Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 29th December 2021
Introduction
Good morning: Over the last few days Covid-19 figures have very much been in focus with over 17,000 cases recorded yesterday, the highest so far since the start of the pandemic. There is little doubt that these high numbers are being driven by the Omicron variant, which according to the INSA, accounted for 75% of all cases, as of 27ndDecember. Testing is at an all-time high and even though the positivity rate remains below the threshold of 4 (3.4%), compared with some 10% for the same week last year, this is still bound to result in a far higher number of new daily cases, compared to what we have seen in recent weeks.
With a transmission rate increasing from 1.11 last Friday to 1.23 on Monday, and an incidence rate increasing by 27% to over 800 in just 3 days, how far these numbers of new cases will increase and the effect it will have on hospitalisations, serious illnesses and deaths, remains to be seen. We await today’s figures.
The difference between this year and the same week in 2020, is that deaths are 80% lower, and hospitalisations and those in ICU some 70% lower. Last year at this time there were no vaccines available to the general public and as a consequence the number of hospitalisations grew to an all-time high of 6869 on 1st February 2021 and 904 in ICU four days later.
Whilst the new Omicron variant is making its way across the world and here in Portugal with record new cases, new data from Our World in Data shows that the death rate per 1 million of population in Portugal is one of the lowest in Europe. Currently only Sweden, Finland, Spain and Cyprus have a lower death rate than Portugal. The current rate is 1.32 deaths per 1 million based on data provided for December 27th 2021.
To help reduce the spread, protect ourselves and others, it is essential that we all follow the advice given by DGS and others by reducing gatherings especially over the New Year and wearing face masks indoors. Remember on 30th, 31st and January 1, 2022, a limitation of concentrations greater than 10 people in public spaces and public roads will apply, unless they all belong to the same cohabiting household. We can expect this to be enforced by police.
When visiting family and friends (especially those who may be vulnerable) who do not live with you, we ask urge people to follow DGS advice by taking a Covid-19 test, can be a self-test. This will help in reducing the risk of passing on the disease should you be infected.
Yesterday the Minister of Health Marta Temido explained that these high numbers are the “effect of a much more transmissible variant and that it is doubling every eight days”. Given the escalation in the number of new cases, the Minister of Health admits “an enormous pressure” on the health system.
She added that “It’s putting us all to the test and it’s resulting in enormous pressure on the functioning of some of our services, namely the contact lines, epidemiological inquiries, screenings. We are working to give a better response at that level, but the next few days are of enormous pressure on the system”, admits Marta Temido. It is worth noting that with the models we have we will reach 37 thousand cases in the first week of January”, said the minister.
In view of the “overwhelming and tremendous numbers”, the Minister of Health calls on people to “RESTRICT CONTACTS in the face of a highly transmissible variant”.
If, however, you are venturing out on New Year’s Eve, a reminder to do not drink and drive. The police are conducting various New Year operations aimed at road safety, and the last thing that you would wish is to spend time in a police station. With the health services over stretched, we ask everyone to act responsibly, in order to reduce pressure on them.
Apart from Covid-19 which is still with us, we end the year with some good news. The first of these is that the La Palma volcanic eruption is finally over which is a huge relief to those residents there who suffered greatly from this for over 90 days. Further good news in the lead up to New Year’s Eve and Day, is that the weather outlook is for temperatures above average and generally dry. (Yesterday it was 21,6C in Aljezur). This contrasts with same time last year when snow and ice warnings were in place!
With that more optimistic note our team thank you for following and sharing our posts during 2021 and wish you All a Happy and Safe New Year.
Headlines
Covid-19: Omicron variant reached 75% case proportion on Monday
Lisbon, December 28, 2021 (Lusa) – The Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes covid-19 disease, reached an estimated proportion of 75% on Monday, according to a report by the National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA), released today.
The report on the genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 in Portugal indicates that there was an “exponential growth” of probable cases of the Omicron variant, while there was a reduction in the circulation of the Delta variant.
The data indicate that the Ómicron variant is dominant in Portugal (more than 50% of cases) and that, according to the INSA, this “sudden increase in community circulation is parallel to the scenario observed in other countries, such as Denmark and the United Kingdom”.
