Addressing yesterday’s press conference about Macau’s novel coronavirus situation, Alvis Lo Iek Long, a clinical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, announced that the local government has raised from today the quota for its nucleic acid testing (NAT) scheme’s online appointment system to 19,000 people per day, in response to the recent rising demand for COVID-19 testing as many residents are planning to travel outside Macau around the upcoming National Day-cum-Mid Autumn Festival holiday period, which starts on Thursday.
The Health Bureau (SSM) has commissioned a third-party testing institution – Kuok Kim (Macau) Hygiene Examination Company Limited – to carry out COVID-19 testing under its NAT scheme, which was launched in May, at two testing stations – the main one at the Taipa Ferry Terminal in Pac On and the other one at the Macau Forum complex in Zape. The private Kiang Wu Hospital and the University Hospital run by the private Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) joined the government’s NAT scheme last month and last week respectively.
Macau residents and non-resident workers (informally known as blue card holders) are exempted from the testing fee of 120 patacas when undergoing their first COVID-19 test at the Pac On testing station and the Macau Forum testing station, while they do not enjoy the first-test fee waiver when undergoing the nucleic acid test at Kiang Wu Hospital and the University Hospital, as the two hospitals have applied to provide COVID-19 testing service under the government’s NAT scheme so that it is not a service outsourced by the government, unlike Kuok Kim which has been commissioned by the government to carry out COVID-19 testing under its NAT scheme.
This year’s Mid-Autumn Festival on the 15th day of the 8th month on the lunar calendar this year coincides with National Day on October 1. The National Day and the day after the Mid-Autumn Festival are public holidays in Macau, as well as mandatory holidays. Therefore many residents will be able to enjoy a holiday of at least four days, from Thursday to Sunday. Besides, next Monday is a holiday for Macau’s public servants.
Lo said yesterday that the government had noticed an “obvious” increase in the number of residents undergoing COVID-19 tests under its NAT scheme in recent days, due to the fact that many locals are planning to travel outside Macau during the approaching holiday period. Lo said that therefore the government had already raised the quota for COVID-19 testing carried out at the Pac On testing station and the Macau Forum testing station from the initial 11,000 to 13,000 people per day on Saturday last week.
Lo said that the NAT scheme’s quota for COVID-19 testing carried out at Kiang Wu Hospital and the University Hospital was each raised by 500 people per day yesterday, while the quota in the two hospitals will be raised to 3,000 people each per day today.
Before yesterday’s increase in the NAT quota at the two hospitals, Kiang Wu Hospital had 1,000 places available per day, while 500 places per day were available at the University Hospital.
Lo said that consequently from today a total of 19,000 places per day are available for people to make an online appointment for COVID-19 tests under the government’s NAT scheme, adding that the government believes that this can meet the rising demand of local residents wanting to undergo nucleic acid tests due to their travel plans outside Macau.
Facemask scheme extended to non-local students
Meanwhile, Lo also announced that non-local students enrolled in Macau’s higher education institutions are also entitled to the government’s facemask purchase scheme from today, when the scheme’s 22nd round starts.
Before today’s new facemask measure benefitting non-local students, the scheme only covered local residents and non-resident workers, according to which each of them is entitled to buy 30 facemasks at the fixed price of 24 patacas every 30 days at designated outlets upon presentation of their original Macau ID card or work permit.
Under the 30-day scheme, parents or legal guardians are entitled to buy 30 facemasks for each child aged between three and eight.
The facemasks sold under the scheme are colloquially known as “government facemasks”.
According to Lo, the non-local students enrolled in the city’s higher education institutions have to present their student cards when buying their facemasks at the scheme’s 85 outlets, comprising 57 designated pharmacies, eight health centres in Macau and Taipa and two health stations in Coloane run by the Health Bureau, and 18 community association venues.
Lo also announced that the Health Bureau has now changed the opening hours for people to buy their “government facemasks” at its eight health centres and two health stations, where the facemasks will now be sold from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays, while the 10 outlets will be closed on Saturdays. Before the new opening hours were announced, the 10 outlets were open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. every day for the sale of the “government facemasks”, according to Lo. This means that new arrangement will take effect on Saturday.
COVID-19 vaccines to cover 150,000 residents first
Meanwhile, the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Control of Communicable Diseases and Surveillance of Diseases Department Coordinator Leong Iek Hou said during yesterday’s press conference that the Macau government is confident that the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines will be delivered to Macau early next year, covering some 150,000 residents comprising frontline medical workers and high-risk people.
The Health Bureau said last week that the Macau government will purchase 1.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines covering the city’s whole population as each person will need two shots in order for the vaccine to be effective. According to official statistics, Macau had a population – comprising residents and non-resident workers – of 685,400 at the end of the second quarter.
The Health Bureau has said that once Macau is able to purchase COVID-19 vaccines, the elderly, chronically-ill patients and anti-COVID-19 medical workers will be the first to get vaccinated.
Leong said yesterday that the 1.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to be bought by the government are expected to be delivered to Macau in phases, adding that therefore it will first vaccinate medical workers and high-risk residents, namely the elderly and chronically-ill patients – who are more easily subject to complications after being infected with the novel coronavirus disease.
Lo pointed out that about 200 COVID-19 vaccines are under development worldwide, nine of which are currently undergoing the third phase of clinical trials. Lo underlined that Macau has joined the global vaccine collective procurement initiative – known as COVAX Facility, which will guarantee that Macau will be able to purchase COVID-19 vaccines covering 20 percent of its population.
Macau has not recorded a new COVID-19 case for 94 days, while no local case has been confirmed in 183 days.
Alvis Lo Iek Long, one of the three clinical directors of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, addresses yesterday’s press conference about the city’s novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. Photo: GCS
