First Vaccine in Portugal
The national vaccination plan against Covid-19 started on 27th December 2020 at the Hospital de São João, in Porto, with Doctor António Sarmento receiving the first dose by the nurse Isabel Ribeiro. It was administered at 10:07 am to António Sarmento under the eye of Minister Marta Temido and in front of dozens media and to the sound of applause.
Nurse Ana Isabel Ribeiro says that vaccination provides more security to professionals to face the difficult times that may still come. The nurse describes vaccination as a moment of hope.
“It is an honour to be here. It has been a very hard month, we have seen patients very poorly, patients we have not been able to save and others who have remade their lives with restrictions,” she said.
The daily Covid-19 and Flu reports with the number of Covid -19 and Flu vaccinations administered, stopped being published in March 2022. “Here you have the link to the page where all the published reports can be found https://covid19.min-saude.pt/relatorio-vacinacao/
All information related with vaccination is now on this page https://covid19.min-saude.pt/
Update 2nd September 2022
Seasonal vaccination campaign against Covid-19 and Flu
The new booster vaccines (containing the original strain and the Ómicron variant, recently approved by EMA) will arrive in the country on September 6th.
The call for the vaccination will be made using “the previous mechanisms” so Graça Freitas asks for all to wait for the contact of the health services.
The priority, at least at the beginning of this campaign, will be people aged 80 and over and people with comorbidities.
According to DGS, in this campaign the following will be eligible to be vaccinated against covid-19:
– People aged 60 or over;
– Residents and professionals of nursing homes and those on the national network of continued care;
– Those over 12 years old “with the comorbidities defined in the DGS standard”;
– Pregnant women aged 18 or over and with “comorbidities defined in this DGS standard”;
– Health professionals and care providers.
For those who are already vaccinated with at least two doses of the Covid 19 vaccine (complete scheme) – “will be vaccinated with the new adapted vaccines against covid-19 containing the original strain and the Ómicron variant, recently approved by EMA, marketed by Pfizer and Moderna”, said Graça Freitas. Only those who are at least three months apart from the last dose or infection will be vaccinated.
Those who have not yet completed the primary vaccination scheme (the two initial doses) or will now start the vaccination scheme will be vaccinated with “the original vaccines”, because these are the only ones approved for this purpose.
Influenza vaccine (free of charge) eligible:
– Those aged 65 or over;
– Those residing in nursing homes and in the national network of continued care;
– Pregnant women with no age limit;
– Health professionals and care providers.
As before, the two vaccines can be given at the same time, “one in the right arm and one in the left arm”, but the person can choose not to have it simultaneously.
Previous update 10th August 2022
There you can find info for those that want to start, complete their COVID19 vaccination or get (under the approved conditions/situations) a booster.
It’s under the tab “CASA ABERTA” https://covid19.min-saude.pt/casa-aberta/
The “Casa Aberta” modality is available for vaccination:
Primary vaccination against COVID-19 for users aged 12 years and over.
Booster vaccination against COVID-19 for users aged 18 and over.
To be vaccinated, just go directly to the vaccination point or the health centre.
Vaccination against COVID-19 for children between 5 and 11 years old must be scheduled in advance at any vaccination point or health center.
Booster vaccination is available for those aged 18 or over who have completed the primary vaccination schedule against COVID-19 150 or more days ago, and for those inoculated with the Janssen vaccine 90 or more days ago.
There you can also check the opening hours of the vaccination points click on the tab “Centros de vacinação” https://covid19.min-saude.pt/lista-de-centros-de-vacinacao/
Previous updates for self-scheduling of Covid-19 booster and Flu vaccine are below.
This page also contains information about Covid Digital Certificates and how to obtain one (scroll down)
Secretary of State for Health announced the plan for the vaccination of 5-11 year olds.
DGS – Technical Commission on Vaccination against COVID-19 full REPORT here https://www.dgs.pt/…/vacinacao-contra-covid-19-em…
DGS is responsible for the Vaccination Program which is mainly implemented through Vaccination centres throughout the Country. The DGS website accessed through a page here provides information and ways in which those eligible can obtain a vaccine, including:
Our page here supplements this in the English language to assist those concerned
A list of FAQs concerning the vaccination program can be downloaded here
Attending Vaccination Centres
If you are attending a vaccination centre the Government is now operating a virtual traffic light system, where the waiting times are shown on the DGS website. This is a an indicator only and this can change whilst you are waiting at the centre itself.
List of vaccination centres -visit the page here to check the situation for your centre.
Self scheduling for those:
Is now available. The self-scheduling link is here
If you do not have a utente number then use the link here
To schedule your vaccination click on the link below and then enter you SNS utente number (9 digits) full name and date of birth.
https://covid19.min-saude.pt/pedido-de-agendamento/
– On next page enter your nationality, Fiscal number (9 digit) District, Municipality centre and chose vaccination centre (there may only be one available).
Next page – Select vaccination date and you will receive the date of the earliest date available – if not suitable you can select later dates.
You than click on generate a receipt of appointment in PDF format.
The PDF you receive states:
“We confirm that you have made an APPOINTMENT REQUEST for the date xxxx/2021 at the vaccination site Vaccination Center xxxx
This document is JUST A PROOF OF ORDER, it is not the definitive schedule.
Follow the directions:
Later you will be contacted by SMS at 2424 with the schedule.
Respond to the SMS by following the instructions.
As the picture on the right shows you have an option SIM/NAO (YES/NO)
You then reply as shown in the example: SNS.Utente number.SIM so for example SNS.111111111.SIM if you wish to confirm yes or NAO
DO NOT enter any other words such as “I would like to confirm etc” otherwise it will show an error. Ensure to check capitals and correct number when entering.
