Azores Situation Report Wednesday 22nd December 2021
From our colleague in the Azores
Omicron
The Regional Health Authority informs that two positive cases of infection by SARS-CoV-2 with SGTP (S Gene Target Failure) profile were identified in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, with molecular profiles compatible with strain B.1.1.529 (Omicron) and that the samples have already been sent for genomic sequencing and confirmation at the INSA – Doctor Ricardo Jorge National Health Institute.
These positive cases were identified yesterday on the island of Terceira and today on the island of São Miguel, respectively by the Specialized Service of Epidemiology and Molecular Biology of the Hospital de Santo Espírito da Ilha Terceira and by the Genetics and Molecular Pathology Unit of the Hospital do Divino Espírito Santo de Ponta Delgada.
15th December
37 new positive cases of covid-19 were diagnosed, 34 in São Miguel, one in Faial, one in Pico and one in Terceira, resulting from 873 tests performed.
In São Miguel, 16 new positive cases were registered in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, six in the municipality of Lagoa, six in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, three in the municipality of Povoação, two in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo and one in the municipality of Nordeste.
In Terceira, a positive case was registered in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, in Pico there is also a new positive case in the municipality of Lajes and in Faial there is also a new positive case corresponding to the municipality of Horta.
Admissions:
On the 15th December there were six inpatients, five at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital, in Ponta Delgada (with two in the Intensive Care Unit) and one at the Santo Espírito Hospital, in Angra do Heroísmo.
Recoveries:
42 recoveries were registered.
16th December
34 new positive cases of covid-19 were diagnosed, 32 in São Miguel and two in Santa Maria, resulting from 724 tests performed.
In São Miguel, 19 new positive cases were registered in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, eight in the municipality of Ribeira Grande and five in the municipality of Lagoa.
In Santa Maria, two new positive cases were registered, corresponding to the municipality of Vila do Porto.
Admissions:
On the 16th December there were nine inpatients, eight at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital, in Ponta Delgada (two at the Intensive Care Unit) and one at the Santo Espírito Hospital, in Angra do Heroísmo.
Recoveries:
23 recoveries were registered.
17th December
53 new positive cases of covid-19 were diagnosed, 49 in São Miguel, two in Terceira, one in Faial and one in Santa Maria, resulting from 954 tests performed.
In São Miguel, 31 new positive cases were registered in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, eight in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, eight in the municipality of Lagoa and two in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo
In Terceira, a new case was registered in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo and another in the municipality of Praia da Vitória. In Santa Maria, a new positive case was registered, corresponding to the municipality of Vila do Porto, and in Faial, a new positive case was also registered, corresponding to the municipality of Horta.
Admissions:
On the 17th December there were 10 inpatients, nine at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital, in Ponta Delgada (three in the Intensive Care Unit) and one at the Santo Espírito Hospital, in Angra do Heroísmo.
Recoveries:
17 recoveries were registered.
18th December
36 new positive cases of covid-19 were diagnosed, 30 in São Miguel, two in Terceira, two in Santa Maria, one in Faial and one in São Jorge, resulting from 1,060 tests performed.
In São Miguel, 21 new positive cases were registered in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, four in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, two in the municipality of Lagoa, two in the municipality of Povoação and one in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo.
In Terceira, two new cases were diagnosed, both in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo.
In Santa Maria, in the municipality of Vila do Porto, two cases were registered. Faial has a new positive case corresponding to the municipality of Horta and São Jorge has an active case again, in the municipality of Calheta.
Admissions:
On the 18th December there were nine inpatients, eight at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital, in Ponta Delgada (two at the Intensive Care Unit) and one at the Santo Espírito Hospital, in Angra do Heroísmo.
Recoveries:
34 recoveries were registered.
19th December
66 new positive cases of covid-19 were diagnosed, 57 in São Miguel, six in Santa Maria and three in Terceira, resulting from 1,026 tests performed.
In São Miguel, 32 new positive cases were registered in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, nine in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, nine in the municipality of Lagoa, six in the municipality of Povoação and one in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo.
In Santa Maria, in the municipality of Vila do Porto, six cases were registered.
In Terceira, three new cases were diagnosed, two in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo and one in the municipality of Praia da Vitória.
Admissions:
On the 19th December there were eleven inpatients, ten at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital, in Ponta Delgada (two in the Intensive Care Unit) and one at the Santo Espírito Hospital, in Angra do Heroísmo.
