Azores Situation Report Wednesday 14th July 2021
By our colleague in the Azores
Group Immunity.
Pedro Monjardino, reiterated the intention put forward, on Thursday, by the regional secretary for Health and Sports, saying that the objective of group immunity in the region “will be reached between July 31st and August 15th” (with a delay of 15 days in relation to the initial target).
“Right now, we’re more focused on the island of São Miguel and Terceira, but more on the island of São Miguel and, if we have a delay of 15 days, it’s not disappointing for us. Our goal is to make the island of São Miguel, as quickly as possible, to reach 70% immunization”, said the regional co-ordinator.
This was said on the eve of the end of “Operation Periphery”, which, with the support of the ‘task-force’ and a military team provided by the Ministry of National Defence, vaccinated 70% of the population of the islands without a hospital, except do Corvo, which was the first island to achieve group immunity, in March.
About this process, which ends on Sunday, at the vaccination centre of São Roque do Pico, he added that, “at this moment, with the exception of the island of Flores, the percentage of immunization that [will] be achieved will be higher than 70%”.
Thus, the islands of Santa Maria, Graciosa, São Jorge and Pico, which join the island of Corvo, reach this goal.
The island of Flores will have an inoculation rate of around 63%, said the official, due to “cases of refusals and absences”.
“But the island of Flores has always been characterized, in the past, for having higher rates of refusals than in other islands”, he continued.
Pedro Monjardino down-played the issue and insisted again on the priority of this team: “The refusal rates, at this moment, do not worry me. What worries me is our priority and our priority is to immunize 70% of the population of the island of São Miguel right now”.
A booster of 25 thousand doses of vaccines against Covid-19 will arrive in the region for the month of July.
This 25,000 shot booster joins the 7,000 Janssen shots that arrived on June 30th, as well as the 40,950 shots from Pfizer and 4,000 shots from Janssen this month.
“We also know that, right on August 2nd, 40,950 [doses] arrive, which means that, with those that are already here, and with those that will arrive in the near future, we are talking about, in a space of one month, we can, in fact, reach the number of vaccines necessary for this immunization”, stressed the government official.
On the islands of São Miguel and Terceira, age groups between 40 and 50 are currently being vaccinated, and anyone over 50 years old and has not been invited should contact their health centre.
10th July 2021
49 new Covid-19 positive cases were diagnosed in the Azores, 46 in São Miguel, two in Terceira, and one in Flores, resulting from 2,107 tests carried out in reference laboratories in the Region.
In São Miguel, three new cases refer to travellers, non-residents, with positive tests on the 6th day screening: one in Maia and another in Rabo de Peixe, in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, and one in Algarvia, in the county of the Northeast. All other registered cases are due to community transmission.
Thus, in the municipality of Lagoa there were 15 new cases (eight in Rosário, four in Água de Pau, two in Santa Cruz and one in Cabouco). In the municipality of Ponta Delgada 22 new cases were registered (six in Arrifes, three in Pilar da Brittany, two in São Sebastião, two in Fajã de Cima, two in Relva, two in Livramento, two in Capelas, one in São Roque, one in Mosteiros and one in Fenais da Luz).
In the municipality of Ribeira Grande there were six new cases (two in Matriz, one in Rabo de Peixe, one in Conceição, one in Santa Bárbara and one in Maia). In the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo there was a new case in São Miguel, and in the Northeast there were two cases in the parish of Algarvia.
In Terceira, there were two new cases in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, parish of São Pedro, of two non-resident travellers, with positive tests on the 6th day screening.
In Flores, there was a new case in the municipality of Lajes, parish of Fajã Grande, of a traveller who revealed a positive analysis during the screening on the 6th day.
24 recoveries were recorded.
11th July 2021
30 new positive cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, 28 in São Miguel and two in São Jorge resulting from 1,884 tests carried out in reference laboratories in the Region and one in a non-conventional laboratory.
In São Miguel, seven new cases refer to travellers, five non-residents, in the parish of Santa Cruz, municipality of Lagoa, and one non-resident, in the parish of São Pedro, municipality of Ponta Delgada. In the parish of Santa Clara, municipality of Ponta Delgada, a non-resident traveller obtained a positive result on arrival.
All other registered cases are due to community transmission.