The report, carried out by the Bioinformatics Nucleus of the Department of Infectious Diseases at INSA, states that to date 24,198 sequences of the genome of the new coronavirus have been analyzed, obtained from samples collected in more than 100 laboratories, hospitals and institutions, representing 303 municipalities of Portugal.
An average of 533 sequences per week have been analyzed since the beginning of June 2021, from samples collected at random in laboratories distributed throughout the 18 districts of mainland Portugal and the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira, covering an average of 129 municipalities per week .
In week 50, from December 13th to 19th, the Omicron worry variant registered a provisional relative frequency of 10.1% (data calculated up to December 14th).
“According to the estimates obtained based on the real-time monitoring strategy of the ‘failure’ in the detection of the S gene, since December 6 there has been an exponential growth in the proportion of probable cases of the Omicron variant, having reached an estimated proportion of 75% on the 27th of December”, says the INSA in the report.
WHO warns on the rapid spread of Omicron
Although slightly less dangerous than Delta, the rapid spread of the Omicron variant will not prevent a large number of hospital admissions, “particularly among the unvaccinated”
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned this Tuesday that the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus will result in a “large number of hospitalizations”, even if it turns out to be slightly less dangerous than Delta.
“A rapid increase in Omicron, as we are seeing in several countries, even if combined with a slightly less severe disease, will still result in a large number of hospital admissions, particularly among the unvaccinated,” said Catherine Smallwood, a senior WHO official Europe.
Faced with uncertainty over the new variant first detected in late November in South Africa, countries are vacillating between tight restrictions and a more flexible strategy due to less severe signals from Omicron.
“It is too early to say whether the Omicron wave will be more or less severe than Delta,” Smallwood told the France-Presse news agency.
Smalwood noted that “preliminary data on the first affected populations in Europe”, England, Scotland and Denmark, show that Omicron “may result in a lower risk of hospitalization compared to Delta”.
However, the emergency response specialist urged that these preliminary data be treated “with caution”, because, at the moment, the observed cases are mainly in “young and healthy populations in countries with high rates of vaccination”.
Since the South African authorities raised the alert, Omicron has been detected in at least 110 countries, including Portugal, where it is already dominant.
Covid-19 Vaccinations one year on
On 27th December 2020, Dr. António Sarmento, a 65-year-old infectious disease physician at the Hospital de São João, in Porto, received the first dose of the vaccine against covid-19 in Portugal.
The doctor recalls the moment, leaves an appeal and reminds that as long as the virus is not controlled worldwide, no country is safe.
As of December 27, 2021 nearly 8.7 million people have been vaccinated and more than 2.5 million have received the booster dose.
The first to be vaccinated were health professionals and workers and users of nursing homes.
The vaccination process was not linear and even had some controversies in between, from batch delivery failures to improper vaccination problems – such as, for example, healthy people who received the vaccine before their time.
These cases led to the resignation of Francisco Ramos, on February 3, replaced by Vice Admiral Gouveia e Melo, who coordinated the vaccination plan against covid-19 until September, when the task force was dissolved.
On April 21, the criteria for decreasing age began to be applied, although people with diseases considered to be at risk continued to have priority. It is also at this stage that self-scheduling came into operation.
By October reached a record: 85% of the population who had already received two doses. Portugal thus became the country with the most vaccines administered per head of population in the world.
The figures show that Covid-19 vaccination has succeeded in avoiding many encountering serious illness and saved lives.
Covid-19
Covid-19 DGS Situation report 28th December 2021
Confirmed: 1.303.291 (+ 17,172 / + 1.34 %)
Admitted: 936 (+ 22 / + 2.41 %)
Admitted to ICU: 152 (+ 2 / + 1.33 %)
Deaths: 18.909 (+ 19 / + 0.10 %)
Recovered: 1.169.841 (+ 8226 / + 0.71 %)
Active cases: 114,541 (+8927 /+8.4%)
Trends
The number of new cases is a new maximum since the beginning of the pandemic -, Health
Number of deaths higher than yesterday and above last week’s daily average
Small increase in those in ICU
Large increase in active cases both in number and percentage terms for one day.
CONTEXT AND COMPARISON TO 2020
By comparison the daily tests registered yesterday on 27th December were just over 234,000 compared TO ONLY 17,441 on the same day last year – a difference of 13 times!.
