Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 27th October 2021
Introduction
Good morning – With the focus in the media firmly on the budget in Portugal and the political divisions concerning this, let us start with some good news.
It was announced yesterday that Vice Admiral Gouveia e Melo was the winner of the National Bioethics Award, a distinction made by the National Bioethics Association, with the support of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP). According to the note sent to newsrooms this Tuesday, the “choice was unanimous” and is a reflection of the coordination of the task force of vaccination against covid-19, which the jury considered to be “an example”.
Some may ask why this is particular good news.
The reason is simple, namely that in a crisis, such as what we have faced, sound leadership, establishing priorities, clear decision making, focusing on the outcomes and above all achieving these, are what we as a community wish to see. In my opinion the Vice Admiral is a fine example of the qualities of leadership required in facing such a situation.
Confidence in government is vitally important in crisis situations. We never know what may lay ahead; it maybe another pandemic, a natural or man-made disaster, but having a government that can cope with such a challenge is essential. It could make the difference between survival or defeat, determining human, social and economic loss to the nation.
I feel we have been very fortunate in Portugal with having the right leaders in place at the right time. The fact that Portugal became and retains, the highest vaccinated country (full vaccinations) in the world is a remarkable achievement. This undoubtedly saved lives and avoided far higher rates of new cases per head of population, such as the UK and some other countries are currently experiencing.
Although Portugal has relaxed most of the measures previously in place, it is pleasing to see the generally high compliance by the population in terms of hygiene and the wearing of facemasks. As we head towards the winter months and colder weather, it will be particularly important to continue these measures, as well as obtaining the flu vaccination, especially for the elderly and those more vulnerable.
On the subject of vaccinations, complete vaccination against covid-19 already now covers 86% of the population and there are already more than nine million people who have at least one dose of the vaccine, according to official data released yesterday.
The weekly report of the General Directorate of Health (DGS) registers 8,862,628 people with complete vaccination, which corresponds to 86% of the population, which represents a slight advance compared to 85% of the previous week. According to Our World in Data Portugal retains its position with the highest rate of completed vaccinations per capita of population.
Changing the subject, the police have highlighted the theft of catalytic converters, which has soared not only in Portugal but also in the UK and USA. 2021 has seen the ‘new fad’ for stealing catalytic converters from petrol cars. Incidents have been flagged throughout the country, with police registering several thousand reports from north to south.
The reason is that old petrol cars – particularly Honda, Opel and VW – have metals (rhodium and palladium) that are now ‘more precious than gold’. Advice for anyone with an old petrol car is park it in an area where people are generally around, and likely to notice if someone gets underneath and starts working furtively often using a saw or even a grinder.
A reminder that the A Terra Treme awareness exercise will take place at 11.05 hrs on 5th November. The aim of the exercise is to draw attention to the seismic risk in Portugal and the importance of simple actions that citizens shouldadopt in the event of an earthquake, which can save lives. It lasts only 1 minute, during which participants are invited to perform the 3 save gestures: DROP, COVER, HOLD ON. We encourage everyone to participate individually or in groups, wherever you are. In order that the ANEPC can follow the level of participation across the country, please register your participation in the dedicated area of this website. https://www.aterratreme.pt
Lastly please see our headline story concerning the UN’s latest warning regarding climate change. It makes sombre reading and something we should all pay particular attention to living in a hot climate, with the increasing potential of major wildfires this brings.
With that please have a Safe Day
Headlines
Flu has already arrived in Europe. And this year can be particularly severe for the older people.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warned today that the next flu season could be particularly severe for the elderly, following the early detection of some cases, and called for vaccination.
In a statement, the ECDC explains that although the number of identified cases remains, for the time being, low in most countries of the European Union, the circulation of the flu virus is already above the seasonal limit in Croatia, “which is extremely early”.
In addition to the early identification of cases, the main variant detected among cases registered in the last month is influenza A, which, according to the ECDC, disproportionately affects the elderly and is associated with lower vaccine efficacy.
Unable to predict exactly what the next flu season will be like, ECDC specialist Pasi Penttinen stresses the need to take the necessary precautions in order to protect the most vulnerable.
