After lifting restrictions earlier this month, Chinese authorities have warned of successive waves of COVID infections. As infections surge, mainlanders are looking to visit the neighbouring Chinese territory of Macau to receive mRNA vaccines.
The Chinese mainland has yet to approve the mRNA vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. As a result, the demand for the vaccine in Macau has surged in recent weeks. Regulatory authorities in Beijing are still analysing the effectiveness of the mRNA technology while the company continues to submit vaccination trial data on a rolling basis.
Mainlanders are rushing to get the mRNA vaccine in Macau
As China eases its stringent zero-COVID disease-control policy, it battles a surge in cases. Health authorities have urged local governments to speed up vaccination of the elderly, who have higher chances of developing severe illness.
With no quarantine requirement, it’s convenient for mainland tourists to travel to Macau. Macau recently eased test requirements on all arrivals from the mainland. Visitors must now produce a negative test result within 72 hours rather than 48. Macau’s government also said that it would cancel its regulations on risk zones in mainland China.
Where to get the mRNA vaccine in Macau?
One can receive the mRNA vaccine at Macao University of Science and Technology. Currently, the Macao University of Science and Technology hospital is the only vaccination site open to mainland tourists. However, with the surge in demand, a second centre may soon be open for vaccination.
The vaccine available to mainland tourists is for the original COVID-19 strain. The bivalent vaccine targeting new variants is still not available for mainland visitors. However, there are no vaccination slots available till the end of January.
Macau relies heavily on Chinese visitors
Sure, tourists are rushing to Macau for the vaccine right now. But there’s a Macao outside of the casinos, one of the churches, fishing villages and trendy restaurants. Macau relies heavily on Chinese visitors and naturally suffered heavy losses during the pandemic. Tourists from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan account for more than 90% of visitors in a year.
Planning to travel to Macau? Here are some stunning properties to book:
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(Hero and feature image credits: Wikimedia Commons)
