Covid-19 | Gov’t to step up PCR frequency for four groups of individuals

Certain individuals will be institutionally required to take the Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test as often as once per day, Dr Tai Wa Hou, medical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital (CHCSJ), announced at the regular press briefing yesterday.
Tai said that these key groups will include medical staff who are in contact with Covid-19 patients, border and commercial airline crew members, quarantine hotel workers and handlers of frozen food cargoes.
These groups of individuals are required to take at least one PCR test every seven days. Their employers, workplace attendants or guards must check the validity of their health codes every day that they go in to work.
Certain individuals within these groups who face higher occupational risks will be subjected to more frequent testing, according to Tai. These individuals include commercial airliner janitors and “other workers who have direct contact with international visitors,” Tai said, noting that they will be required to take the PCR test every day.
According to Tai, the stricter measures are required to defend against imported new cases and new outbreaks, and are in accordance with the suggestions of the National Health Commission’s (NHC) expert team. He added that the two recent asymptomatic cases in Guangzhou also posed intensifying risks to the city.
At the same series of press conferences last week, Tai made it clear that the NHC experts are not happy with the city’s vaccination rate. He disclosed that the government was evaluating ways to encourage a higher vaccination rate within Macau.
The health authority is eyeing certain “specific groups of individuals,” which include civil servants, other medical staff, social work institution staff, teaching and campus staffs, public transport drivers, as well as “other groups exposed to high risks” who may be subject to “strengthening measures,” according to Tai.
Tai disclosed that the authority is considering updating the vaccination and PCR testing measures on these groups. He hinted that the measures should be unveiled soon.
Tai said that for the time being, the PCR test will be free-of-charge for these workers.
There is somewhat of a loophole, however, because Tai explained that the PCR test results will be shown on the health code, which means that the test takers can use the results to visit mainland China.
“This is not our goal, of course, but we’ll explore technically how we can change this [loophole],” the medical doctor said. The use of PCR testing for the purposes of visiting mainland China is out of the reasonable scope of fund allocations.

Son in family of four recovered
The 15-year-old son in the family of four diagnosed with Covid-19 in early August left hospital yesterday and is now in recovery quarantine in the Public Health Clinical Center in Coloane.
He will be released from quarantine on October 3 if he does not relapse.
Tai revealed that the teenager was in a stable condition during the entire hospitalization period. He only experienced a slight loss of the senses of smell and taste.