Thus, in the municipality of Lagoa there were 12 new cases (10 in Santa Cruz, one in Rosário and one in Ribeira Chã). In the municipality of Ponta Delgada, nine new cases were registered (two in Arrifes, two in São Pedro, two in Livramento, one in São José, one in São Roque and one in Santa Clara). In the municipality of Ribeira Grande there were five new cases (two in Rabo de Peixe, one in Matriz, one in Conceição, one in Maia). In the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo there were two new cases in São Miguel.
In São Jorge there were two new cases, one in the municipality of Velas, parish of Norte Grande and one in the municipality of Calheta, parish of Ribeira Seca.
28 recoveries were recorded.
12th July 2021
42 new positive cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, with 40 on the island of São Miguel, one on the island of Terceira and one on the island of Pico, following 1,003 tests carried out in the reference laboratories of the Region.
On the island of São Miguel, one of the new cases concerns a traveller, non-resident, in the parish of the Fajã de Baixo, municipality of Ponta Delgada, who tested positive upon arrival. The other cases are related to community transmission.
Thus, there were 23 new cases in the municipality of Lagoa (12 in Santa Cruz, six in Cabouco, two in Rosário, two in Água de Pau and one in Ribeira Chã). In the municipality of Ponta Delgada, 11 new cases were registered (two in Arrifes, two in Livramento, two in Fajã de Baixo, two in Capelas, one in São José, one in Covoada and one in Mosteiros). There were four new cases in the municipality of Ribeira Grande (three in Rabo de Peixe and one in Matriz). In the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo there were two new cases (one in the Água de Alto and one in São Miguel).
On the island of Terceira, there was a new case in Cabo da Praia of a non-resident traveller, who tested positive on the 6th day.
On the island of Pico, there was another case in Bandeiras, municipality of Madalena, related to the chain identified previously.
No recoveries were registered.
13th July 2021
11 new positive cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, five on the island of São Miguel, two on the island of Flores, one on the island of Terceira, one on the island of Pico, one on the island of São Jorge and one on the island of Faial, following 1,847 tests carried out in the reference laboratories of the Region.
On the island of São Miguel, all cases were related to community transmission. Thus, in the municipality of Lagoa there were three new cases, in the parish of Cabouco; in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, a new case was registered in the parish of Capelas and in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, there was a new case in Ribeira Seca.
A positive case identified in yesterday’s communiqué in the parish of Fajã de Baixo, municipality of Ponta Delgada, submitted documentation demonstrating a previous infection and its recovery, thus is not considered an active case in the Azores.
On the island of Terceira, there is a new case in Lajes, municipality of Praia da Vitoria, of a traveller, resident, who tested positive upon arrival. Also, it was verified that a positive case, a non-resident citizen who was in the parish of Cabo da Praia, municipality of Praia da Vitoria, left the archipelago and is no longer considered an active case in the Azores.
On the island of Pico, there is one case in Vila da Madalena, on the same municipality, concerning a traveller, non-resident, who tested positive on the 6th day.
On the island of Flores, two cases were diagnosed in Fajã Grande, municipality of Lajes das Flores. One of these cases, an inter-island traveller from São Miguel, originated a new primary local transmission chain.
On the island of São Jorge, there is a new positive case in Vila das Velas, a non-resident traveller, who tested positive on the 6th day, originating a new primary local transmission chain.
On the island of Faial, a new case was registered in the parish of Angústias, municipality of Horta, of a traveller, resident, who tested positive on the 6th day.
In the last 24 hours, 34 recoveries have been registered and as of today 12 patients are hospitalised, 11 at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital in Ponta Delgada (one in intensive care unit) and one in the Santo Espírito Hospital of Terceira Island.
The archipelago currently has 381 active positive cases: 343 on the island of São Miguel, 18 on the island of Terceira, eight on the island of Pico, five on the island of São Jorge, five on the island of Flores and two on the island of Faial. Six primary local transmission chains are active in the archipelago, two on the island of Pico, two on the island of Terceira, one on the island of Flores and one on the island of São Jorge. To date, 205 have been extinguished on all islands. There are 1,776 people under active surveillance today.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 6,763 positive cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed in the Azores and 6,204 people recovered from the disease.
There were 34 deaths, 84 people who left the archipelago and 60 cases with history of previous cure. To date, 600,206 tests have been carried out for SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19 disease.
From 31st December 2020 to July 8th, 250,705 doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in the Azores, with 129.190 people who received the first dose (53.21 % of the population) and 121,515 people with complete vaccination (50.05 %), under the Regional Vaccination Plan.