Azores Situation Report Saturday 31 July 2021
From our colleague in the Azores
Population Decreases
The Azores have registered a drop in the resident population of 4.1% since 2011, according to preliminary data from the 2021 Censuses, with the municipality of Madalena, on the island of Pico, being the only one to register growth (4.7%).
The archipelago had 246,772 inhabitants in 2011 and lost 10,115 within 10 years, equivalent to 4.1%, and now has 236,657 residents.
The region was the fourth in the country to lose more population, after Alentejo (6.9%), Madeira (6.2%) and Centro (4.3%).
The sharpest decreases in population were registered in the municipalities of Santa Cruz das Flores (11.7%), Nordeste, on the island of São Miguel (11.4%), and Corvo (10.2%), the smallest island. of the Azores.
Corvo is also the least populated island (and the municipality) of the nine in the archipelago, now with 386 inhabitants, 44 fewer than in 2011, according to preliminary data from the 2021 Census.
The municipality of Madalena, on the island of Pico, was the exception, with a growth of 4.7%, from 6,049 residents to 6,332.
Madalena was also the municipality in the country that registered the largest increase in the number of accommodations for housing (13.5%).
On the island of Pico, which integrates the municipalities of Madalena, Lajes do Pico and São Roque do Pico, there are currently 13,895 people.
Lajes do Pico lost 7.8% of the population, from 4,711 residents in 2011 to 4,342 in 2021, based on provisional data.
São Roque do Pico registered a population reduction of 4.9%, from 3,388 residents to 3,221.
The municipality of Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, remains the most populated in the Autonomous Region: 67,287 residents, with a loss of 1,522 (less 2.2%) compared to 2011.
The group of six municipalities on the island of São Miguel recorded a loss of 3.2% of its inhabitants, having increased from 137,856 inhabitants in 2011 to 133,390.
In the municipality of Ribeira Grande, the loss was 2.2% of the population, with 31,414 residents now registered.
Lagoa lost 1.7%, with 14,194 inhabitants according to the provisional results of the 2021 Census.
Povoação registered a decrease of 8.4% and Vila Franca do Campo of 8%.
These municipalities have, in 2021, 5,796 residents and 10,326, respectively.
In the Northeast, where the reduction was 11.4%, the population dropped from 4,937 to 4,373.
In the list of municipalities with the most residents in the Azores continues Angra do Heroísmo, on Terceira Island, with 33,829 people.
According to provisional data released today, this represents a reduction of 1,573 people (4.4%) compared to the 2011 Census.
Adding these data to those of the municipality of Praia da Vitória, where the population reduction was 7.4% in the last ten years, Terceira island has, in 2021, 53,311 residents, 5.5% less than in 2011.
As for the municipality of Horta, the only one on the island of Faial, it presents a loss of 4.3% of the resident population, having increased from 14,994 people in 2011 to 14,356.
In Vila do Porto, Santa Maria island, there are currently 5,414 people, 2.5% less than in 2011.
On Graciosa Island, another of the nine islands in the Azores that has only one municipality, there are currently 4,095 residents, 6.7% less than in 2011.
Regarding the island of São Jorge, its two municipalities record approximate population losses (Calheta recorded a reduction of 8.8% and Velas of 8.5%), which corresponds, according to provisional data from the Census, to a overall reduction of 8.6%.
Thus, on the island of São Jorge, residents increased from 9,171 in 2011 to 8,381.
The provisional results of the 2021 Census indicate the existence of 3,4029 residents on the island of Flores, which corresponds to 9.6% less than in 2011.
The sharpest decline was registered in the municipality of Santa Cruz das Flores (11.7% less, from 2,289 residents to 2,021).
In the municipality of Lajes das Flores, the reduction was 6.4%: from 1,504 inhabitants in 2011 to 1,408.
The Azores are the region of the country that recorded the largest increases in the number of buildings and accommodation for residential use (2.8%).
It was also in the archipelago that the highest average size of households was found (2.8 people).
Despite the population reduction, the region registered the second largest increase in the number of households (4.5%), now having 85,514.
