The Macau government is in touch with several vaccine manufacturers regarding the prospective purchase of Covid-19 vaccinations, although safety always comes first, Dr Alvis Lo of the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center remarked yesterday.
Previous news reports have pointed out that the vaccine developed by American pharmaceutical company Pfizer has recorded effectiveness of above 90%. The local government previously announced that it has signed an international agreement regarding the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines, and Lo was asked if the agreement included the right to purchase this particular vaccine.
The medical doctor first assured that the government takes the procurement of a vaccine very seriously. The pharmaceutical companies with which the Macau government is or has been in touch with operate in both the mainland and abroad, which hints that Pfizer may be included in the negotiation.
However, the medical doctor added that it was still too early to discuss purchasing a particular type or brand of Covid-19 vaccine, although the government is considering all types.
Currently around the world, three technical types of Covid-19 vaccine are predominantly being developed: protein, nucleic acid and inactivated or live-attenuated vaccines. “The government is eyeing vaccines of different technical types,” Lo disclosed.
Furthermore, he explained that the reports on the effectiveness of the Pfizer vaccine were based on the “mid-term reviews of its third test phase.” The medical doctor has explained several times at the weekly press briefing that any vaccine must undergo three phases of testing before it can receive approval from any authority and be sold on the market, should no incidents or accidents occur across these stages.
“We need to wait until the conclusion of all test phases to determine which vaccine is better,” Lo concluded.
Due to confidentiality requirements, the medical doctor could not make any further disclosures regarding the preliminary agreements that have currently been made.
The 24th round of the Centralized Mask Supply Scheme will begin this coming Saturday, November 28, and end on December 27, meaning that it will remain a supply period of 30 days. Each eligible Macau ID or non-resident working permit holder is eligible to purchase 30 adult masks for the price of MOP24.
A child ID holder between ages 3 and 8 is eligible to get 30 child masks, 30 adult masks, or 15 of each. Child masks can only be purchased at government Health Centers.
In accordance with current guidelines on sporting events issued by the Novel Coronavirus Center, all runners participating in the Macau International Marathon will be required to take a Covid-19 test in order to become fully eligible for the race, which will be held on December 6.
Leong Iek Hou, coordinator at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, which is a member of the Novel Coronavirus Center, was confident, based on the daily Covid-19 testing capacity citywide, that all athletes will be tested by race day.
The daily test limit of the city is nearly 30,000 people. The marathon will see, at a maximum, 12,000 runners.
In the latest Policy Address, it was stated that one or more makeshift hospitals would be established in response to a possible sudden Covid-19 outbreak in Macau.
Lo, when questioned on the topic, said that preparations have always been in progress. The facility will only open in the worst-case scenario. The opening of the hospitals will be able to happen within a short time. “We don’t wish to see its inauguration, however,” he added.
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