Azores Situation Report Wednesday 23rd June 2021
From our colleague in the Azores
Armed Forces Medical Team .
The Armed Forces health team has concluded its support for the vaccination process against Covid-19 in the Azorean islands without a hospital, having inoculated more than 6,700 people since June 6th.
The military team did not reinforce the vaccination in São Miguel because the “installed capacity” on that island is “sufficient”, the secretary of Health of the Government of the Azores said.
In a press release, the General Staff of the Armed Forces states that the team consisting of two doctors, six nurses and a pharmacist worked from the 6th to the 20th of June to support the regional process of vaccination in the Azorean islands without a hospital.
“During this period, the military vaccinated more than 6,700 people in vaccination centres on the islands of Santa Maria, Flores, Graciosa, São Jorge and Pico, in collaboration with local health authorities.”
On June 14th, the Head of State of the Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, admitted the possibility that that military team would also participate in the reinforcement of vaccination in São Miguel, an island that registers the highest number of cases of Covid- 19.
The regional secretary of Health, Clélio Meneses, said that the Armed Forces health team did not participate in the vaccination process on the largest Azorean island because, “at this moment”, the “installed capacity is sufficient for vaccines” available to the region.
The government official recalled that around 25,000 vaccines are expected to arrive on the island of São Miguel in the coming days.
The regional secretary of Health of the Government of the Azores also praised the “fundamental” work of the military team in supporting vaccination.
“Right now, we have to thank the extraordinary work developed in cooperation with the local capacity installed in this operation”, he pointed out.
The smallest Azorean island, Corvo, had already been the target of a vaccination process in February and March, which allowed the inoculation of 89% of the vaccinated population of the island.
19th June 2021
42 new positive cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, two in Faial and 40 in São Miguel, resulting from 2,772 tests carried out in reference laboratories in the Region and two in non-conventional laboratories.
In Faial there were two new cases, both in the parish of Castelo Branco, municipality of Horta, and one of these cases, relating to a resident traveller, with a positive result on arrival, gave rise to a new chain of local transmission on this island.
In São Miguel, all cases refer to community transmission. Thus, the municipality of Ribeira Grande registered eight new cases (four in the Matriz and one in each of the parishes of Rabo de Peixe, Ribeirinha, Pico da Pedra and Lomba da Maia). In the municipality of Ponta Delgada there were 20 new cases (five in Arrifes, four in São Pedro, four in Fenais da Luz, three in São José, two in Fajã de Cima, one in Covoada and one in Feteiras). In the municipality of Lagoa there were 12 new cases (five in Água de Pau, three in Rosário, three in Santa Cruz and one in Cabouco).
During the epidemiological investigation it was found that in São Miguel, a positive case initially allocated in the parish of Água de Alto, municipality of Vila Franca do Campo, is residing in the parish of Santa Clara, municipality of Ponta Delgada. Data shown in the respective tables reflect this change.
26 recoveries were recorded.
20th June 2021
20 new positive cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, one in Terceira, one in Santa Maria and 18 in São Miguel, resulting from 2,389 tests carried out in reference laboratories in the Region.
On Terceira, there was a positive case in the parish of Porto Martins, municipality of Praia da Vitória, concerning a traveller, resident, with a positive result on the sixth day, after traveling outside the archipelago.
In Santa Maria there was also a positive case, in Vila do Porto, resulting from an inter-island traveller, non-resident, with a positive test on arrival.
In São Miguel, all cases refer to community transmission. Thus, the municipality of Ribeira Grande registered seven new cases: five in Matriz and two in Ribeirinha. In the municipality of Ponta Delgada there were eight new cases (four in Fenais da Luz, one in Fajã de Cima, one in São Pedro, one in São José and one in São Roque). In the municipality of Lagoa there were three new cases (two in Santa Cruz, one in Água de Pau).
27 recoveries were recorded.
21st June 2021
27 new positive cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, one on the island of Terceira, and 26 on the island of São Miguel, following 1,016 tests carried out in the reference laboratories of the Region.
On the island of Terceira, there was a positive case in the parish of Cabo da Praia, municipality of Praia da Vitoria, concerning a traveller, non-resident, who tested positive upon entering the port of Praia da Vitoria.
On the island of São Miguel, there was a case of a traveller residing in the parish of São Pedro, municipality of Ponta Delgada, who tested positive result upon arrival from a travel outside the archipelago. All other cases concern community transmission. Thus, the municipality of Ribeira Grande registered 11 new cases (six in Rabo de Peixe, two in Matriz, one in Lomba da Maia, one in Ribeirinha and one in Conceição). There were five new cases in the municipality of Ponta Delgada (two in Arrifes, two in São Pedro and one in Santa Clara). There were 10 new cases in the municipality of Lagoa (six in Água de Pau, and one in each of the parishes of Cabouco, Rosário, Santa Cruz and Ribeira Chã).
No recoveries have been registered.
22nd June 2021
43 new positive cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, one on the island of Faial and 42 on the island of São Miguel, following 2,700 tests carried out in the reference laboratories of the Region and one in an independent laboratory.
On the island of Faial, there was a new case, in the parish of Praia do Norte, related to the existing local primary transmission chains on the island.
On the island of São Miguel, two cases concern travellers, both non-residents, one who tested positive on the 6th day and one before starting an inter-island travel, who tested positive upon arrival from mainland Portugal. All other cases were diagnosed in the context of community transmission.
The municipality of Ribeira Grande registered 14 new cases (eight in Matriz, two in Pico da Pedra, one in Rabo de Peixe, one in Ribeirinha, one in Conceição and one in São Brás).
There were 14 new cases in the municipality of Ponta Delgada (three in Capelas, two in Arrifes, two in the Fenais da Luz, two in Relva, one in Fajã de Cima, one in São José, one in Ginetes, one in São Vincente Ferreira and one in Candelária).
There were 10 new cases in the municipality of Lagoa (five in Rosário, four in Santa Cruz and one in Água de Pau).
In the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo, three new cases were diagnosed (two in Água de Alto and one in São Miguel) and the municipality of Povoação registered a positive case (Ribeira Quente)
In the same period, there were 78 recoveries.
There are four patients hospitalized at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital in São Miguel and one in the Santo Espírito Hospital of Terceira Island, none in intensive care. There are 998 people under active surveillance.
Two primary local transmission chains are active on the island of Faial and 203 local transmission chains have been extinguished so far.
The archipelago currently has 312 positive active cases: 287 on the island of São Miguel, 11 on the island of Terceira, 10 on the island of Faial, 1 on the island of São Jorge and 1 on the island of Santa Maria. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 6,165 positive cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed in the Azores and 5,685 people recovered from the disease. There were 33 deaths, 80 people who left the archipelago and 55 cases with history of previous cure.
To date, 558,104 tests have been carried out to detect SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19 disease. From December 31st, 2020 to June 17th, 187,119 doses of Covid-19 vaccine were administered in the Azores, corresponding to 109,258 people aged 16 years or more who received the first dose, and 77,861 people who received both doses, under the Regional Vaccination Plan.