to prevent the widespread infection of teachers and students at the same time. Gomes pointed out that the bureau has made plans for senior and junior students’ teaching arrangements, adding he believed that the teaching progress of the whole academic year will not be affected due to the one-week delay in resuming in-class teaching after the current school holiday.
Public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre emergency department acting director Chang Tam Fei (behind) and Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ) Non-Tertiary Education Department Chief Luís Gomes pose during yesterday’s phone-in programme hosted by public broadcaster TDM’s Chinese-language radio station, Ou Mun Tin Toi. – Photo courtesy of TDM
