Covid-19 | No plans to loosen border restrictions: SSM

Dr Leong Iek Hou, coordinator of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, has stressed the importance of stability in Macau, hence tighter measures need to be put in place to ensure that the risks brought in by foreign entrants can be lowered or even eliminated.
If in the future, she added, data proves that most patients will see their onset within the first seven days of virus contraction, a review on the quarantine measures will be considered.
This comes after the official was questioned yesterday at the regular health press briefing on the possibility of shortening the quarantine period for returnees from outside of the Greater China Region.
She declined the suggestion, saying that entrants from outside of the Greater China Region can see the onset of symptoms even after two weeks of quarantine, citing global and mainland data.
It is unclear whether she was referring to entrants carrying the stronger variant types of the virus or merely those returning from abroad.
Leong also stressed that the policy of allowing fully vaccinated people to participate in large-scale events without getting a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is still in force, but did not explain the risks that it may pose on the community especially since two of the four newest patients were fully vaccinated.

Severe AEFI case recorded
A case of severe adverse event following immunization (AEFI) has been recorded by the Health Bureau (SSM) after a Covid-19 vaccination was administered, Dr Tai Wa Hou, medical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital, announced.
The SSM received the case yesterday.
A 27-year-old woman was vaccinated with the second dose of the Comirnaty mRNA vaccine on the afternoon of August 13. That night, she had a palpitation condition, meaning she could perceive her own heartbeat and was aware of her cardiac muscle contractions.
She developed chest pain or chest tightness the next day. Concurrently, she felt tired and had a shortage of breath after performing activities.
Two days later, she approached the private Kiang Wu Hospital for medical support. Blood tests were carried out, which showed an increased cardiac troponin T level, signaling myocardial damage.
The Kiang Wu Hospital team issued a diagnosis of Myocarditis, otherwise known as inflammatory cardiomyopathy, and the patient was admitted to the hospital. It has recently been reported that she has improved symptoms and in a stable condition.
Due to the short time between her inoculation and the symptoms, her case was transferred to the SSM’s dedicated taskforce to assess if there were any correlations, Tai concluded.

No plan for second round of mass testing
The general public has been worried about the probable second round of citywide PCR tests. The concerns have arisen since the first round of tests caused unreasonably long queues across the city with members of the public waiting for hours under the sun and heavy rain to have their secretion samples collected.
Tai said there is no plan to commence a second round of the citywide testing because no infection has been discovered in the first round. Quarantine was also conducted on the community where the newest patients reside, hinting that an infection track may have been disconnected already, and it poses a lesser risk to the city.
In another matter, the SSM is now requiring local private pharmacists to ask buyers of antipyretics the reason of their purchase. If antipyretics is bought to reduce fever, the pharmacists should recommend the buyers to visit a private clinic.