Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 22^nd December 2021

Introduction

Good morning- Yesterday evening the Prime Minister António Costa announced the main measures that will be in place to help contain the further spread of Covid-19, with the main focus being the Christmas and New Year periods.

He explained that the strategies adopted about a month ago are showing results. He added that the Government had decided to move forward with a new package of measures, among them the extension of free tests from four to six per person each month. The Government has decided to bring forward the special measures planned for January 2nd-9th. According to the new rules, this period will start at 00h00 on 25th December (namely midnight 24^th/25^th).

The prime minister announced that the containment period scheduled for January 2 to 9 will be brought forward to December 25, which in practice determines the early closure of clubs, bars, day care centers and ATL, and mandatory telecommuting. Tests will be needed for almost everything, except stores, but these are also reduced in capacity. On New Year’s Eve, gatherings are prohibited. Government has stated that they are expanding test capacity which will certainly be required to meet the heavy demand.

The official Communique of the Council of ministers was published overnight and as is normal we await the decree with full details. This will provide the information many of you are asking at present, and as soon as it is available we will produce an Informal English translation highlighting the main details.  This will need to be published before these changes are implemented, so this could be as early as today or tomorrow. COM here: https://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/council-of-ministers-communique-21st-december-2021/

As with similar announcements in the past (nearly always made at dinner times) my thanks go to our volunteers Eliana Taveras and Fernanda Gonçalves for preparing this. Trust me it is not easy, and certainly I compliment Fernanda in all the work she undertakes in answering many of the questions that you have.

In that respect I would like to emphasise a point that when we say “more details will be available later”, there is little point in asking detailed questions as the answers are not there – all hopefully will be revealed very soon – thank you for your understanding.

Clearly as some of you have commented the restriction could have been a lot worse. For instance no travel restricts have been announced during Christmas nor New Year’s Eve. There will be some disappointment, and a loss of income to some businesses affected, but when we see the situation elsewhere in Europe I am thankful that I am here in Portugal. The Prime Minister has guaranteed that the companies will be supported through “the layoff and the Apoiar program”. In the first case, support is 100% of the salary of employees and employers with the business closed due to the measures.  If everyone follows the measures and limits gatherings during the festive season we should be much better placed in the New Year.

Some advice that will help reduce the risk of infection are whenever possible, ventilate the house and have the windows open. It is a cold night, but the ventilation of closed spaces is of the utmost importance to avoid the concentration of viruses and reduce the risk of contamination. It is also important to wear masks whenever possible, even indoors, during the Christmas dinner (except when eating or drinking) and advice from Government is for everyone to test themselves before gathering for the Christmas Eve meal or lunches. This is particularly important before visiting relatives, who themselves maybe vulnerable.

The Covid-19 Digital Certificate of the European Union (EU) is, as of yesterday is valid for 270 days for travel within the community and includes information on booster doses of vaccines, it was announced yesterday by Brussels. The statement includes “Today, the Commission adopted rules relating to the EU Digital COVID Certificate, establishing a binding acceptance period of 9 months (precisely 270 days) of vaccination certificates for the purposes of intra-EU travel”.

As far as we can see for this this extension is ONLY for travel within the EU.

As many of you have experience we are in for a week of bad weather (not unusual for this time of the year) so please take care especially when driving. We are posting Safe Driving information on our Facebook page to remind drivers accordingly. Please monitor the weather reports over the next days as more rain some heavy at times is expected.

Our team at Safe Communities wish you a very safe and Happy Christmas and New Year

Headlines

WHO says 2022 should be the one in which “the pandemic ends“

The year 2022 should be the year in which “the pandemic is put to an end”, stressed this Monday, December 20, the leader of the World Health Organization (WHO), calling for prudence at the festivities.

“We are all fed up with this pandemic. We all want to be with our families, but to better protect them and protect ourselves, in some cases, this means cancelling an event,” said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Speaking at a press conference at the UN in Geneva (Switzerland), the WHO official recommended that families and people who intend to be together during the end of the year to think twice: “a cancelled event is better than live less».

On the other hand, next year, “WHO is committed to doing everything in its power to end the pandemic,” he said.

As the fifth wave of the covid-19 pandemic hits many countries in force and the emergence of the Omicron variant puts the planet back in emergency, the leader of the WHO, now one of the most familiar faces in the fight against the coronavirus, declared: “2022 must be the year we end the pandemic”.

Again, he called for better access to vaccines in disadvantaged countries.

“If we want to end the pandemic next year, we must end inequality, ensuring that 70% of the population in each country is vaccinated by mid-year,” he said.

The director of WHO considered that countries that administer booster doses to adults or children in perfect health would do better to share these vaccines or convince unvaccinated people to adhere.

“We are faced with a very harsh reality, but we must be solidary,” he insisted.