The number of deaths, those in hospital and in ICU, stood at 58, 2967 and 503 respectively compared to the same day last year. Hospitalisation increased by 97 on 28th Dec 2020 compared to the previous day
More details here:
https://covid19.min-saude.pt/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/666_DGS_boletim_20211228.pdf
Testing Lisbon Airport
Newsroom, December 27, 2021 (Lusa) – The laboratory stations at Lisbon airport had “high” waiting times between the 24th and 26th, due to the increased demand for tests to covid-19, according to ANA – Aeroportos de Portugal, which ensures reinforcement of resources.
“Due to a strong increase in demand for covid-19 tests, associated with a reduction in the supply of the remaining test sites, between December 24th and 26th, the laboratory stations at Lisbon airport had high waiting times”, added the company.
According to ANA, “the situation is being monitored and resources reinforced”.
“However, and with a view to ensuring the need for passenger testing, and a further increase in demand being expected next weekend, Synlab’s laboratory at Lisbon Airport will be exclusive to ticket holders, between the 30th. December and January 2nd”, guaranteed the company.
According to ANA, “the appointments that have already been made will, of course, be complied with”.
Restaurants in the Algarve, Lisbon and Porto with expected losses close to 50% on New Year’s Eve
Since it was possible to carry out self-tests, there have been some reschedulings, but in general the scenario has been one of cancellations, according to the National Association of Restaurants (PRO.VAR)
Restaurants in the Algarve, Lisbon and Porto regions should have “breaks in the order of 50%” on New Year’s Eve, said this Tuesday the president of PRO.VAR – National Restaurant Association, Daniel Serra.
According to Daniel Serra, the situation in the catering sector is “unsafe” and entrepreneurs “are not sure if they are going to have a full house”.
“The situation is not good. What was expected at the end of the year was that the month of December would be very good, but it’s been very bad. These last days have been quite weak due to the confusion that exists around the mandatory tests [from screening to covid-19]”, he observed.
According to the president of PRO.VAR, “breaks will be in the order of 50% in the Algarve, Lisbon and Porto” on New Year’s Eve, even though the possibility of carrying out self-tests to run covid-19 has led to some rebooking of reservations.
“From the moment the possibility of carrying out self-tests was expanded, there were re-schedulings again, but there have been many cancellations,” he said.
Daniel Serra also noted that, given the period of containment and the increase in the number of new cases, the catering sector is recording “many losses” and that the situation at the moment “is not very reliable”.
In a letter sent to the Secretaries of State for Tourism and Commerce, to which Lusa had access today, PRO.VAR “urgently” requests the creation of an “inter-ministerial crisis office where measures to save the sector are determined” to resolve various problems related to support that were, according to the association, “insufficient or even non-existent”.
“The allocation of more than one billion, which became available because it is no longer used at TAP, will be essential for the allocation of immediate support to the restaurant sector. We are certain that this amount will be decisive in saving the majority of companies and preventing redundancies workers”, observes the association.
Covid-19: SNS24 Line Set Sunday Daily Test Request Record
Lisbon, December 27, 2021 (Lusa) – On Sunday, the SNS24 line beat the daily record of requests for tests to covid-19 issued, with a total of 22,103, according to data from the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health (SPMS).
According to the same data, the number of requests for testing to covid-19 issued by the SNS24 Line on Sunday surpassed the previous record of January 21st of this year (16,672).
During this month of December (days 1 to 26), 246,709 test requests to covid-19 were issued by SNS24, of which 101,077 in the last week.
“Regarding the issuance of provisional declarations of prophylactic isolation (DPIP), this December (days 1 to 26) were issued by the SNS 24 178,481, of which 79,256 in the last week”, refers to the SPMS note, adding that only on Sunday 14,297 declarations were issued.
SPMS pointed out that in recent days there has been a “very strong growth in demand for the SNS24 line”, which “has been following the evolution of the current pandemic context”.
The note also refers that, “to reinforce the quality of the service, a series of measures were taken, in close coordination with the DGS and the operator Altice Portugal”, including the opening of new ‘call centers’ “to benefit from resources available in other regions”, pointing out the case of Coimbra, opened last week, and beja, which will open in January.
