The government announced at yesterday’s weekly Covid-19 press conference that 800,000 vaccines are expected to arrive in phases from January next year, with frontline medical staff and paramedics being prioritized.
Yesterday was also the first time the government disclosed that it opened discussion with pharmaceutical companies in March this year, which was about one month after Macau’s first cases.
In July and September, the local government participated in and signed an agreement with the COVAX Facility, which aims to accelerate Covid-19 vaccine research and development.
The three most viable types of vaccine are the inactivated virus type by China’s Sinopharm Group, the mRNA type by Germany’s BioNTech SE and the adenovirus vector type by British-Swedish AstraZeneca.
Dr Leong Iek Hou of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday that the government has expressed its intention to purchase 400,000 shots from each manufacturer.
However, the adenovirus vector type of vaccine has not yet been approved by any jurisdiction so far. Comparatively, the other two have been approved in some places, such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain for the Chinese vaccine, and the U.K. and the U.S., under emergency conditions, for the German-branded vaccine.
With that said, the government estimates the first two types of vaccines will arrive early next year, while the last type, from AstraZeneca, only arriving in the second quarter.
Each type has its own pros and cons, but the mRNA type has raised extra concerns. Leong remarked that it is a new type of vaccine, and therefore there are greater concerns over its efficacy.
When the vaccines arrive, the authorities will administer the shots in phases, but will prioritize frontline epidemic control staff, including medical staff, fire fighters and paramedics, as well as police officers.
Furthermore, transport workers and frozen food processors will be prioritized. Lastly, local residents who need to travel abroad will also be prioritized.
After these phases, the government will roll out the vaccines to other residents.
Nonetheless, Leong stressed that the vaccination will be administered on a voluntary basis. Her colleague, medical director of the government hospital, Dr Alvis Lo, as well as their superintendent, Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Elsie Ao Ieong, previously made a similar pledge.
There might be conflicts between the vaccinations being voluntary and the workers being prioritized, though. It is unclear if frontline epidemic control personnel will be barred from work unless they are vaccinated.
In the early phase of the vaccination scheme, certain people will not be accepted, namely minors under the age of 16, and women who are pregnant or plan to be so within the next three months.
Leong’s justification was the insufficient data to support the administration of the vaccines to these groups. In order to avoid complications, they should therefore wait.
Lo has previously emphasized that the local vaccination scheme will only roll out when available vaccines pass all necessary tests and show positive results. News from various sources have reported that no vaccines have passed all three mandatory phases of testing.
When questioned about the contradictions, Lo based his explanation on principle of trust, saying that the mid-term review of these vaccines has yielded acceptable results.
Furthermore, he said that in normal circumstances, a test of a vaccine administered on a group of tens of thousands of people should be – experientially – able to spot any complications or side effects.
“It is very likely that these pharmaceutical companies found more pros than cons in these vaccines,” Lo explained.
Gov’t allows ‘self-selected quarantine hotels’
After taking references from “nearby places,” the government is now greenlighting people to make their own choice of quarantine hotel between the Sheraton Grand Macao and the yet-to-be-unveiled Lisboeta Macau.
The updated scheme will kick off with a trial period from December 20 until January 31. A review will be conducted at the end to determine its suspension or continuation.
The update came days after Hong Kong announced its quarantine hotel plans, which allow people to choose to stay in luxury hotels such as the Landmark Mandarin Oriental and the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel and Tower.
Under the updated scheme, non-locals coming into Macau will be sent to either of the two choices of hotel at their own cost. The option to be quarantined at other hotels is unavailable.
Meanwhile, local residents and relatives with them will have the freedom to choose to stay in a designated or self-selected hotel. Staying at a self-selected hotel, nonetheless, will be at their own cost. The government will not offer any subsidy or waiver.
The government has not yet announced how bookings should be made.
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