The Health Bureau (SSM) is mounting a campaign to get all of Macao vaccinated by conducting on-site inoculations at institutions and organisations.
Tai Wa Hou, the coordinator of the SSM’s Covid-19 vaccination programme, said that inoculations for those in retirement homes would be carried out later as senior citizens have a higher risk of having a post-vaccination adverse event, The Macau Post Daily reported.
SSM officials have said that on-site vaccination teams will be equipped with first aid equipment so as to deal with the possibility that someone could suffer an acute adverse reaction following their jab.
The SSM said earlier this month that Macao’s Covid-19 vaccination rate was still low as many residents did not think that there’s any urgency to be inoculated against Covid-19 due to the city’s stable novel coronavirus situation.
The bureau has been asking public entities, schools, social service organisations and community associations to arrange for their staff members to get the Covid-19 jabs collectively.
Tai said that on-site vaccinations will be carried out for young people first, and students at universities in particular.
“We will consider carrying out on-site Covid-19 vaccinations in retirement homes, but at least I can tell you that they will not be the first [to receive the on-site services],” Tai said.
“As Macao’s Covid-19 situation is stable, senior citizens are not our first choice for the on-site services. Just like in our Covid-19 vaccination programme, priority is given to those under the age of 60.”
“We will first choose young people for our upcoming outreach Covid-19 vaccination services. In particular, we plan to visit universities first to inoculate students there. We will add retirement homes at a later stage, when [Macao’s] vaccination rate reaches a certain level.”
Macao has not recorded a new Covid-19 case for four days, while no local case has been confirmed in 379 days.
The 49th Covid-19 was confirmed last Wednesday. The patient is still undergoing treatment at the isolation ward of the Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre.
