Macau recorded 411 COVID-19 infections on Monday, an increase of 170.4 percent from the 152 infections reported on Sunday, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced in a statement yesterday.
According to the statement, seven new COVID-19 patients were admitted to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre on Monday for treatment.
Consequently, a total of 145 new COVID-19 patients were admitted to treatment facilities between May 1 and June 5.
Macau’s current peak of COVID-19 infections started early last month.
Last month, there were only three days when Macau had no new COVID-19 patients admitted to treatment facilities.
Similarly, both the mainland and Hong Kong have also been affected by a new peak of COVID-19 infections over recent weeks.
Omicron XBB is the currently prevalent subvariant in Macau, and also in the mainland and Hong Kong.
Macau has not recorded any COVID-19 fatalities for six consecutive days, from Wednesday last week to Monday, after the latest COVID-19 fatality was recorded on Tuesday last week.
Before the latest fatality on Tuesday last week, Macau had not recorded any COVID-19 fatalities for 116 days in a row, from February 3 to May 29.
Macau’s official COVID-19 death toll currently stands at 122.
15th round of RAT kit purchase scheme to start Friday
Meanwhile, the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre announced in a separate statement yesterday that the government’s 15th round of its rapid antigen test (RAT) kit purchase scheme will start on Friday.
As in previous rounds, the 15th round of the programme will run for 14 days, between Friday and June 22, 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 15th round will be sold at 55 designated pharmacies, five venues run by the Macau Women’s General Association (known as Fu Luen in Cantonese), and five venues run by the Macau Federation of Trade Unions (Gung Luen).
The Macau government rolled out the programme in early December last year, 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 local government has still not said when it will eventually cancel its COVID-19 RAT kit purchase scheme, as well as its facemask purchase scheme, which was rolled out in early 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began to affect the city.
