A potential second round of nucleic acid testing (NAT) for the whole population of Macau has been prepared and can be implemented at any time, health authorities said yesterday during the daily Covid-19 pandemic briefing for Macau.
In response to a question from the media during the press conference, Dr. Tai Wa Hou, medical director of the Conde de São Januário Hospital Center and coordinator of the Health Bureau’s (SSM) Covid-19 Vaccination Operation, said, “we would not like to have a second round of mass testing but […] if there is one positive result [among the people under observation for having been in contact with an infected family], we might have to do it.”
He added, “we are analyzing all conditions and preparing for this possibility. If there is a second mass testing [round], we will for sure improve a lot on our work [when compared with the first round that occurred between August 4 and August 7].”
Tai explained that after the first mass testing process, the health authorities started to gather support from medical staff from the private sector who could help with similar operations in future.
“We have already some 500 people from the private sector that can help us in a future testing operation. They are now undergoing the necessary training. This is one of the things we will improve for a second round: the inclusion of more medical staff,” he remarked.
According to the same official, a number between 300 to 500 people is all that is needed to allow the local authorities to add more staff at NAT sample collection points, opening more booths at each collection point to make the process quicker and smoother.
“We think if we have 300 [to 500] people it will be enough to have NAT running smoothly, also taking into account the improvements that we have already implemented during the first operation.”
Asked to comment on rumors circulating that the second round of mass testing was being readied for implementation as soon as this weekend, Tai replied that “no decision has been made on having a mass test for this Saturday and Sunday. We are just preparing. If there is a need to do it, we can start immediately and we trust we can do it in a much better way.”
Adding to Tai’s statement, the coordinator of the local center for disease control and prevention, Dr. Leong Iek Hou, added that, for the time being, the efforts of health authorities are focused on clearing the possibility of infection of close contacts, as well as in ensuring that all the routes taken and places visited by the family of four during the period they were considered infectious have been traced, and that people of primary and secondary contact levels have been found and put under observation.
Under a two-day quarantine
Leong also advised that people that are considered of close contact in two venues frequented by one member of the family have been ordered to undergo medical observation quarantine for 48 hours.
In response to media questions, she explained that visits to such facilities had occurred already on July 29, i.e. over 14 days ago, and that these people had already participated in the first mass testing, all delivering negative results.
She added that the authorities are just being “extra careful” and keeping them under medical observation for this short period in which they need to undergo two more nucleic acid tests.
“If they take the new tests and are all negative there is no problem,” Leong said.
She added that, of the approximately 600 workers from the Public Administration Building, almost all had already been tested a second time and, so far, all the results obtained are negative.
Also negative were the results of the fourth round of NAT conducted for the people living in the so-called “red zone,” leading Leong to express confidence that there is a very low risk of more cases surfacing.
Public Administration Building to reopen on Monday
The Public Administration Building located at Rua do Campo will reopen to the public on Monday (August 16). The building has been closed to the public since yesterday because it had been visited by one of the infected residents.
The public services venue will reopen to the public as normal on Monday, following a thorough cleaning and disinfection.
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