Covid-19 DGS Situation reported on 21^st December 2021

Confirmed: 1.233.608 (+ 5754 / + 0.47 %)

Admitted: 904 (-39 /-4.14 %)

Admitted to ICU: 153 (+ 1 / + 0.66 %)

Deaths: 18.812 (+ 16 / + 0.09 %)

Recovered: 1.141.909 (+ 6551 / + 0.58 %)

Active cases: 72,887 (-813 / -1.1%)

Trends

Deaths marginally below last week’s daily average (17)

New cases above last week’s daily average (4402). Yesterday’s figure was well below

A moderate reduction in hospitalisation compared to yesterday and a marginal increase in ICU

On the same day in 2020 there were: 57 deaths, 3158 in hospital, and 502 in ICU, which shows the considerable importance in vaccinations in saving life, reducing serious illness and reducing the tremendous pressure on the health services. 

Health

Omicron already represents almost 50% of new infections in Portugal

The Omicron variant represented 46.9% of cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Portugal this Monday. This is the value of the estimated proportion for advanced Omicron in the most recent report on the situation of the genetic diversity of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in Portugal, released this Tuesday by the National Institute of Health Doctor Ricardo Jorge (Insa).

 “Since December 6, there has been an exponential growth in the proportion of probable cases of the Ómicron variant, having reached an estimated proportion of 46.9% on December 20”, refers to the Insa report, which adds that data obtained since last Wednesday (December 15) – the day on which the growth trend was projected until the end of the year – “has a large overlap with the projection”. This means that there is a consolidation for the analysis that Ómicron will be dominant in the country during this week. The prevalence of the variant will thus exceed 50% in the week of Christmas this week.

At a press conference, the Minister of Health, Marta Temido, announced that this variant represented 20% of new SARS-CoV-2 infections in Portugal. It also announced that in the week of Christmas – this week – the prevalence of Ómicron should increase to 50% and that it would rise to 80% in the week of the end of the year.

The “sudden increase” of Ómicron’s community circulation is parallel to the scenario observed in other countries, such as Denmark and the United Kingdom, according to the report. 

Vaccination update

Lisbon, December 21, 2021 (Lusa) – More than 88,000 people were vaccinated in the last 24 hours against covid-19 (complete primary scheme and booster) and against influenza, says today’s vaccination report released by the General Directorate of Health (DGS).

In the last 24 hours, more than 68,064 people were vaccinated with the booster against covid-19, which makes a total of 2,393,088 booster vaccines against the new coronavirus so far.

Today’s data from the DGS further indicates that 8,657,229 people have completed primary vaccination against covid-19, and 2,323,632 have been vaccinated against the flu.

According to DGS data, 86% of people aged 80 and over have already received a booster dose of the covid-19 vaccine, 83% of people aged between 70 and 79, 45% of people aged between 60 and those aged 69, and 15% of people aged between 50 and 59 years.

Hotels and restaurants worried about cancellations for Christmas and New Years

The tourism sector in Portugal, which in the summer saw signs of recovery, is worried about cancellations for the next few days. They were counting on Christmas and New Year to have a little oxygen to withstand the first trimester, hoping that Easter 2022 was already normal. But, for the second year, the Christmas season and New Year will be lived all over Europe with renewed fears about the pandemic. If in 2020, vaccination was not a widespread reality, which raised concerns about the spread of the virus and generation of serious disease, in 2021 the emergence of a new variant, Ómicron, once again sounded the warning bells. Several governments decided to implement measures to try to control the pandemic, discouraging the gathering of people and mobility.

Cristina Siza Vieira, executive vice president of the Hotel Association of Portugal (AHP), recognizes to DN/Dinheiro Vivo that hotels in Portugal are feeling “a lot” of the effects of both the spread of Ómicron and the restrictions applied by the Portuguese government upon entry into the country. The effects are being felt “especially with foreign tourists. We were feeling a return of these tourists, especially in large urban centers, however the new measures are now in force, not only in Portugal, but throughout Europe, and in the world , plus the mandatory presentation of tests when entering and leaving Portugal and in various places, including hotels and restaurants, interrupted this principle of recovery”.

The operations of the hotel units have already been affected, confirming the person in charge that “there have already been cancellations, especially at Christmas dinners and lunches, whether by families or companies. Furthermore, demand for this period has also decreased and there has been a drop in reservations”.

The Portuguese Hotel, Catering and Similar Association (AHRESP) is also receiving the same reaction. Still listening to the members and, therefore, with no numbers yet to allow for a faithful portrait, Ana Jacinto, secretary general of AHRESP, assumes that “as soon as new health rules were announced on December 1, we immediately had reports of cancellations of group dinners and Christmas. “Trust” and “predictability” are crucial and whenever there are more restrictive rules,

Covid-19: Lisbon closes two homeless centers due to lack of conditions

Lisbon, December 21, 2021 (Lusa) – Two of the four homeless emergency shelters that opened during the pandemic in Lisbon will be closed, for lack of “dignified conditions”, announced today the mayor, Carlos Moedas.

“We had two centers without decent conditions that have to be deactivated”, said Carlos Moedas (PSD), who guaranteed that the people who were installed in these spaces are being “accompanied and forwarded”.

