Five more people died of the novel coronavirus disease on Tuesday, raising Macau’s official COVID-19 death toll to 61, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced yesterday.
According to a statement by the centre, the five victims, four males and one female, aged between 88 and 94, had all suffered from underlying diseases.
None of the five fatalities had been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus, the statement said.
The first six of the 61 COVID-19 fatalities were reported during Macau’s previous COVID-19 outbreak that began on June 18 last year and started to subside in late July, colloquially known as 618 outbreak in Cantonese. The Macau government was pursuing a dynamic zero-COVID approach when the city was hit by the 618 outbreak.
The seventh fatality was reported on December 13, a few days after the Macau government switched to an adjusted anti-COVID-19 approach that implicitly allows constant transmissions of the novel coronavirus in the community.
Macau logs 104 new patients on Tuesday
Meanwhile, yesterday’s statement also announced that 104 new patients diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease were admitted to the Health Bureau’s (SSM) isolation and treatment facilities on Tuesday.
The Health Bureau’s isolation and treatment facilities currently comprise the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, the Public Health Clinical Centre in Coloane, and hotels used for isolation treatment.
According to the Health Bureau’s COVID-19 website, which was updated yesterday, Macau’s official cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases stood at 2,907, of which 2,607 had meanwhile been cured.
4th round of RAT kit purchase scheme to start
Meanwhile, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre also announced in a separate statement yesterday that the government’s fourth round of its rapid antigen test (RAT) kit purchase scheme will start tomorrow.
The fourth round of the programme will run for 14 days between tomorrow and January 19, during which each local resident, non-resident worker and non-local student enrolled in Macau’s higher education institutions will be entitled to buy a total of 10 RAT kits at the fixed price of 40 patacas at designated outlets, i.e., four patacas per kit.
According to the statement, COVID-19 RAT kits provided by the programme’s fourth round will be sold at 55 designated pharmacies, five venues run by the Macau Women’s General Association (known as Fu Luen in Cantonese), five venues run by the Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations (Kai Fong), and six venues run by the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (Gung Luen).
The Macau government rolled out the programme early last month, enabling local residents, non-resident workers, and non-local students enrolled in Macau’s higher education institutions to buy RAT kits used for COVID-19 self-tests from designated outlets at a discounted price.
The first round providing each eligible individual with a total of only five RAT kits, which started on December 6, was originally slated to run for 30 days until yesterday. However, the government decided to end the first round on December 15 and to start the second round on December 16. The second round sold each eligible individual a total of five RAT kits during a seven-day period. The third and current round, which started on December 23 and will end today, is selling each eligible individual a total of 10 RAT kits during a 14-day period.
This file photo taken last year shows a box of five COVID-19 rapid antigen test (RAT) kits. – Photo: GCS
