Health officials are investigating how the girl who was infected with Covid-19 Delta variant during a dance exchange trip to Xi’an was allowed to return to Macao, while widening the net to test everyone with whom she may have come into contact.
It has emerged that the girl developed symptoms, such as coughing and loss of taste and smell, on 22 July in Xi’an, but did not seek medical treatment, and returned to Macao on 25 July.
On 28 July, her brother developed a fever, and lost his sense of taste and smell the next day.
Their 51-year-old father, a Health Bureau (SSM) driver, and 43-year-old mother, developed similar symptoms on August 1 and 2 respectively. All four family members, who remain anonymous, have since tested positive for Covid-19.
The SSM identified the daughter as an imported case, whilst the other three family members as cases associated with the imported case.
The father works as a driver for the Health Bureau, mostly working at the Seac Pai Van Clinic and Coloane Health Clinic, while the mother works in a fruit stall at Rua da Emenda.
The government has identified 29 other members of Hou Kong Dance Group and three other workers at the mother’s fruit stall and is arranging Covid-19 tests for all of them, the Macau Daily Times reported.
Leong Iek Hou, coordinator at the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said that the government is investigating whether the girl truthfully declared her health status upon arrival in Macao. She claimed that she only had mild symptoms and no fever at the time, and recovered on 27 July.
Although the parents had been vaccinated, officials did not specify which vaccine they received, while their two children have yet to be vaccinated.
The Public Security Police Force has reached out to 29 members of Hou Kong Dance Group and is arranging Covid-19 and serology tests for them at the Pac On Covid-19 test station.
As of last night, 18 members of the troupe tested negative after the nucleic acid test. They remain under medical observation.
