The Macau government has announced that from tomorrow all those who book a jab on its COVID-19 vaccination appointment system will no longer be required to sign an informed consent form and fill in a self-health assessment questionnaire.
The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre made the announcement in a statement on Saturday, according to which those who book a COVID-19 jab will only be required to fill in their personal information.
The statement noted that when the “simplified procedure” for booking a COVID-19 jab takes effect tomorrow, it will be the same as the Health Bureau’s (SSM) procedures for booking various other general vaccinations such as influenza vaccines.
Since the launch of Macau’s COVID-19 vaccination programme in February 2021, all those who book a jab on the appointment system have been required to sign an informed consent form confirming that they understand all the details of COVID-19 vaccinations, such as benefits, the possible side effects, and contraindications to COVID-19 vaccinations. In addition, they are also required to fill in a self-health assessment questionnaire asking them a string of questions that enable the booking system to evaluate whether they are suitable for COVID-19 inoculations.
Saturday’s statement said that the Health Bureau has decided to cancel its requirement for signing the informed consent form and completing the self-health assessment on its COVID-19 booking system after considering that COVID-19 vaccines’ safety and effectiveness have been fully verified by the fact that over 13 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have now been administered worldwide.
From tomorrow, according to Saturday’s statement, health workers at the city’s COVID-19 vaccination facilities will administer COVID-19 doses in compliance with the Health Bureau’s procedures for giving various other general vaccines, such as asking potential vaccinees about their allergy history and their current state of health. Those who have been assessed by the health workers as being suitable for COVID-19 vaccinations can then receive their COVID-19 jabs, the statement said.
70 pct of world’s population has received at least one jab, 1.67 million doses given in Macau
The statement said that since COVID-19 vaccinations commenced extensively worldwide in January 2021, around 70 percent of the world’s population had received at least one COVID-19 jab as of Friday, and over 13 billion doses had been administered.
The statement said that since Macau’s COVID-19 vaccination programme began in February 2021, 1.67 million doses have been given, and over 90 percent of the city’s population have been fully (twice) inoculated against the novel coronavirus.
Consequently, the statement said, COVID-19 vaccines’ safety and effectiveness have been fully proved. The statement also said that latest research findings worldwide indicate that those with chronic diseases and those with a weak immune system should be even more willing to get vaccinated against COVID-19, and that COVID-19 vaccinations are also safe and effective for pregnant women.
Consequently, the statement said, the Macau Health Bureau’s requirement for signing an informed consent form and completing a self-health assessment on its COVID-19 booking system that was rolled out, when the vaccination programme commenced, due to possible unknown risks resulting from COVID-19 inoculations are now no longer justified to be continued. Because of this, the statement said, the requirement can now be cancelled.
The statement went on to say that COVID-19 vaccines’ possible side effects are similar to those of various other general vaccines, such as injection-site pain, fatigue, headache, muscle pain, joint pain, and fever. The statement said that the possible side effects after the vaccinations will normally subside in a few days after the vaccinees have had a rest or received symptomatic treatment, i.e., treatment that aims to relieve the symptoms.
The statement added that the possible side effects will not result in any long-term adverse effects.
The statement also advised potential COVID-19 vaccinees to choose the BioNTech mRNA bivalent vaccine when receiving their booster jabs with the aim of strengthening the level of protection against the Omicron variant.
No COVID-19 deaths for 16 days
Meanwhile, Macau has not recorded any COVID-19 fatalities for 16 consecutive days, from February 3 to 18, according to a statement by the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre yesterday, which announced that no fatalities were recorded on Saturday.
Consequently, Macau’s official COVID-19 death toll has remained unchanged at 121.
One new patient diagnosed with the novel coronavirus disease was admitted to the Health Bureau’s isolation and treatment facilities on Thursday, the centre announced in a statement on Friday.
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 3,511, of which 3,375 had meanwhile been cured.
The 16 consecutive days without any COVID-19 fatalities is the longest period in a row without any deaths caused by the novel coronavirus disease, since Macau’s seventh COVID-19 fatality was reported on December 13, a few days after the Macau government abandoned its long-running dynamic zero-COVID approach.
Before one fatality was reported on February 2, Macau had not recorded any COVID-19 fatalities for seven consecutive days, from January 26 to February 1.
A man stands outside the Ocean Gardens Health Centre yesterday, where COVID-19 BioNTech mRNA vaccinations are given. – Photo: Tony Wong
