Portugal Situation Report Saturday 10^th July 2021

 

Good morning – Safe Communities Portugal was set up originally to provide residents of Portugal and visitors with information regarding living safe and secure in this wonderful country. As time has gone on we have expanded our remit to give help and understanding to the rules and decrees that the Portuguese Government brings out that affect us and as many of our readers are foreign immigrants we have offered this service in English. We now have many nationalities who follow us so we have expanded to 9 different languages on our website.

However, we are still ostensibly an organisation offering a service to those who LIVE IN PORTUGAL or have close affiliation as visitors or those with second homes here. With an ever changing world due to Covid 19 we at Safe Communities have also had to change and whilst we encourage readership through our Facebook wherever a person may be, we are finding there are some who take the opportunity to promote their own agendas, which can in some cases be extreme and unhelpful in dealing with the health crisis we are facing. Often these appear to originate from those who appear to have little or no connection with Portugal.

Safe Communities is run for the benefit of residents of, and visitors to Portugal and we do not want to see such remarks being made by people who do not even live here during these very trying times. Unlike a Facebook group who can determine who can or cannot become a member, as well as remove those who do not comply with the rules, we operate an open page so the information can be shared as widely as possible to those it effects. As such we rely on the trust of those who comment to follow the rules and standards which we have clearly laid down.

Our admins have a very difficult job in answering many questions every day and it is not right or fair for them to be distracted in this important work. It is also not right that those who have genuine questions should have to wade through long threads of endless often totally unrelated and uniformed comment, making it more difficult to find the answers already given.  This is why we delete those that are unhelpful and detract from the main purpose of the information.

We would ask everyone to be thoughtful and respectful in what comments they post and if they cannot adhere to these standards then please do not post on our page as it is very counter-productive to running this organisation, which we must again reiterate is all run by volunteers. I am sorry to labour this point but I feel it necessary.

Some good news – More than 611,000 people were vaccinated in the last four days, the Vaccination Task Force confirmed yesterday. On Thursday, Portugal reached a new record in the number of vaccinations with 158,000 doses administered in one day.

Also a record was the fact that 364,380 Covid-19 tests were carried out in Portugal, which represents an average of more than 60,000 daily tests a day during the first week of July.

At the Olhão vaccination centre police were called to restore order after there were problems with the long waiting time and some people apparently “jumping the queue”. There is a traffic light system now in place that provides the waiting times at various centres which can be viewed here. Best to check so you can be prepared. The Prime Minister did forewarn of “some discomfort” to be expected given the push to get all those eligible for a vaccination processed quickly.

The Resolution of the Council of ministers was published yesterday evening following the Communique on Thursday. Some issues have caused some confusion and controversy particular with regards to the requirement for testing or the presentation of a Digital certificate at hotel accommodation or staying at hotels anywhere in the country. The President of  the Hotels and Touristic Enterprises of the Algarve has been quick to respond to this stating that this should be revoked adding that “hotel professionals are not health professionals, nor security forces, nor health authorities” and “are not qualified nor have conditions to comply with the measure announced by the Government”.

Clearly this presents a number of practical issues, such as what happens if someone tests positive at checking in? In the case of AL local lodging, in some properties people can check in themselves using a digital lock code sent to them beforehand.

Again with very little notice given between publication and implementation of some of these new laws and seemingly lack of understanding of the practicalities involved for those it effects, this places considerable pressures especially on businesses who have to make last minute adjustments which can be weekly depending on which municipality the company is based. This also makes it very difficult for the police who are required to enforce as well as of course, ourselves in having to try and answer peoples questions, without the full details being available to the last minute.

Reminder today is forecast to be the hottest day of the year so please take care in the heat, avoid rural fires and protect yourself particularly young children from the UV

Have a Safe weekend

Covid-19

The DGS report for Covid-19 yesterday reported the following figures
Confirmed Cases: 902.489 (+ 3194 / + 0.36 %)
Number of admitted: 617 (+ 18 / + 3.01 %)
Number of ICU admitted: 141 (+ 5 / + 3.68 %)
Deaths: 17.142 (+ 7 / + 0.04 %)
Recovered: 842.024 (+ 1727 / + 0.21 %)
Active cases: 43,323 (+1460/ + 3.9%)

Safe Communities comparisons/trends showed that deaths were nearly double last week’s daily average (4); new daily cases were the third highest since 11th February 2021 (similar to the previous day; of the new cases 46.3% (1482) were in Lisbon and Vale do Tejo a lower percentage than average of last week. In hospital there was an increase the highest total since 29th March 2021 and those in ICU were the highest since 28th March 2021.

Regarding active cases there was again a very large increase, the highest since 12th March

Health

Covid-19: One hundred and thirty municipalities with an incidence above 120 cases per 100,000 inhabitants

Lisbon, 09 Jul 2021 (Lusa) – One hundred and thirty municipalities record an incidence of new cases of infection by the SARS-CoV-2 virus above 120 per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days, 43 more than last Friday.

According to data released today in the epidemiological bulletin of the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), Loulé (1,016) and Albufeira (997), in the Algarve, are the two municipalities with an incidence above the limit of 960 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

The 130 municipalities with an incidence of more than 120 cases represent 42% of the total number of municipalities in the country.
According to the same data, 27 counties have a cumulative incidence in 14 days of more than 480 cases of infection, and 27 counties have an incidence of more than 240 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
Another 58 municipalities have an accumulated incidence in 14 days of between 120 and 239.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while 20 municipalities have zero cases in the last two weeks.