The average number of accommodations per building in the Azores is one of the lowest in the country (1.1), after the Alentejo.
Between 2001 and 2011, the Azores had registered a growth in the resident population of 1.79%, although this increase only occurred in seven of the 19 municipalities in the archipelago.
28th July 2021
60 new positive cases of covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, with 37 on the island of São Miguel, 10 on the island of Terceira, five on the island of Santa Maria, four on the island of São Jorge, two on the island of Pico, one on the island of Flores and one on the island of Faial, following 2,119 tests carried out in the reference laboratories of the Region and five in private non-contracted laboratories.
47 recoveries were registered.
18 patients are hospitalised, with 10 at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital in Ponta Delgada (with two in intensive care unit), seven at the Santo Espírito Hospital in Angra do Heroísmo (with one in intensive care unit) and one in Horta Hospital.
29th July 2021
73 new positive cases of covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azore, with 43 on the island of São Miguel, 29 on the island of Terceira and one on the island of São Jorge, following 3,155 tests carried out in the reference laboratories of the Region and one in a private non-contracted laboratory.
28 recoveries were registered.
As of today, 15 patients are hospitalised, with seven at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital (HDES) in Ponta Delgada (with two in intensive care unit), seven at the Santo Espírito Hospital in Angra do Heroísmo and one at the Horta Hospital.
30th July 2021
39 new positive cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, with 28 on São Miguel island, 10 on Terceira island, and 1 on São Jorge island, arising from 2,852 tests carried out in reference laboratories of the region, and one at a pharmacy by a healthcare professional.
On the island of São Miguel, three cases concern travellers: two residents in the civil parish of Ribeira Seca, municipality of Vila Franca do Campo, tested positive on day 6 and a non-resident in the civil parish of Capelas, municipality of Ponta Delgada, tested positive on day 6. The other cases are the result of community transmission. Thus, 10 cases were recorded in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, there were eight new cases in the municipality of Lagoa, eight new cases were diagnosed in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, and two new cases were registered in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo.
On Terceira, one of the new cases concerns a non-resident traveller, who is in the civil parish of São Mateus da Calheta, with a positive test on arrival, and the remainder are the result of community transmission. Thus, four new cases were recorded in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo and there are six new patients in the municipality of Praia da Vitória.
On the island of São Jorge, a new case was diagnosed in Velas, which is part of the local primary transmission chain identified in that municipality.
26 recoveries were recorded.
One positive case identified on São Miguel, in the civil parish of São Sebastião, municipality of Ponta Delgada, provided documentation demonstrating a previous infection and the respective cure.
One positive case, which was in the civil parish of Fajã de Baixo, municipality of Ponta Delgada, has left the Region, ceasing to count as an active case in the Azores.
On Terceira, two positive cases identified, one in the civil parish of Santa Luzia, municipality of Angra, and one in the civil parish of Santa Cruz, municipality of Praia, as reported in the press release of 29th July 2021, has proved to be false positive and, therefore, ceased to count as active cases.
As of today, 14 patients are hospitalised, seven on São Miguel (two in intensive care), six on Terceira island and one on the island of Faial. 1,473 people are under active surveillance.
Presently, seven primary local transmission chains are active, with three on Pico, one between the island of Pico and the island of Flores, one on Faial island, one on São Jorge island and one on Flores island. To date, 218 have been extinguished and 639,476 tests have been carried out for SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 disease.
Currently, there are 588 active positive cases the archipelago, with 361 on São Miguel, 188 on Terceira island, 12 on São Jorge island, 11 on Pico island, seven on Santa Maria island, four on Flores island, three on Faial island and two on Graciosa island.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 7,589 positive cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in the Azores and 6,813 people have recovered from the disease, 30 died, 86 left the archipelago and 64 provided evidence of previous infection and of the respective cure.
From 31st December to 29th July, 275,806 doses of the vaccine against COVID-19 have been administered in the Azores: 142,045 for the first dose and 133,761 completed vaccination.
This and other detailed information, by island, can also be found at https://vacinacao-covid19.azores.gov.pt .