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Coronavirus China
ChinaPolitics

Coronavirus: as cases surge, mainland Chinese head to Macau to get mRNA vaccine unavailable at home

  • Macau has lifted restrictions on vaccinations for short-stay visitors and is offering the BioNTech shot for a fee
  • Shenzhen couple have not been vaccinated at home but Beijing’s relaxation of Covid rules prompts trip to get the jab

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In Macau, mainland tourists can receive the vaccine targeting the original strain of Covid-19. Only local residents qualify for the bivalent vaccine targeting new variants. Photo: Winson Wong
Zhenzhen Liu
Macau is best known for its casinos but now, for some Chinese, its big attraction is the BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.
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The mRNA vaccine is widely used in Hong Kong, Macau and around the world but is not approved for use in mainland China.

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

And since then, the Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) Hospital – the only vaccination site offering mRNA vaccination for tourists – has become the hot destination for mainland visitors.

For now though, mainland tourists can only receive the vaccine targeting the original strain of Covid-19, with the bivalent shot targeting new variants restricted to residents.

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A mainland tourist from Shenzhen who would only identify herself as Chenchen Wan said she was vaccinated along with her husband in Macau on Tuesday.

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