Senior citizens and anyone suffering from a severe illness should take extra care of their health over the Chinese New Year, which is set to be especially cold.
The Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre said that to reduce the risk of being infected with Covid-19 or other respiratory infections, people should get their Covid-19 and flu jabs on time. They should also wear their facemask, maintain social distancing, wash their hands frequently and never touch their eyes, nose and mouth before cleaning their hands.
People should pay close attention to cough etiquette, which means they should cover their mouth and nose with a tissue or elbow when sneezing or coughing, after which they should dispose of their used tissue properly, the bureau noted, adding that people should always allow plenty of fresh air in rooms, while senior citizens and people with chronic diseases should avoid staying in crowded places.
Those who develop symptoms such as fever, sore throat, runny nose and cough should seek immediate medical attention, try to stay at home and avoid using public transport, the bureau underlined.
After the transition period of the novel coronavirus infection, Covid-19 has become an endemic disease in Macao, the bureau pointed out.
The bureau said that as new variants of the novel coronavirus emerge around the world, and as people-to-people exchanges between Macao and other countries and regions increase, it was expected that there will be periodic Covid-19 infection peaks from time to time, as was the case around the world, adding that with the increasing number of times, people are going out for events and engage in more person-to-person contacts, the risk of disease transmission will also be increased.
The elderly and people with severe chronic underlying diseases are still at higher risk of severe illness and could even die after being infected with Covid-19.
The majority of children and adolescents infected with Covid-19 are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms, but they may develop a rare but severe paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) for some time after recovery, even though it usually occurs between two and six weeks after infection, the statement said, adding that MIS-C is a group of symptoms such as persistent fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain, rash, abnormal fatigue, rapid heartbeat, rapid breathing, red eyes, red or swollen lips and tongue, red or swollen hands and feet, headache, dizziness or heavy head, or swollen lymph nodes.
Parents of children who have recently been infected with Covid-19 should seek medical attention for them as soon as possible if they experience any of the symptoms or suffer from such as severe stomach pain, difficulty breathing, whitening, greying or bluing of the skin, lips or nail bed, confusion, drowsiness, and unconsciousness, the bureau stressed.
The winter and spring seasons are also the influenza peak, and its transmission in Macao is usually from January to March, with another small peak from June to August. After receiving the influenza vaccine, it usually takes at least two to three weeks to produce enough antibodies to achieve the protective effect, The Macau Post Daily reported.
