Situation Report Azores – 14th April 2021 – From our colleague in the Azores .
The President of the Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, spoke by videoconference at a meeting of experts at Infarmed, regarding the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. He said that the epidemiological situation in the Azores is “controlled”, with seven islands with no active cases, one, Terceira, with only one case, and São Miguel deserving “some concerns”.
The leader of the coalition government PSD, CDS-PP and PPM continued, “the regional executive has been in permanent contact with mayors, diocese, security forces and other civil society actors” in the scope of combating Covid-19, considering that this action is also developed “based on the individual actions of each citizen and prudence”.
José Manuel Bolieiro said that “in the next few days, a new communication and awareness campaign will be launched for Azoreans, with ‘billboards’, presence on social networks and spaces on RTP and Antena 1 Azores”.
The head of the Azorean executive was present as a State advisor, having participated in the XIX presentation session on the “Epidemiological Situation of Covid-19 in Portugal”.
The meeting included technical presentations by epidemiologists and other specialists from the Ministry of Health, the Directorate-General for Health and other public institutions.
English Variant.
The President of the Commission for Monitoring the Fight against Pandemic in the Azores, Gustavo Tato Borges, has said that there is community transmission of the English (Kent) strain of the new coronavirus on the island of São Miguel.
The Chairman of the commission, who is a public health specialist, said, “Taking into account the number of cases we are witnessing, the difficulty that is proving the epidemiological link between everyone to a known case, to a trip or to a high transmission area, we have to announce the existence of community transmission of new variant”.
He is appealing to the population not to neglect, symptoms and call the Azores Health Line.
“We have people who only started to report symptoms after five, six, seven days. Some of which went to work, even with symptoms. After seven days, there is a lot of contact time for the new variant. While with the normal variant seven days it would give five, six, seven positive high-risk contacts, in this variant in the United Kingdom it gives a much higher value and we have already seen many more people infected”.
The Chairman of the monitoring committee also warned of the need to comply with the rules to prevent the spread of the pandemic, even in the municipalities with the lowest risk of transmitting the virus.
“We have reports of birthday parties with 24 people, we have reports of barbecues among friends held outdoors, we have reports of communion parties, weddings, without respecting all rules and limitations and all this interaction between the population allows for much more transmission”.
The Regional Secretary for Health also said that “a new awareness and counselling campaign for appropriate behaviour during the pandemic” will be launched and that changes have been made to the Azores Health Line.
AstraZeneca.
The regional director of Health said that the Azores will comply with the guidelines of the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) and the vaccine of AstraZeneca against Covid-19 will only be administered in the archipelago to people over 60 years of age.
Portuguese health authorities recommended the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19 in people over 60 years of age, following the decision of more than a dozen countries, which also introduced age restrictions.
At a press conference in Angra do Heroísmo, Berto Cabral said that the news about this vaccine has caused an “increase in refusals”, but stressed that it is “very common to have changes in indications” in medicines.
“What is really important is that this evaluation is being carried out and that the guidelines that will come out take into account the safety and the age groups that will have a lower risk with taking this vaccine,” he added.
The Regional Director of Health also reiterated that vaccination remains “more beneficial” than the virus.
“The benefit remains clearly greater than the risk. The rate of serious side effects of any of the vaccines being administered is much lower than the mortality rate of those who are infected with this virus”, he stressed.
High Risk Concelhos.
The Regional Health Authority has said that for the municipalities of Nordeste and Vila Franca do Campo, the closure of all establishments for restaurants, beverages and the like, starting at 12:00 am Friday, April 13th.
They are only allowed to operate as a home delivery and take-away service until 10 pm, with the exception of, provision of meals to guests of hotel establishments or similar by the respective catering services.
Covid-19.
The Regional Health Authority has said that in the last week the number of new positive cases of Covid-19 resulting from 13,266 tests is 268. These tests were carried out in reference laboratories in the Region, in private laboratories with conventions, in the Regional Health Service, through rapid tests (mass screening), in the laboratory of Terceira University and by means of tests carried out in the scope of occupational medicine.