Recoveries:
37 recoveries were registered.
20th December
62 new positive cases of covid-19 were diagnosed, 45 in São Miguel, six in Terceira, five in Santa Maria, four in Graciosa and two in Flores, resulting from 587 tests performed.
In São Miguel, 31 new positive cases were registered in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, six in the municipality of Lagoa, five in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo and three in the municipality of Ribeira Grande.
In Terceira, six new positive cases were diagnosed, five in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo and one in the municipality of Praia da Vitória.
In Santa Maria, five positive cases were registered corresponding to the municipality of Vila do Porto.
In Graciosa there are four new cases corresponding to the municipality of Santa Cruz and in Flores there are two new positive cases in the municipality of Santa Cruz.
Admissions:
On the 20th December there were eleven inpatients, ten at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital, in Ponta Delgada (two in the Intensive Care Unit) and one at the Santo Espírito Hospital, in Angra do Heroísmo.
Recoveries:
20 recoveries were recorded.
21st December
Sixty new positive cases of covid-19 were diagnosed, 33 in São Miguel, eight in Santa Maria, eight in Graciosa, five in Terceira, three in Faial, two in Pico and one in Flores, resulting from 976 tests performed.
In São Miguel, 24 new positive cases were registered in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, five in the municipality of Lagoa, two in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo, one in the municipality of Ribeira Grande and one in the municipality of Povoação.
In Santa Maria, eight positive cases were registered corresponding to the municipality of Vila do Porto, and in Graciosa there are also eight new cases corresponding to the municipality of Santa Cruz.
In Terceira, five new positive cases were registered, all in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo
In Faial there are three new positive cases that correspond to the municipality of Horta and in Pico there are two new positive cases, one in the municipality of Lajes and the other in the municipality of Madalena. In Flores, there is a new positive case registered in the municipality of Lajes.
Admissions:
On the 21st of December there were eleven inpatients, ten at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital, in Ponta Delgada (two in the Intensive Care Unit) and one at the Santo Espírito Hospital, in Angra do Heroísmo.
Recoveries:
six recoveries have been recorded.
Current situation:
The archipelago currently has 449 active positive cases, 373 in São Miguel, 28 in Terceira, 23 in Santa Maria, 12 in Graciosa, six in Faial, four in Flores and three in Pico.
From December 31st, 2020 to December 7th, 197,309 people completed the primary vaccination course (83.4 percent) and 27,316 received the vaccine booster (3rd dose).
There have been 49 deaths from Covid in the region.
Vaccinations for children
In January of next year, the vaccination of children against covid-19 starts in the Azores, the Regional Secretary for Health and Sports said today in Angra do Heroísmo.
“In early January, the vaccination of children will become available, for those that parents understand and that doctors understand, as we said, after we have made significant progress in vaccinating the most vulnerable”, said Clélio Meneses.
The government official also announced a mass testing of schools in the archipelago, also in early January.
“A massive testing operation is also being prepared, using saliva tests for all students, at all levels of education, with priority for those from Terceira and São Miguel, right at the beginning of the next school term”, he stated.
Faced with the entry of the new variant of the virus in the Azores, the Regional Secretary for Health and Sports reiterates the call for vaccination: “this variant is entering intensely”, he said, without specifying the numbers, but justifying the appeal with the fact that most of those admitted to Azorean hospitals are “unvaccinated”.
Clélio Meneses announced that the vaccination centre at Pavilhão do Mar, in Ponta Delgada, will reopen.
“The vaccination centre at Portas do Mar is once again operational so that the booster dose is applied to as many people as possible,” he said.
“Right now, we are approaching 30,000 people with the booster dose. We are already in the 50s age group. Therefore, any Azorean, aged 50 or over, who has not yet been called for the booster dose, can go to the respective health unit to, if given the opportunity at the time, take the vaccine, or schedule it”, he said.
As part of the fight against the pandemicalso announced that rapid antigen tests will now be available at the archipelago’s airports, for those who want to carry out screening on their return to the islands, regardless of the presentation of the digital vaccination certificate, or other documents required. Also, according to Clélio Meneses, the bureaucratic and administrative process of holding conventions with laboratories for carrying out rapid tests is in its final phase.
Clélio Meneses said, on the other hand, that the regional government will meet in council this week “to, if necessary, take some more measures in this period and impose some type of control”.