In municipalities with low population density, which represent more than half of the continental territory, the red line that forces municipalities to withdraw from the decontamination plan is set at 480 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days and the remaining municipalities are under alert when exceed 240 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the same period.

Portugal set a record of more than 60,000 Covid tests per day in the first week of July

In the first six days of July alone, 364,380 Covid-19 tests were carried out in Portugal, which represents an average of more than 60,000 daily tests and the highest value since the beginning of the pandemic, according to data provided by the National Health Institute Dr. Ricardo Jorge (INSA) to ECO.

Given the rapid spread of the Delta variant, the Government has focused its strategy on strengthening vaccination against Covid, as well as on encouraging mass testing, in order to avoid heavier damage to the economy. Thus, and given that screening tests for the disease are necessary for access to more and more spaces, which led the Executive to contribute 100% to the performance of four tests per month , testing has increased in recent days.

“Between 1 and 6 July, 364,380 Covid diagnostic tests were carried out in Portugal”, of which 208,384 are PCR tests (57.2% of the total) and 155,996 are rapid antigen tests (42.8%), which places the country with a “daily average of 60,730 tests” , signals the entity led by Fernando de Almeida, in response to the ECO. This is, therefore, the highest daily average since the beginning of the pandemic, surpassing the threshold reached in January, at the peak of the third wave, with about 52,000 tests performed per day.

 

Covid-19. Meeting at Infarmed scheduled for the 27th

Specialists and political leaders will meet again on the 27th of this month for another “meeting at Infarmed”, as the meetings in which specialists and public health officials present data and predictions about Covid-19 to politicians and social partners.

The last meeting of this kind took place on March 28, when the hypothesis of a change in the risk matrix was more urgently put forward, defended by the President of the Republic, but generally rejected by specialists.

This Thursday, at the press conference that followed the Council of Ministers, the Minister of the Presidency had already given a sign that there could be a return to this model of meeting. “The Government is always available to hold meetings at Infarmed and, therefore, if that is the intention of all parties, we are available for this meeting”, said Mariana Vieira da Silva in response to a question from the Renaissance.

 

Covid-19: Lisbon and Tagus Valley reaches 99% of beds occupied in intensive care

Lisbon, 09 Jul 2021 (Lusa) – Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, with 82 hospitalized patients, reached 99% of the limit of 84 intensive care beds destined to covid-19 in this region, indicates the report of the “red lines” of the pandemic today disclosed.

“The region of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, with 82 patients admitted to the ICU, represents 60% of the total cases in the ICU [in the country] and corresponds to 99% of the regional limit of 84 beds in the ICU defined in the “red lines” report”, refers to risk analysis by the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) and the National Institute Doctor Ricardo Jorge (INSA).

According to data from health authorities, the Algarve region has 15 patients in ICU, which corresponds to 150% of the defined limit of ten beds for covid-19.

The “red lines” of pandemic control established by several experts predict 245 beds as the critical value in the set of hospitals in mainland Portugal, pointing to a regional distribution of 85 beds in the North, 56 in the Centre, 84 in Lisbon and Vale the Tagus, 10 in the Alentejo and 10 in the Algarve.

The document that established these “red lines” stresses, however, that the integrated management of the National Health Service’s capacity presupposes a network response, which means, in intensive care medicine, that regional needs can be met with the response of others regions with greater capacity.
According to today’s report, the daily number of covid-19 cases admitted to ICUs on the continent showed a growing trend, corresponding to 56% of the 245 beds, compared to 46% the week before.

In intensive care in national hospitals were, on Wednesday, 136 patients, with the age group with the highest number of people admitted to these units corresponding to the age group between 40 and 59 years, indicates the document of the DGS and INSA.

 

Covid-19: Chairman of the Doctors Advocates Replacing Self-Tests with Rapid Antigen Tests

The Chairman of the Medical Association, Miguel Guimarães, said today that the use of self-tests “is not an adequate measure” of prevention and protection against covid-19 and defended that they should be replaced by antigen tests. “Self-tests are not feasible and can give false feelings of security as has happened in many family and social gatherings because self-tests fail so much. It is not an adequate measure”, Miguel Guimarães told journalists on the sidelines of the XIII National Congress of Mutualism.

The chairman of the Medical Association said that although the measures announced on Thursday by the government were “appropriate”, the use of self-tests “is not adjusted” and defended their replacement by rapid antigen tests. “The rapid antigen test was already legislated by the Government, that there was a contribution to this test. It is this test that people should use”, said Miguel Guimarães.

Along with the rapid antigen test, the president also recalled that the PCR tests provide guarantees that “the person is not infected for some time, about two to three days” and recalled the importance of the covid-19 digital certificate.

Restaurants in high or very high risk municipalities will now have to require a digital certificate or negative test to covid-19 from 7 pm on Fridays and on weekends and holidays for indoor dining.  The measure, approved on Thursday by the Council of Ministers, applies only to tables inside the restaurants, according to the Minister of the Presidency, Mariana Vieira da Silva, who clarified that the new requirement will start to be applied from 15:30 Saturday.