Pharmacists told Lusa today that, almost a month after the start of the biggest outbreak of covid-19 in Macau, the territory continues to face a shortage of medication, mainly to treat symptoms of the viral infection.
Until Christmas, a rush to pharmacies left the shelves of establishments without medication to treat the symptoms of covid-19, leading the Government to limit the number of packages sold.
“We still don’t have cough medicine,” an employee of the Popular Pharmacy, in Largo do Senado, told Lusa, noting, however, that before Christmas the shortage of medicines was felt more.
Fong Sok Teng said that for coughs “only traditional Chinese medicine medicines are available”, and that products from Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan are being sold to treat colds and flu and to lower fevers.
The person in charge said she did not know when the ‘stock’ of ben-u-ron, an antipyretic and analgesic, based on paracetamol, will be replenished.
Also the Wan Tung pharmacy, in the center of the city, “does not have cough syrup”, despite selling another anti-tussive medication from Taiwan.
An employee of this establishment confirmed to Lusa the “disruption of the supply of medication for flu and colds since mid-December”.
Right next door, the Alpha pharmacy, on Avenida do Infante D. Henrique assured that, despite the lack of some brands, there is therapy available from Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong.
Macau began to limit, last week, the purchase of medication at pharmacies in the territory, allowing “with each purchase” the purchase of a box or bottle of analgesics and antipyretics, a box or bottle of anti-flu medication, a box or bottle of cough medicine and ten doses of rapid antigen tests (RAT).
“There is still supply pressure in relation to compound medicines for flu and colds, antitussives and expectorants”, wrote, in a statement, the Institute for Pharmaceutical Supervision and Administration (ISAF).
“It is positive to limit the sale of the medication”, stated Fong Sok Teng, from the Popular Pharmacy.
“Most people come from China and, as there is also a shortage of medicines in China, people are looking to buy them for their family members, that is, we are not supplying a market of around 600,000 inhabitants [Macao population], but much bigger than that”, told Lusa another pharmacist, who runs an establishment in Taipa and who complains about “hoarding of products”.
Macau, which like the interior of China followed the ‘zero covid’ policy, betting on mass testing, confinement of risk zones and quarantines, recently announced the cancellation of most prevention and containment measures, after almost three years of strict restrictions.
ISAF had already pointed out that Macau and neighboring regions faced a lack of medicines to treat symptoms of covid-19, warning community pharmacies “not to raise prices for nothing when supplying medicines” and suggesting measures to limit the purchase of these goods, to answer the demand.