After doing this and sending you should receive immediately confirmation with the exact location and address of the vaccination appointment– process completed.
Ensure you turn up on time. You may have to wait a while so be prepared for this.
This is a very simple process.
If you answer “YES”, your appointment is confirmed. If you do not answer the SMS, if you reply after the deadline or if your answer is “NO” to the schedule, your request is void. For make a new appointment, you must wait up to 72h and perform, again, the same ordering process scheduling.
The DAY BEFORE the vaccination day, you will receive a new SMS to remember the call
On the scheduled day, go to the chosen vaccination site, at the indicated time.
If you have already been vaccinated, contracted the infection by COVID-19 or already have a previous appointment, your appointment request will not will be considered at this stage of vaccination. Wait for new indications”.
Action to take if you have made an application for a vaccination but have not received confirmation by SMS with date and time.
This is the situation concerning a number of people.
Action you should take is as follows
Next
Have with you your Utente number. You’ll be asked how many times you have already click on the option previously that you have not received the text message. You’ll be asked your full name (so be prepared to spell it exactly as it is on the Utente Number official document) and date of birth and phone number.
If your date has passed they will check for future dates.
If your date was not yet passed they will try to “rebook” it for that same date.
So in reality it’s making another booking and summiting for you and you should receive a text message within the next 72h.
IF NO TEXT message after 72h, then send an email detailing all that you have done since the moment that you have submitted and received the pdf with the confirmation of that submission to atendimento@sns24.gov.pt
Attach the pdf with the confirmation https://www.sns24.gov.pt/contacte-nos/
Updated 12th January 2022
The “Open House” modality is available for vaccination against COVID-19 or against influenza for users aged 60 or over.
Users who have not had COVID-19 in the last 150 days and have completed the vaccination schedule for at least 150 days are eligible for the booster dose in the “Open House” regimen.
To be vaccinated, just go directly to the vaccination centre or the health centre.
Latest Update : 6th February 2022
Decree 22/2022 Dated 6th February 2022 In English here
The EU COVID Digital Certificate is a digital document that constitutes proof that a person:
Thus, there are three types of certificates: vaccination, recovery and testing. The three certificates can be obtained and used independently, subject to the stipulated conditions of issue and use.
The issuance and use of the EU COVID Digital Certificate is carried out in accordance with the provisions of Regulations (EU) 2021/953 and 2021/954 , both of 14 June, in Decree-Law nº 54-A/2021 , of 25 June , and in Guidance 007/2021 , of June 15, 2021, of the DGS.
Who can apply for the EU COVID Digital Certificate?
At this stage, citizens with a National User Number (NNU) from the National Health Service (SNS) can request the issuance of the EU COVID Digital Certificate.
The personal data contained in the National User Registry, namely the contacts necessary to obtain the certificates, can be updated through the personal area of the SNS 24 portal, at a health unit (health center) or at an SNS branch 24 .
More details about the certificate here
The process for obtaining a Covid Digital Certificate (Vaccination/Recovery or test certificate) is here
Covid Digital Certificate FAQs here
A page dedicated to vaccination against COVID-19 has been available since 26th December 2020, with information about the Vaccination Plan, the different phases or a simulator for each citizen to have a forecast of the date on which they will be vaccinated. The page was updated on 12th January 2022 and can be downloaded here.
This portal was launched by the Government in close coordination with the task force, the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) and the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health (SPMS), and is online at the microsite COVID-19 and on the Estamos On portal, which can be found on the DGS site here and on the Government Estamos On site here .
The published information has a simple and clear language, answering the main questions that have been raised since the announcement of the arrival of the vaccine in our country – for example: “is the vaccine effective?”; “Is the vaccine safe?”; “What are the different types of vaccine that will be administered in Portugal”; “Which are the priority groups?”, Among others.
In addition to answering more general questions, there is also an area on this new page – FAQ’s – where you can find clarifications on more specific aspects such as the side effects of vaccines or what to do after being vaccinated.
Does the Vaccine have any Side effects?
Like any other medicine, the vaccine against COVID-19 can also have adverse reactions. Most of them are mild and short-term and not everyone identifies them.
All vaccines, by stimulating our defences, can cause mild and short-lived side effects. Some individuals vaccinated against COVID-19 in clinical trials reported making sense:
Other effects such as redness at the injection site and nausea occurred in less than 1 in 10 cases.
These effects generally disappear after 24 to 48 hours. Although a fever sensation is not uncommon for 2-3 days, a high temperature is rare and may indicate that you have COVID-19 or another infection.
Symptoms after vaccination usually last less than a week. If symptoms persist or if there is another reaction that worries you, contact your attending physician or the SNS24 Line (808 24 24 24).
If you seek advice from a doctor, nurse or pharmacist, inform them of your vaccination so that they can assess you properly.
You can also report any adverse effects of the vaccine via the INFARMED, IP Adverse Reaction Notification Portal (RAM).
What to do after the first dose?
After you have received the first dose, you should schedule the second, according to the recommendation of the doctor or nurse, which will happen soon after receiving the first dose.
To have protection it is important to have both doses of vaccine.
What to do if I do not feel well on the second dose date?
If you have a fever, cough, difficulty breathing, changes in taste or smell, you should not be vaccinated and you should contact the NHS 24 (808 24 24 24). It should also not be vaccinated while in prophylactic isolation. You should not be vaccinated if you are in isolation, waiting for a COVID-19 test, or if you are not sure if you are well.