Macau, a semi-autonomous region off the coast of southern China, recorded its first-ever deaths from COVID-19 after two elderly people with underlying conditions died. Macau has not recorded a death from COVID-19 since the epidemic broke out two and a half years ago and went on to kill millions. 1,500 people are dying every day from carbon dioxide.
The current outbreak is being driven by the new Omicron variant. The high degree of transmissibility of BA.5 has made it the dominant strain in the U.S. According to health experts, BA.5's fitness is due to its ability to get around vaccine defenses.
Macau recorded its first death from the disease as it faces its largest-ever outbreak. Over 700 cases have been reported since June 18. It had recorded more than 150 total before that.
The rest of the world was not allowed to see Macau. The border restrictions are similar to mainland China's. Travelers entering the city must go through a 10-day hotelQuarantine. Residents have to use a health code app to enter Macau.
The first clusters of the disease were traced to an employee at a prison in Macau and a worker at a meat shop in China.
The city's restrictions have been tightened due to the new outbreak. Schools in Macau were forced to end the academic year early because the casinos were allowed to remain open. Bars, cinemas, salons, gyms, government buildings, and in-person dining have all been closed.
The world's biggest gambling hub is Macau. It took in more gaming related revenue than Las Vegas. The restrictions on COVID have taken a toll on the city's economy with casino revenue down 80% this year.
Macau's Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong said on Sunday that every city resident will be tested for COVID-19 three times. Every Macau resident will have been tested for COVID six times since mid- June, and the government just completed a different round of tests.
Hong Kong is paying attention to Macau's battle with BA.5. In recent weeks, Hong Kong authorities have begun to send people with BA.5 and its cousin BA.4 to centralized facilities even as the government allows people with other Omicron subvariants to stay in their homes.
After it appeared that life would return to normal after the months-long lock-up in Shanghai, mainland China appears to be increasing carbon dioxide measures. Over the weekend, China's government put 1.7 million people in central Anhui province into a state of emergency after discovering over 1,000 infections in the province. It is not clear which Omicron sub-variant is to blame for the outbreak.
In Hong Kong and Macau, the central government often follows the lead of mainland China in conducting mass testing.
"Our country has a large population, such strategies as 'herd immunity' and 'lying flat' would lead to consequences that are unimaginable," the Chinese President said in a speech.
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