São Miguel registered nearly all the cases with 266. Terceira recorded 2. There is one case on the island of Santa Maria.
There have been some recoveries in the last week, 66 in total. 66 on the island of São Miguel.
Most of the cases are on the island of São Miguel now, with just one on the island of Santa Maria and 2 on Terceira.
The Azores currently has 326 active positive cases, 324 in São Miguel (75 in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, 146 in Vila Franca do Campo, 45 in the municipality of Nordeste, 35 in Ribeira Grande, 20 in the municipality of Lagoa, and four in the municipality da Povoação) and two on Terceira Island, in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo. The number of active surveys is currently 1,313. ~
In São Miguel, the municipalities of Lagoa, Povoação, Ponta Delgada and Ribeira Grande are at Medium Risk level and in Alto Risco are the municipalities of Nordeste and Vila Franca do Campo. All municipalities in the remaining islands of the archipelago have very low risk levels. More information can be obtained online at: https://covid19.azores.gov.pt/ and on the Facebook page of the Regional Health Directorate: https://www.facebook.com/DirecaoSaudeAcores
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 4,515 positive cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed in the Azores, having recovered 4,048 people from the disease. 30 died, 68 left the archipelago and 43 presented proof of previous healing. 199 local transmission chains were extinguished. To date, 414,305 tests have been carried out in the Azores for Covid-19 screening.
Since December 31, 2020 and until April 8, 56,725 people aged 15 and over have been vaccinated in the archipelago, 39,003 with the first dose and 17,722 with the second, within the scope of the first phase of the Regional Vaccination Plan. More information at: https://vacinacao-covid19.azores.gov.pt.
Situation Report Azores – 7th April 2021 – From our colleague in the Azores
Vaccine Delivery
On Monday the 6th of April, 23,400 doses of vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech, were delivered to the region. These will serve to vaccinate the over 75 year-olds and people over 50 with priority pathologies, announced the Regional Health Authority.
“Half of this batch will be delivered directly by the supplier to the Hospital de Santo Espírito in Angra do Heroísmo, and the other half will be delivered, in the same way, to the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo, in Ponta Delgada”, the Health Authority said in a statement.
The region intends to “continue the vaccination process against Covid-19, of people over 75 years old, as well as those who, over 50 years old, were identified with the priority pathologies of the first vaccination phase”.
During the month of April, the region will receive an additional 17,550 doses of vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech and 18,500 doses of “AstraZeneca”, with “the sum of the two supplies from Pfizer-BioNTech going to allow vaccination of 20,475 people, reserving an equal number of doses for the second inoculation, three weeks later”.
The Health Authority said, of AstraZeneca’s vaccines, the total doses expected for the region in April “will allow the reserve of 8,500 doses for the second inoculations referring to the vaccination carried out last March, with a total of 10,000 for first vaccinations”.
According to the Regional Health Authority, the region “predicts that this month, all people belonging to the first vaccination phase will have at least one dose administered”.
Covid-19
The Regional Health Authority has said that in the last four days the number of new positive cases of Covid-19 resulting from 5,384 tests is 52. These tests were carried out in reference laboratories in the Region, in private laboratories with conventions, in the Regional Health Service, through rapid tests (mass screening), in the laboratory of Terceira University and by means of tests carried out in the scope of occupational medicine.
São Miguel registered all the cases with 51. There is one case on the island of Santa Maria.
There have been some recoveries in the last few days, 40 in total. 39 on the island of São Miguel and one on Terceira, making the island Covid free once more.
Most of the cases are on the island of São Miguel now, with just one on the island of Santa Maria.
A total of 6 patients are in hospital, all at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital, in Ponta Delgada, with two in intensive care.