“A sharp increase in flu infections during the covid-19 pandemic could have serious consequences for the elderly and those with weak immune systems and could pose an additional burden to health systems already affected by the pandemic,” he warned, quoted in a statement. .
According to ECDC, last year there was a significant drop, over 99%, in the number of cases of influenza virus infection in the European Union, potentially as a result of the rules and precautions imposed by the covid-19 pandemic.
“Following our experience with the covid-19 pandemic, we now have more evidence that non-pharmaceutical interventions such as social distancing and hygiene measures can effectively limit the spread of the virus,” says the same expert.
ECDC calls for the maintenance of many of these precautions, highlighting the importance of vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 and against influenza which, according to Pasi Penttinen, “also offer good protection against serious illness.”
World faces disastrous 2.7C temperature rise on current climate plans, UN warns
Report says countries must strengthen climate ambitions after wasting chance to build back better after Covid
The world is squandering the opportunity to “build back better” from the Covid-19 pandemic, and faces disastrous temperature rises of at least 2.7C if countries fail to strengthen their climate pledges, according to a report from the UN.
Tuesday’s publication warns that countries’ current pledges would reduce carbon by only about 7.5% by 2030, far less than the 45% cut scientists say is needed to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C, the aim of the Cop26 summit that opens in Glasgow this Sunday.
António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, described the findings as a “thundering wake-up call” to world leaders, while experts called for drastic action against fossil fuel companies.
Although more than 100 countries have promised to reach net zero emissions around mid-century, this would not be enough to stave off climate disaster, according to the UN emissions report, which examines the shortfall between countries’ intentions and actions needed on the climate. Many of the net zero pledges were found to be vague, and unless accompanied by stringent cuts in emissions this decade would allow global heating of a potentially catastrophic extent.
Guterres said: “The heat is on, and as the contents of this report show, the leadership we need is off. Far off. Countries are squandering a massive opportunity to invest Covid-19 fiscal and recovery resources in sustainable, cost-saving, planet-saving ways. As world leaders prepare for Cop26, this report is another thundering wake-up call. How many do we need?”
Comment
Climate change increases the risk of the hot, dry weather that is likely to fuel wildfires. Evidence shows that extreme fire weather events including increased lightning and strong winds, are also becoming more common under climate change.
More here: https://www.unep.org/resources/emissions-gap-report-2021
Covid-19
Portugal Covid-19 DGS Situation Tuesday 26th October
Confirmed Cases: 1.086.280 (+ 829 / + 0.08 %)
Number of admitted: 301 (+ 11 / + 3.79 %)
Number of ICU admitted: 62 (+ 3 / + 5.08 %)
Deaths: 18.141 (+ 3 / + 0.02 %)
Recovered: 1.037.261 (+ 1284 / + 0.12 %)
Active cases: 30,878 (-458 /-1.46%)
Trends
Daily deaths lower than last week’s daily average. All were over 80 years.
New cases higher than last week’s daily average.
The covid-19 cases diagnosed yesterday in Portugal (829) are slightly above the average of the last seven days (764.4) and also slightly above those identified on Tuesday of last week (832).
The number of deaths is the lowest number in the last six days.
Admissions either in outpatient clinics or in intensive care units rose for the second consecutive day – another 11 and three, respectively.
Health
Vice Admiral Gouveia e Melo distinguished with National Bioethics award
Vice Admiral Gouveia e Melo is the winner of the National Bioethics Award, a distinction made by the National Bioethics Association, with the support of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP). According to the note sent to newsrooms this Tuesday, the “choice was unanimous” and is a reflection of the coordination of the task force of vaccination against covid-19, which the jury considered to be “an example”.
“The Prize, awarded by the National Bioethics Association, with the support of the FMUP, distinguishes the vice-admiral for the ‘personal integrity with which he performed his duties, as well as for the ‘demonstrated organizational and planning qualities’. The award is also intended to be a recognition ‘for the example it has given to Portuguese society, an example of public service and dedication to common causes’”, can be read in the note. “Known for the decisive role he played in a critical phase of the pandemic, Vice Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo was, for the jury of this Award, “a natural and unanimous choice”.