The mayor was speaking this afternoon at the Municipal Assembly of Lisbon and thus confirmed an information put forward by the deputy of People-Animals-Nature (PAN) Isabel Castro.

According to a source from the PAN parliamentary group to Lusa, the municipal emergency accommodation centers (CAEM) Pousada da Juventude, in Moscavide, and the Casa dos Direitos Sociais, in Marvila, are in the “closing phase”.

Carlos Moedas defended, in the same answer to the PAN deputy, that the homeless problem is “very serious” and that “Lisbon must change this strategy” of a response based on reception centers where more than 100 people gather in a same space.

For the new mayor of Lisbon, elected in September 2021, the city should adopt in the future a “more Nordic model” and have “smaller” solutions, in terms of spaces for people living on the streets.

Isabel Castro had stated, in her speech, that there is an increase in the number of homeless people in Lisbon and regretted that in the winter season, in a pandemic situation and when there are no more vacancies in the reception responses, the Lisbon City Council (CML) is closing two of the four emergency centers created in the city to support this population in the context of covid-19 

WHO lists 10th COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use : Nuvaxovid

The World Health Organization issued an emergency use listing (EUL) for NuvaxovidTM, following its assessment and approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) earlier today.

The new vaccine was developed by Novavax and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and is the originator product for the CovovaxTM vaccine that received WHO emergency use listing on 17 December.

Both vaccines are made using the same technologies. They require two doses and are stable at 2 to 8 °C refrigerated temperatures.

WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization has also issued policy recommendations for NuvaxovidTM / CovovaxTM.

The emergency use listing (EUL) procedure assesses the suitability of novel health products during public health emergencies. The objective is to make medicines, vaccines and diagnostics available as rapidly as possible to address the emergency while adhering to stringent criteria of safety, efficacy and quality. The assessment weighs the threat posed by the emergency as well as the benefit that would accrue from the use of the product against any potential risks.

The EUL pathway involves a rigorous assessment of late phase II and phase III clinical trial data, as well as substantial additional data on safety, efficacy, quality and a risk management plan. These data are reviewed by independent experts and WHO teams who consider the current body of evidence on the vaccine under consideration, the plans for monitoring its use, and plans for further studies.

As part of the EUL process, the company producing the vaccine must commit to continue to generate data to enable full licensure and WHO prequalification of the vaccine. The WHO prequalification process will assess additional clinical data generated from vaccine trials and deployment on a rolling basis to ensure the vaccine meets the necessary standards of quality, safety and efficacy for broader availability. 

Tourism unemployed grow 9% in November

Despite complaints about the lack of manpower, the shortage of workers is not reflected in last month’s IEFP data, which follow the usual trend of rising unemployment in this sector at the start of the autumn.

The number of unemployed people in the tourist sector with active enrollment in job centers increased by 9% in November compared to the previous month, interrupting a cycle of seven consecutive months of improvements in data from the Employment and Vocational Training Institute (IEFP) for accommodation workers, catering and other similar activities such as cafeterias.

Last month, unemployment registered in this sector rose by 2,723 individuals, to a total of 32,916 in the mainland regions (the breakdown by activities of origin of unemployment does not include data for the Azores or Madeira), according to statistics released yesterday.

Tourism was, in fact, one of the few sectors with an increase in unemployment in a month that marked a new minimum of active unemployment records, at 345 884, in continuous decline since March of this year. In addition to this sector, agriculture increased unemployment registrations by 1.4% (over 167) and the sector of electricity, gas, water, sanitation and waste by 1.1% (over 11).

The rise in tourism unemployed in November is in line with the behavior of previous years, with and without a pandemic, given the strong seasonality of employment in the sector. A year ago, for example, registered unemployment globally also fell, but accommodation and catering accounted for another 8% of unemployed. Agriculture, another highly seasonal activity, also accounted for over 1.1% of the unemployed.

Other news

CARRIS changes services until 7^th January and Lisbon Metro closes earlier on Christmas Eve

December 21, 2021 (Lusa) – CARRIS will make service changes between December 24th and January 7th and the Metropolitano de Lisboa will close earlier on Christmas night due to the reduction in demand, the companies reported today.

In a statement, Metropolitano de Lisboa said that it would close the service at 22:00 on 24th December and will resume circulation at 08:00 on 25 December.

“As in previous years, given the sharp reduction in demand usually seen on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Metropolitano de Lisboa will close its operating service at 22:00 on December 24th and will resume operating at 08: 00 on December 25th”, indicates the company.

CARRIS also said, in a statement, that it was going to make changes to the service between December 24th and January 7th to adapt the offer to the expected reduction in demand during the Christmas and New Year period.

Schedules and changes here:

https://www.carris.pt/descubra/noticias/horarios-natal-e-fim-de-ano/?fbclid=IwAR0H6aTdtO4Vos8L6lp7314JW1Wq-mq3EgSuxk-_J1wfyfdveQ0op4jle2I