It also points to “training and hiring new professionals”, making a total of 5,000, mostly nurses, but also psychologists, pharmacists, dentists, administrative staff, Portuguese Sign Language interpreters and sixth-year medical students, and “diversification categories of professionals and their respective tasks to optimize service on the line”.
Covid-19. Portuguese Embassy in Praia suspends consular assistance after suspected cases
Service to the public is temporarily suspended at the Consular Section of the Embassy of Portugal in Praia, capital of Cape Verde, after suspected cases of covid-19 among employees, was announced this Monday.
“All users of the Consular Section of the Portuguese Embassy in Praia are informed that, with suspicion of positive cases of covid-19 among embassy employees and wishing to avoid a contagion situation for the community, the public service for all services is temporarily suspended while the necessary procedures to detect possible cases of infection are adopted,” the embassy announced in a press release.
The same source assured that the services of the Consular Section will be resumed soon, while all the appointments made (Portuguese matters and visa applications) will be rescheduled in due course.
Cape Verde has registered an increase in new positive cases of covid-19 in recent days, with peaks since September, with an emphasis on 148 on Saturday, currently having 523 active cases, a total of 39,072 cases accumulated since the beginning of the pandemic, 38,172 recovered cases and 351 deaths.
In terms of vaccination, the country has about 84% of adults with the first dose, has already surpassed 70% with full vaccination and started on December 16th to vaccinate children between 12 and 17 years old, with a rate already around of 45%.
Infarmed authorizes stem cell treatment in severe cases of covid
Therapy already used in European countries and in the USA revealed that these cells can reverse scenarios of hyper-inflammation and helped several seriously ill patients to recover.
The Infarmed authorized the company Crioestaminal to develop an experimental therapy to umbilical cord cells as the basis for the treatment of severe cases of infection by SARS-CoV-2, advanced Tuesday the Public newspaper.
The drug, which still does not have authorization to be marketed, can now be made available to hospitals that request it. The therapy is already being used in several countries, being the target of research since 2020.
As he explained to the same newspaper, Francisco Santos, director of cell therapies at Crioestaminal , concluded that these cells “were able to reverse the scenarios of hyper-inflammation and many patients recovered”. “There is already an extensive list of scientific publications about this and throughout 2020 mesenchymal cells ended up entering clinical trials in several countries in Europe and in the USA “, he added.
It should also be noted that one of the advantages of the treatment lies in the fact that there is no biological compatibility between the cells and the recipient patient.
Travel
TAP admits cancellations due to “peak casualties” due to covid-19
The Portuguese air carrier told DN that “some flights” had been cancelled due to a “peak of casualties”, but did not reveal how many. According to Lusa, there will have been more than a hundred.
TAP cancelled “some flights” due to “peak casualties” as a result of covid-19, not revealing how many. In response to a request for information from the DN, the company’s advisory reports: “TAP has been adjusting the operation to face a peak in crew casualties (mostly due to covid), which has already led to the cancellation of some flights, with passengers being accommodated on other flights of the company or partner companies”.
The Portuguese airline does not indicate how many flights were effectively cancelled. According to the accounts of the news agency Lusa, through the data available on the website of ANA Aeroportos Portugal, there will have been more than a hundred.
At Humberto Delgado Airport, in Lisbon, 23 flights were cancelled this Monday, 21 from TAP; Sunday, there were 20 cancellations, 19 from TAP; while on Saturday, 19 flights, 15 from TAP, had already been cancelled and, on Friday, 19 flights, 17 from the Portuguese carrier, were cancelled.
At Sá Carneiro Airport, in Porto, this Monday there are 13 cancelled flights; Sunday, four; Saturday 5th and Friday 7th, the vast majority of the Portuguese carrier.
At Faro Airport, only one flight did not take place and that was TAP.
Covid-19: Finland blocks entry for unvaccinated foreign travellers
Foreign travellers not vaccinated against covid-19 will not be able to enter Finland from today, even with a negative test, the government announced, to curb the wave of the Omicron variant.
Only foreign travellers with a negative covid-19 test and proof of complete vaccination or recovery from illness can enter the country, the Finnish Interior Ministry added at the end of an executive meeting.
A spokesman for the border guard quoted by French news agency France-Presse confirmed that foreign nationals will be denied entry unless they appear on a list of exceptions (Finland residents, essential workers, diplomats, etc.).