The award ceremony is scheduled on November 3rd, at the FMUP premises.
The National Bioethics Award has been awarded since 2007 and aims to distinguish “personalities of high integrity and personal integrity, national or foreign, who have distinguished themselves in the academic, scientific world or in society in general”
Enforcement
PSP detained 712 people in inspections to fight the pandemic
The PSP has detained 712 people since March 2020 in surveillance actions to combat the covid-19 pandemic, a number that police considered this Tuesday to be small due to the extended period and enormous restrictions.
In a presentation on the performance of the Public Security Police during the fight against the covid-19 pandemic, the PSP national director stated that between March 19, 2020, when the state of emergency began, and September 30 of this year, they were 712 people were detained, 26,413 administrative offenses were registered and 1571 commercial establishments closed.
Magina da Silva considered that this number of arrests is not huge.
“We have been living for long months in a pandemic, with huge restrictions, with interactions that are somehow negative and from citizens who, for some reason, did not like the police intervention or felt that the restrictions were excessive. There were millions of interactions by the police imposing restrictive rules on rights and freedoms of guarantees to citizens”, he justified, in statements to journalists at the end of the ceremony.
The national director of the PSP stressed that these arrests “only happened because they were extreme situations”, having been made to citizens who “repeatedly ostensibly refused to comply with the restrictions imposed by the state of emergency”.
Magina da Silva also highlighted the performance of the Portuguese during the state of emergency, stressing that “they showed an enormous social discipline that was not seen in any other country in the European Union”.
Other news
Human trafficking, gold visas and corruption are weaknesses
Portugal is in 117th position among the 193 UN countries in the Global Index of Organized Crime of 2021, according to which the State is “sufficiently effective” in combating this phenomenon. Gold visas are seen as a gateway to corruption, money laundering and tax evasion. Fighting corruption is considered a weak point in the State’s resilience.
Portugal is a “transit country and destination for trafficking in human beings, one of the largest criminal markets in the country”, it is a “transit country for arms trafficking whose destination is Africa” and also a “transit country and destination for cocaine trafficking” and a “cannabis production source”. According to the “Global Index of Organized Crime 2021”, these are the main factors that lead our country to have a score of 4.55 (scale of 1, best, to 10, worst) in organized crime rates.
This global assessment analyses the 193 countries that make up the United Nations. Portugal is in 117th place in relation to that total and 24th among 44 European countries. Among the eight countries in Southern Europe it is in 5th place.
The good news is that, according to this ranking, the State manages to be “sufficiently effective” in combating these phenomena, with Portugal being classified with a score of 6.46 (from 1, “non-existent” or “extremely ineffective” to 10, “highly effective”) with regard to “resilience”. It ranks 29th among the 193 UN countries, 21st in Europe and 2nd among southern European countries. Here the highest marks go to the police forces and the functioning of international cooperation (with 7.5 points), followed by “political leadership and government”, “national policies and legislation”, “support for victims” and “non-state actors”.
Even so, gold visas and anti-corruption mechanisms are seen as weak points in this same State resilience
Last week, at the ceremony to commemorate the 76th anniversary of the PJ, the Minister of Justice considered the Portuguese classification “honourable”, but pointed out that, despite this, it is still a transit and destination country for the trafficking in human beings and the smuggling of migrants, as well as for the trafficking of cocaine and other narcotics, with the record of the increase in the use of the dark web for the drug trade”. Therefore, Francisca Van Dunem stressed, “It is crucial to deepen and accelerate the Justice’s response, continuing to modernize and equip the Judiciary Police to combat these phenomena, which affect the lives of citizens, companies and public administrations”.
Globally, this index, developed by a non-governmental organization based in Geneva, concluded that “democracies have higher levels of resilience to crime than authoritarian states”. It was also found that “more than three quarters of the world’s population lives in countries with high levels of crime and in countries with low resilience to organized crime”. Four other conclusions are highlighted: Asia is the continent with the highest levels of crime; trafficking in human beings is the most widespread crime globally; state officials are the most frequent in actions to facilitate illicit economies and in hampering resilience to organized crime.