China has not been able to develop its own mRNA vaccine and has not approved foreign mRNA vaccines for its citizens.
However, the state’s vaccine regulator recently allowed German expatriates to receive BioNTech vaccines.
Both special administrative regions offer BioNTech.
As a result, Chinese residents have been flocking to Macau to get vaccinated with the foreign-made mRNA vaccine, which is perceived as being safer and more reliable than the domestically produced vaccines available in the mainland.
One such resident is 31-year-old Ryan Hu from Hangzhou, who paid US$1,200 for flights and accommodations in November just to receive the BioNTech vaccine at the Macao University of Science and Technology Hospital, one of two clinics in the gambling hub offering the shot.
“I have been unvaccinated till now and been waiting for this for almost three years, although the cross-border trip is quite expensive, but I want to protect myself with a safe and reliable vaccine. Also, I want to use the vaccine to travel to the US for business trips,” Hu said.
“I have more confidence of the foreign-made mRNA vaccines, as I can find more information online from other countries.”
Macau’s Covid response coordination centre has lifted restrictions on vaccinations for mainland short-stay visitors, but vaccine tourists to Macau can only receive the mRNA vaccine targeting the original strain of Covid-19.
The next availability is in early February, according to the website.
To meet the overwhelming demand from mainland residents, Macau added a second vaccination site, Kiang Wu Hospital, to the list earlier this week.
Visitors must pay up to US$210 per shot, with no refunds or rescheduling allowed, according to the city’s GoSmart website, the official appointment platform for mainlanders.
On Friday, the former Portuguese colony began allowing quarantine-free travel for all foreign visitors who have provided proof of a negative PCR test result within 72 hours before arriving.
In Hong Kong, Fosun Pharmaceutical, China’s distributor of the German vaccine, said on Monday in an exchange filing that it has been granted formal approval from the Hong Kong government to provide shots for visitors.
The government also registered all available Covid vaccines as pharmaceutical products earlier this week, which allows the vaccines to be available citywide.
The vaccines are now available free of charge to mainland visitors at certain clinics across the city.
Many Chinese residents are waiting eagerly for quarantine-free travel to resume across the border with Hong Kong.
“I will be booking my vaccine appointment in Hong Kong as soon as the border reopens without quarantine requirements,” said Belle Wu, a Shenzhen resident.
“I believe the BioNTech vaccine will have much weaker side effects than the Chinese vaccines and offer better protection in this round of infections.”