As of today, the Region is registering 127 active positive cases: 126 on the island of São Miguel (74 in Ponta Delgada, 24 in Nordeste, 15 in Vila Franca do Campo, seven in Ribeira Grande, four in Lagoa and two in Povoação) and one case on the island of Santa Maria in the parish of Santa Bárbara, municipality of Vila do Porto. There are 907 active surveillance cases.
On the island of São Miguel, the municipalities of Lagoa, Povoação, Ribeira Grande and Vila Franca do Campo are at Very Low Risk In turn, the municipality of Ponta Delgada is at Medium-High Risk and the municipality of Nordeste is at High Risk. All municipalities of the remaining islands of the archipelago are at Very Low Risk. More information on the measures in force can be found online at: https://covid19.azores.gov.pt/ and on the Facebook page of the Regional Directorate for Health: https://www.facebook.com/DirecaoSaudeAcores.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 4,247 positive cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed in the Azores, with 3,982 people recovering from the disease. There were 30 deaths, 67 people who left the archipelago and 41 cases with a history of previous cure. A total of 199 local transmission chains have been extinguished.
To date, 401,044 screening tests for Covid-19 have been carried out in the Azores. From last December 31 to March 30, 43,812 people aged 15 or over were vaccinated in the archipelago (28,376 received the first dose – 14.01% of the population and 15,436 the second dose – 7.62% of the population), as part of the first phase of the Regional Vaccination Plan. More information at: https://vacinacao-covid19.azores.gov.pt.
As determined by the Regional Health Authority, the school community of the municipality of Nordeste, São Miguel Island, is being tested today, after the population of the parish of Achadinha, in the same municipality, was screened yesterday.
With the arrival of 23,400 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the Region on Monday, the vaccination process for people over 75 will continue as well as for those over 50 with health conditions that fall within the priority groups covered by the first vaccination phase.
Situation Report Azores – Saturday 3rd April 2021 – From our colleague in the Azores
Yellow Alert.
The Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere issued yellow notices for all the islands of the Azores, which are in force until Sunday 4th April. There may be heavy precipitation with the possibility of thunderstorms.
For the islands of Santa Maria and São Miguel, which form the Eastern group, the notice will be in effect between 06:00 and 18:00 (19:00 Lisbon) on Sunday, while on the islands of Faial, Pico, São Jorge, Graciosa and Terceira (central group), the warning remains between 23:00 and 12:00 on Sunday.
The yellow warning, the third of the scale, reveals a risk situation for certain activities depending on the weather situation.
In Flores and Corvo, the western group of the Azores, the yellow warning is in effect between 23:00 today and 12:00 on Saturday.
The Azores Regional Civil Protection and Fire Service recommends that self-protection measures be taken.
New Inter-Island fares.
The regional secretary for Transport, Tourism and Energy, Mário Mota Borges, said that a new Azores fare, available to residents for 60 Euros, will go into effect on June 1st. This fare will apply to all inter-island flights.
Easter Covid-19 Measures.
Residents and visitors on the island of São Miguel are prohibited from crossing municipality boundaries, between Friday and Sunday, and will also have a curfew from 15:00 on these three Easter days, in the context of the containment of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ban on movement between the six municipalities of the Azorean island (Ponta Delgada, Ribeira Grande, Lagoa, Povoação, Vila Franca do Campo and Nordeste) is in effect from 00:00 local (01:00 in Lisbon) and until 23: 59 on Sunday, providing for exceptions for justified situations, such as commuting, health issues or access to the airport.
The curfew will last between 15:00 and 05:00 the next day.
The island’s trade must close no later than 15:00 in this period, and the catering businesses can work with take-away services and home delivery until 22:00. When open, restaurants and similar spaces can have a maximum of four people at each table, unless it is the same household.
In the remaining islands, on this extended Easter weekend, the food and beverage establishments close at 22:00, with the sale of alcoholic beverages in the remaining establishments being prohibited from 20:00.
