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, said that Macau’s future COVID-19 jabs for residents will be non-mandatory and free of charge.
Lo also underlined that the COVID-19 vaccines to be bought by the Macau government will “surely” be safe and effective.
The Health Bureau (SSM) has said that the local government aims to purchase 1.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines covering the city’s whole population – two shots for each person.
According to the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC), Macau’s population stood at 682,800 at the end of the third quarter, comprising permanent and non-permanent residents as well as non-resident workers living in Macau (a major part of Macau’s non-resident workers live in Zhuhai).
Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U told lawmakers last week that in addition to the Macau government’s ongoing negotiations with various vaccine producers for the 1.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, it has also been discussing with certain vaccine producers the purchase of emergency COVID-19 vaccines, which were expected to be delivered to Macau by the end of this year.
Ao Ieong said last week that frontline workers subject to higher COVID-19 risk, such as medical workers, firefighters and police officers, would be the first to get jabs of the emergency COVID-19 vaccines to be delivered to Macau.
Ao Ieong also said last week that the Macau government expected the 1.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to be delivered to Macau in the first quarter of next year at the earliest.
Ao Ieong said last week that once COVID-19 vaccines are available for the city’s population, the government would carry out a gradual vaccination drive, with those who need to work or study outside Macau to get vaccinated first.
Also addressing last Wednesday’s plenary session in the legislature with Ao Ieong, Health Bureau (SSM) Director Lei Chin Ion pointed out that none of the COVID-19 vaccines under development has passed the third phase of clinical trials. He also noted that as COVID-19 emergency vaccines are those that while they have not been officially approved yet will nevertheless be put into the market first so that those who get emergency vaccine shots could be subject to certain health risks.
During yesterday’s press conference, Lo underlined that the Macau government has been contacting various vaccine producers from the mainland and abroad for its purchase of COVID-19 vaccines, adding that the Macau government will ensure that the COVID-19 vaccines to be used in Macau will be safe and effective.
Lo underlined that the timetable as to when the various COVID-19 vaccines could be supplied to Macau would depend on various factors, such as the final findings of their respective clinical research studies.
Lo pointed out that while the COVID-19 vaccines developed by many vaccine producers worldwide have already been undergoing the third phase of clinical trials, none of them has passed the third phase of clinical trials. Lo said that while the mid-term clinical research reports of some of the COVID-19 vaccines undergoing the third phase of clinical trials have been published, their final research findings are yet to be formally published in medical academic journals, which means that their safety and effectiveness would still need to be “proved by time”.
2 vaccination channels
Lo pointed out that the use of COVID-19 vaccines in any particular country or region will have two channels. Concerning the first channel, Lo said that the health authorities of certain countries with a serious COVID-19 epidemic would choose to grant an emergency authorisation for the use of certain COVID-19 vaccines so that high-risk people could get their jabs first.
Concerning the second – and typical – channel, COVID-19 vaccinations will only go to the market for vaccinating the general population after approval by the respective regulatory agencies after completing a three-phase clinical trial process, according to Lo, who said that this would require a longer period of time.
Lo said that, therefore, COVID-19 vaccinations in the near future would only be based on emergency approval.
Lo said that based on Macau’s current COVID-19 situation, the Macau government would not necessarily need to grant emergency approval for the use of COVID-19 vaccines in the city.
Lo underlined that the Macau government will heed the major principle of safety and effectiveness when importing COVID-19 vaccines. Lo said that the Macau government will not force residents, including frontline medical workers, to get vaccinated against COVID-19. “The vaccinations will be carried out on a voluntary basis,” Lo said, adding that the jabs will be free of charge for all residents.
No decision yet on jabs for non-resident workers
Lo also said that the government has not yet decided whether people other than local residents, such as non-resident workers, will be covered by the future free-of-charge COVID-19 vaccination drive, adding that the coverage would depend on Macau’s COVID-19 situation at the time when COVID-19 vaccines are available.
Lo also said that which specific groups of residents will covered by the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines to be delivered to Macau would depend on the number of doses of the vaccines, but the principle would be that those subject to higher COVID-19 risk and those with special needs would be the first to get shots of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines. Lo said that based on Macau’s current situation, those working in the frontline against COVID-19, such as medical workers, firefighters and police officers, as well as residents who need to travel to overseas, would be the first to get shots.
Macau has not recorded a new COVID-19 case for 164 days, while no local case has been confirmed in 253 days.
Meanwhile, Lo also said that 20,376 people have cumulatively undergone 14-day quarantine and medical observation in Macau – either at government-booked “quarantine hotels”, Health Bureau’s facilities or private homes – since early this year when the COVID-19 epidemic emerged. The vast majority of them have had their medical observation at the city’s so-called “quarantine hotels”. The bureau terminated home quarantine in late March.
As of yesterday, 1,402 people were in hotel quarantine.
Grand Coloane Resort rebooked as ‘quarantine hotel’
Meanwhile, the 200-room Grand Coloane Resort near Hac Sa Beach in Coloane has been rebooked by the government as a “quarantine hotel” in response to the rising number of people required to undergo medical observation. Including “ex-Westin” Grand Coloane Resort, Macau currently has five “quarantine hotels”.
20 special entry applications by foreigners approved
Meanwhile, Lo also said that the Health Bureau has so far received 139 applications from foreign nationals claiming special circumstances for permission to enter Macau from the mainland, a new measure that was implemented last Tuesday. The 139 applications involve 158 people.
Lo said that the Health Bureau has approved 20 applications and rejected 11 applications, adding that it was still assessing the other submitted applications.
Foreign nationals without a Macau ID card have been barred from entering Macau since March, regardless of where they have been before their intended entry into Macau.
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: Tony Wong
