The Health Bureau (SS) has revealed that a Conde de São Januário Hospital (CHCSJ) doctor that recently made a trip to the city of Qingdao did not follow the pandemic prevention rules in place by not presenting his health code at work or declare the situation to his superior.
In recent weeks a coronavirus outbreak in the Chinese city of Qingdao prompted mass testing of millions of its residents, with any traveller that was in the city in the 14 days prior to Macau having to complete a 14 days medical observation, apart from presenting negative nucleic acid test.
The doctor in question was a CHCSJ plastic surgeon who visited Qingdao between September 25 and October 5 and returned to service on October 6, with the new pandemic prevention measures for the city impose don October 13.
At that time, the SS marked with a yellow health code all individuals who entered Macau and had visited Qingdao in the last 14 days prior to entering the territory, with these individuals having to carry out self-health management in accordance with the rules, including to avoid leaving their house and contact with other people.
‘This doctor should have declared his situation to his superior so that the work his readjusted and he should have performed self-managed health. However, this surgeon, in addition to not having declared the situation continued his clinical work, and did not present the daily health code when entering the service, therefore it was not possible to observe that his health code was yellow,’ the SS added.
The doctor has not shown any symptoms and two COVID-19 nucleic acid tests performed in the meantime were negative and did not show any antibodies that would indicate he had previously been not infected.
The possibility of infection among colleagues who have been in contact with the surgeon was also said to be low.
The case led the SS to conduct an internal meeting and demand from all its managers a strict inspection of the situation of their employees so that they comply with epidemic prevention measures.
The doctor has also been suspended and will undergo medical observation for 7 days, and at the same time started an internal investigation is conducted.
Healthcare professionals and patients with whom the doctor has contacted have undergone viral nucleic acid tests, and a risk assessment has already been carried out.
