Travellers arriving in Macao from Hong Kong and Taiwan may need a booster jab under new entry measures starting on Monday.
Many of the Covid-19 vaccines that are being used worldwide are two-dose vaccines, meaning that people who have received their second jab at least 14 days prior are regarded as having been fully inoculated against Covid-19, the Novel Coronavirus and Coordination Centre has explained.
Both types of Covid-19 vaccines currently available in Macao, China’s Sinopharm inactivated vaccine and Germany’s BioNTech mRNA vaccine, are two-dose vaccines.
In addition to the Sinopharm vaccine and the BioNTech vaccine, other two-dose Covid-19 vaccines that are being used worldwide also include China’s Sinovac inactivated vaccine, an mRNA vaccine developed by US-company Moderna, and the AstraZeneca-Oxford adenovirus vector vaccine.
The centre pointed out that China’s CanSinoBIO adenovirus vector vaccine, and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen adenovirus vector vaccine, are both single-dose Covid-19 vaccines, meaning that those who have received one jab of either of the two vaccines at least 14 days prior are regarded as having developed basic full immunity against the novel coronavirus.
The centre also pointed out that the Zifivax recombinant protein Covid-19 vaccine produced by Chinese biopharmaceutical company Anhui Zhifei Longcom is a three-dose vaccine, meaning that those who have been inoculated with the Zifivax vaccine can only be regarded as having been fully inoculated against the novel coronavirus at least 14 days after receiving their third dose.
New entry measures for arrivals from Hong Kong and Taiwan, which will take effect next Monday, mean that people who have had the last required shot of a Covid-19 vaccine more than seven months ago will have to receive a booster jab in order for them to meet the Macao government’s mandatory Covid-19 vaccination requirement.
In related news, Guangdong reported a total of 19 imported Covid-19 cases from Hong Kong on Tuesday, comprising eight in Shenzhen, four in Dongguan, four in Foshan, two in Guangzhou, and one in Zhuhai. In addition, three Covid-19 asymptomatic cases imported from Hong Kong were also reported in Dongguan on Tuesday.
The Public Security Police has urged residents to cross the border checkpoints less often in the wake of “the latest Covid-19 development in neighbouring regions”.
The PSP said that people commuting between Macao and Zhuhai should only travel between their workplace, their home and Covid-19 testing stations, The Macau Post Daily reported.
