Alvis Lo Iek Long, a clinical director of the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre, said during Monday’s press conference that the Macao government has started discussing details about its purchase of Covid-19 vaccines with producers from the mainland and abroad which are widely expected to commence production of Covid-19 vaccines in the near future.
Lo underlined that the Macao government has been sourcing Covid-19 vaccines through various channels so it has contacted vaccine producers which have been developing Covid-19 vaccines based on different technological approaches, such as recombinant protein vaccines, nucleic acid vaccines and inactivated vaccines, for the possible purchase of the producers’ future Covid-19 vaccines.
24th round of facemask sales
Meanwhile, the 24th round of the government’s facemask purchase scheme will start on Saturday. The facemasks sold under the scheme are colloquially known as “government facemasks”.
Under the facemask purchase scheme, each local resident, non-resident worker and non-local student enrolled in Macao’s higher education institutions is entitled to buy 30 facemasks at the fixed price of MOP 24 every 30 days at designated outlets upon presentation of their original Macao ID card, work permit or student card.
Under the 30-day scheme, parents or legal guardians are entitled to buy 30 facemasks for each child aged between three and eight.
There will be 84 outlets for the upcoming round of the scheme which runs until December 27, comprising 57 designated pharmacies, eight health centres in Macao and Taipa and two health stations in Coloane run by the Health Bureau, as well as 17 so-called service points run by the Macao Federation of Trade Unions (Gung Luen), Macau General Union of Neighbourhood Associations (Kai Fong) and Macau Women’s General Association (Fu Luen).
160 million ‘government facemasks’ sold
Lo said that 160 million facemasks have been sold under the government’s facemask purchase scheme since its launch in January. Lo also said that fewer facemasks were sold in each of the recent three rounds of the scheme as it has become easier for residents to buy more reasonably priced facemasks in the private market as well.
Community-based Covid-19 control measures
Meanwhile, Lo reaffirmed that the local government has been studying how to implement the mainland-style community-based Covid-19 control measures in Macao – in case it confirms new local Covid-19 cases.
Lo said that the more accurate the community-based Covid-19 control measures are implemented, the less the operation of civil society and its economic activities would be affected.
(The Macau Post Daily/Macao News)
Photo by Government Information Bureau (GCS)
