Around 6,000 customer-facing staff working for four of Macau’s gaming concessionaires had received their COVID-19 vaccinations as of Tuesday as part of the government’s latest push to boost vaccination rates, according to the Novel Coronavirus Response and Coordination Centre.
The government recently met with all six concessionaires to devise a strategy moving forward after expressing concerns over Macau’s low vaccination rate, which had seen only 13.7% of the population receive their first dose of vaccine as of late May. The result was a series of educational seminars and the establishment of temporary vaccination hubs within Macau’s IRs for the benefit of staff and their families.
The Health Bureau said Tuesday it has now completed its mass vaccination drives for Galaxy Entertainment Group MGM China, Melco Resorts and Sands China with around 6,000 employees receiving their vaccines. The vaccination plan for Wynn Macau runs from 14 to 17 June while another four-day vaccination service will take place for SJM next week.
The government believes the drives will result in around 10,000 individuals receiving vaccines once completed.
News of the vaccination results come just a week after the Macao Government Tourism Office issued a requirement for all staff and guests of Macau’s hotels and integrated resorts to wear masks, undergo temperature checks and provide a Macao Health Code due to a recent surge in cases in neighboring Guangdong Province.
Over 181,000 people in Macau have now received the COVID-19 vaccines with rates clearly starting to accelerate. The SAR is also storing 270,000 doses of Sinopharm and 15,000 BioTech vaccines with a new batch of 10,000 doses of BioTech due to arrive in Macau this weekend.
The government emphasized that it would provide enough amount vaccine doses for all citizens and encouraged the public to receive the vaccine sooner rather than later.