Covid-19 | Gov’t to administer booster shots from next week

The Health Bureau will start administering third doses of the Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday November 9, Dr Tai Wa Hou, coordinator of the health authorities’ Covid-19 Vaccination Operation, announced yesterday at the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center’s press conference.
The vaccination plan will be delivered in two phases, with the first phase of the plan aimed at people with high-risk jobs, weak immune systems, and/or moderate to severely suppressed immune systems. The second phase of the vaccination plan “welcomes everyone who qualifies for the third dose of vaccine,” said Tai.
Anyone who has received both doses of the Sinopharm or BioNTech vaccines is eligible for a third dose once six months have passed since their second dose. However, the target group for BioNTech, will be those who work in high-risk locations, have low immunity, those who are living in homes or environments in which many people cohabit, those who intend to travel to high-risk places, and those aged over 60.
A fourth dose can be taken 28 days after the previous dose.
Date for HK and Macau
travel yet to be set
Hong Kong and China will soon open their borders for travelers, Tai said in reply to a media inquiry about whether Macau and Hong Kong border restrictions would soon be eased. He said that negotiations with Hong Kong have been taking place, but officials are still discussing the situation with China’s officials. The authorities do not yet have a date when border restrictions will be eased, but will update the public when any progress has been made.

Quarantine period to be adjusted accordingly
In light of some epidemiological experts around the world stating that a 14-day incubation period is more than sufficient to detect the Delta variant, authorities were asked whether they have any scientific basis for subjecting visitors to a 21-day quarantine period. Tai said that due visitors from all around the world coming to Macau and a number of Covid-19 variants being spread worldwide, the extra seven days of quarantine are in place as a precaution. He added that these measures are not permanent, and will be adjusted according to the reality of the pandemic situation.

NAT validity might be extended
Authorities had previously mentioned the possibility of extending the validity period for nucleic acid tests (NAT) for Macau and Zhuhai travel. Although the pandemic situation in Macau has calmed down recently, several regions in mainland China still have Covid-19 cases. As such, the Health Bureau is negotiating with Guangdong authorities amid the situation, and does not yet have a confirmed date when the validity of NATs will be extended. Staff reporter