MACAO -- Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government will spend 420 million patacas (about $52.61 million) to buy COVID-19 vaccines for all Macao residents, the SAR's health chief said on Tuesday.

Macao Health Bureau Director Lei Chin Ion told the press that the SAR government had contacted six vaccine producers from the Chinese mainland and abroad for the purchase of 1.4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines.

He added that the price for each dose was estimated at 300 patacas (about $37.58), and the government will spend 420 million patacas (about $52.61 million) in total.

Lei said so after he had taken part in an opening ceremony of a community health center in the Macao Peninsula.

As of Tuesday, Macao never has COVID-19 community transmission, with no confirmed local cases for 219 consecutive days and no imported cases for 130 consecutive days.