Madeira Situation Report Saturday 7th August 2021
By Daniel Fernandes
Covid-19 update
There were 84 new Covid-19 cases, 75 recoveries and no deaths from Covid-19 in Madeira since the previous Madeira Situation Report, which was published on August 4th.
On Wednesday, there were 27 new Covid-19 cases (8 imported cases – 2 from Switzerland, 1 from Brazil, 1 from the UK and 4 from the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Region & 19 cases of local transmission) and 15 recoveries. The number of patients in hospital remained the same as the day before (6 patients – none in intensive care).
On Thursday, there were 36 new Covid-19 cases (9 imported cases – 4 from the UK, 1 from France, 1 from South Africa and 3 from the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Region & 27 cases of local transmission) and 39 recoveries. The number of patients in hospital increased to 7, although no patients were in intensive care.
And on Friday, there were 21 new Covid-19 cases (8 imported cases – 1 from the Belarus, 1 from France, 1 from Russia, 1 from South Africa, 1 from the UK, 1 from Venezuela and 2 from the Lisbon and Tagus Valley Region & 13 cases of local transmission) and 21 recoveries. The number of patients in hospital increased to 9. Once again, there were no patients in intensive care.
There were 236 active cases on Friday, of which 85 had been imported while the other 151 cases had been a result of local transmission. As of Friday, there had been 10,417 cases, 10106 recoveries and 75 deaths.
On Friday, there were 78 patients in isolation in a dedicated hotel, 149 patients in isolation in their own accommodation and 9 patients in hospital, none of whom was intensive care.
On the same day, there were 76 suspected cases under epidemiological investigation and analysis, which were all linked to patients who tested positive for Covid-19, to calls made to the SRS24 helpline, to referrals by SESARAM (Madeira Regional Health Service) and to airport screening.
There were 46,263 travellers under monitoring by the health authorities. Monitoring is being carried out through the ‘MadeiraSafe’ app. There were also 477 people, who had contact with positive cases, being monitored by the health authorities of several Madeira municipalities and of Porto Santo.
As for Covid-19 testing on passengers who had arrived at Funchal and Porto Santo airports, 281,236 samples had been collected until Friday (at 15h30). By Friday, 556,801 samples from RT-PCR tests had been processed and 74,049 antigen rapid tests had been carried out in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.
The SRS 24 helpline (Regional Health Service – 800 24 24 20) received 2,214 calls between Tuesday and Friday. Overall, it had received 59,322 calls.
The Covid-19 mental health helpline (Linha de Acompanhamento Psicológico da Direção Regional de Saúde – 291212 399 – available every day from 09h00 to 21h00), which was set up to provide emotional and mental support to anyone in Madeira received 9 calls between Tuesday and Friday. Overall, it has received 3,796 calls.
https://funchalnoticias.net/2021/08/04/27-novos-casos-de-covid-19-15-recuperados-e-64-suspeitos/
Covid-19 vaccination update
According to the latest official data on the Covid-19 vaccination campaign in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, 316,578 Covid-19 vaccine doses (166,713 1st dose & 149,865 2nd dose/full vaccination) have been administered since the start of the campaign on December 31st. The aim is for 175,000 people to be fully vaccinated.
So far, 2,886 Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered to youngsters aged 12-17, 505 of which were administered on Friday. A total of 435 vaccine doses were administered in the Funchal Vaccination Centre (Centro de Vacinação do Funchal), 55 doses were administered in Câmara de Lobos and 15 doses were administered in Ponta do Sol.
There will be a Covid-19 vaccination “Open Day” on August 8th, for inoculation with the Janssen vaccine. Anyone aged 18 or older can turn up in the Funchal Vaccination Centre (Centro de Vacinação do Funchal), located at Madeira Tecnopolo, without having to book a vaccination spot. This “Open Day” will be in place from 09h00 to 18h00.
https://web.sesaram.pt/COVID19_INFO
Madeira to receive EU recovery funding
Miguel Albuquerque, the President of the Madeira Regional Government, said that the first payment from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility is due to be made this week. He expects the Region to receive 13% of the first batch of funding that Portugal will receive. He added that the Region needs to receive this funding as soon as possible.
More than €1M for Madeira patients to receive medical treatment in the mainland
Pedro Ramos, the Regional Health and Civil Protection Secretary, said that SESARAM (Madeira Health Service) invests more than €1,000,000 each year to ensure approximately 600 Madeira residents receive medical treatment at hospitals in the Portuguese mainland. Most patients are transferred to the mainland to receive treatment for cancer and nephrology appointments. In addition, this investment also covers medical treatment in Madeira Island for approximately 100 Porto Santo residents. Pedro Ramos stated that he would like to start to slowly reduce the need for patients to be transferred for medical treatment in the mainland.
Volunteers needed to support the elderly
The project “Viver de Afetos” provides support to elderly people who live on their own in the municipality of Câmara de Lobos. A total of 19 elderly citizens are reached by this project. However, there are only 2 volunteers to do so. As a result, the project is looking for more volunteers to reinforce the provision of assistance to the elderly. This assistance consists of 2 hour visits per week to their homes and making phone calls. It includes assistance at home and taking them outside, for medical appointments and for activities that provide cognitive, motor and sensory stimulation.
The aim of the project is to mitigate the feeling of loneliness in elderly citizens who are living in the higher areas of the municipality of Câmara de Lobos, and who have reduced family support and mobility issues. It is about addressing the needs and interests of elderly citizens. The volunteer culture is crucial to the success of this project.
According to the preliminary results of the 2021 Census, 32,175 people live in the Municipality of Câmara de Lobos. There are 5 parishes (freguesias) in the municipality. This project focuses on the parish of Estreito de Câmara de Lobos and on the parish of Jardim da Serr
https://www.jm-madeira.pt/regiao/ver/137152/Projeto_de_apoio_a_idosos_procura_voluntarios_na_Madeira
Power cut
Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira (Madeira power supplier) announced there will be power cuts due to planned work on the electricity supply network. These works cannot be postponed and will take place in the following day and places:
FUNCHAL
August 9th – 09h00 to 11h30
– Caminho do Laranjal (numbers 62 to 95)
– Vereda do Júlio (numbers to 10)
However, power could be restored during the time frame mentioned above. So, for safety purposes, it should be assumed that there will be power at any time during this period of time.
If necessary, customers can contact the free Customer Support Service (Serviço de Apoio ao Cliente): 800 221 187.