Chinese Tourists Gamble and Get Vaccinated in Macau

Since last month Macau began vaccinating Chinese visitors

Chinese travellers to Macau are not just going to the gambling tables at the casinos, but also heading to a designated immunisation clinic to get mRNA vaccines in their arms.

As the Covid-19 restrictions are being lifted in China, the number of infections are exploding and some people are trying to do whatever they can to protect themselves.

While the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is used in Macau and Hong Kong, it is not approved for use in China.

Macau University of Science and Technology

But last month Macau's Covid-19 Infection Response Coordination Centre announced it was lifting restrictions on vaccinations for short-stay visitors.

Since then, the Macau University of Science and Technology Hospital -- the only vaccination site offering mRNA vaccines for tourists -- is now the place mainland visitors go to these days.

However, they are getting the mRNA vaccine that fights against the original Covid-19 strain and not the newest bivalent one that targets both Covid-19 and omicron.

In addition, the shots aren't free -- mainland tourists must shell out between HK$1,360 to HK$1,650 (US$175-US$212) per shot.

Mainland tourists cannot go to Hong Kong yet as the border still remains closed, but some Chinese visitors in Macau who got inoculated hope to get another dose in Hong Kong.

How fascinating that Macau has become a vaccination destination, and Hong Kong may soon become one too. That said the Hong Kong government had thrown out the idea of becoming a place for medical tourism... this might be the chance...

Beijing funeral homes inundated with bodies

Meanwhile on the mainland there are no accurate numbers of cases of Covid-19 infections, but what is for sure is the number of bodies arriving at morgues and funeral homes.

In Beijing, there are two designated funeral homes that are allowed to cremate those who have passed from Covid-19 and an Associated Press reporter saw about a dozen bodies delivered to one funeral home within one hour.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting about 200 bodies arriving daily, and quoting one crematoria worker as saying, "It's 24 hours a day. We can't keep up."

Usually a few dozen bodies are cremated daily. 

The government has not reported any new deaths from Covid-19 since it relaxed its pandemic restrictions on December 7. The official death count is 5,235.

However, a University of Hong Kong study predicts nearly 1 million people could die from Covid-19 without a massive fourth dose vaccination campaign, a supply of antiviral drugs and social-distancing measures.

The funeral homes and crematoriums will be literally burning the midnight oil for the next few months... the number of lives lost is a painful cost for insisting on the zero-Covid path for the longest time...