Macau has reached another milestone on its long road towards COVID-19 recovery with the general vaccination rate this week passing 80%.
According to information from the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Center, Macau’s vaccination rate hit 80.2% as of 6.30pm on Wednesday, with more than 547,000 people now vaccinated against the virus.
The milestone was achieved following a recent push by authorities targeting elderly citizens, with the Health Services and the Social Action Institute currently hosting a series of vaccination sessions at which health professionals are disseminating the benefits of vaccination and answering questions.
Health professionals have also visited 24 homes for the elderly and 12 homes for the disabled to provide vaccinations. Up to 9 March, more than 90,000 elderly residents have been directly invited to be vaccinated, the Center said.
As reported by Inside Asian Gaming, Macau’s six concessionaires – Galaxy Entertainment Group, Melco Resorts, MGM China, Sands China, SJM Resorts and Wynn Macau – all recently announced various incentive programs by which staff can take leave in order to accompany young children or elderly relatives to be vaccinated.
The Center referenced a recent analysis by the Hong Kong Health Protection Center which found that 91.3% of the 1,341 people who had died of COVID-19 in Hong Kong had not been vaccinated.
Despite reaching 80%, Macau’s authorities have given no indication that border restrictions might be eased anytime soon with China continuing to pursue a dynamic zero-COVID policy.