The regional secretary of Health, Clélio Meneses, said, when the measures were announced, that tourists must comply with the same rules as resident citizens, so that when they arrive at the accommodation, they cannot leave the municipality these days where the unit is located.
Due to the prohibition between municipalities, the regional executive alerted the PSP, as well as the inspection services of economic activities, but underlined the need for responsibilities to be shared by all and for citizens to “behave appropriately”.
With effect from Monday 5th April, the county of the Nordeste changes to the high-risk level and Ponta Delgada remains medium high, with the exception of the parishes of São Pedro and São Sebastião, which remain at the high level. The remaining Azorean municipalities are at very-low risk.
The risk scale used by the Autonomous Region of the Azores has five levels: very-low, low, medium, medium high and high.
With this classification, as of Monday, in the Northeast and in those two parishes of Ponta Delgada, all restaurants, drinks and similar establishments close at 15:00, and can operate on a ‘take-away’ basis from that time and until 10 pm, and a curfew is enacted between 8 pm and 5 am the next day.
Teleworking or lagged schedules should be adopted, as this is not possible.
Non-essential shopping closes at 8 pm on weekdays and 3 pm on weekends, and gyms and indoor pools are also closed.
In Ponta Delgada, with the exception of São Pedro and São Sebastião, restaurants and drinks establishments with no dance space can be open until 8 pm, with a maximum limitation of four people per table and a maximum capacity of 1/3 of the capacity of the establishment, but they can maintain the take-away service or home delivery until 22:00.
Visits to the elderly in homes are prohibited and the social centres for the elderly are also closed. The presence of the public at sporting events and competitions is prohibited.
Covid-19.
The Regional Health Authority has said that in the last three days the number of new positive cases of Covid-19 resulting from 6,296 tests is 24. These tests were carried out in reference laboratories in the Region, in private laboratories with conventions, in the Regional Health Service, through rapid tests (mass screening), in the laboratory of Terceira University and by means of tests carried out in the scope of occupational medicine.
São Miguel registered all the cases with 24.
There have been some recoveries in the last few days, 38 in total. 38 on the island of São Miguel.
Most of the cases are on the island of São Miguel now, with just one on the island of Terceira.
There are 9 patients with Covid-19 in the region’s hospitals with 3 in the ICU. Most of the patients are testing positive for the new ‘British’ variant.
There are currently 115 active positive cases in the Region. 114 on São Miguel and one on Terceira.
Since the start of the pandemic, 4,195 positive cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed, 30 have died, 67 have left the archipelago and 41 have shown evidence of previous cure.
Since March 30th, 391,386 tests have been carried out in the Azores for screening of Covid-19. Since December 31st and until March 30th, 43,812 people aged 15 years and over have been vaccinated in the archipelago (28,376 with the first dose – 14.01% and 15,436 with the second dose – 7.62% of the population), within the scope of the first phase of the Regional Vaccination Plan. More information at: https://vacinacao-covid19.azores.gov.pt.
Pandemic prevention and containment measures should be maintained and strengthened, whenever possible, by citizens and public, private and social sector organizations.
It is reiterated the need to comply with all recommendations already made public in this regard, especially that, in case of symptoms, do not seek a Hospital or Health Unit, but call the Azores Health Line – 808 24 60 24.
For more information, visit the website created by the Government of the Azores on pandemic control in the Region, at https://destinoseguro.azores.gov.pt/ or the Facebook page of the Regional Health Directorate, at https: // www.facebook.com/DirecaoSaudeAcores/ .
The Government of the Azores also makes available the Azores Non-Medical Clarification Line COVID-19, with the number 800 29 29 29, which can be used between 8:30 am and 6:30 pm, on working days, and the RIAC Line 800 500 501, which works from Monday to Saturday, from 9 am to 10:30 pm, and on Sundays, from 10 am to 10:30 pm.
It is also available via the email address esclarecimentocovid19@azores.gov.pt for clarification on measures taken in the region to cope with the new coronavirus pandemic.