Portugal situation Report Saturday 29th May 2021
Introduction
Good morning – I am sure you will like me have seen an awful lot of items on social media and in the press about covid 19 and we at Safe Communities are doing our best to provide you all with the most up to date information that is both accurate and relevant.
Whilst it is important to keep abreast of what is happening in the world regarding the pandemic, we must also not lose touch with what is happening around us. As we move into a very warm summer period there are issues which could at some point affect us all and we all need to be aware and to be armed with the right information to make the right decisions as the situation dictates.
“Civil Protection” is a phrase which we use a lot on the website and on the Facebook page. It is a very important part of our “raison d’etre” and whilst it may not seem as important as some subjects we know from experience that at some point we could well be impacted. oIt encompasses a wide range of issues which will become relevant to anyone who lives in Portugal and we genuinely believe that it is in your best interest to be fully aware of what is happening with regards to Civil Protection in your area. Our fire warnings two days before the Monchique fires in 2018, one directed to tourists with some 80,000 + views is a case in point.
We do not have a crystal ball at Safe Communities, but we do have the qualifications and vast experience as an organisation to make informed and timely advice.
To further promote this I will be appearing on KissFm Solid Gold Sunday on this Sunday at 0915 hrs to discuss the importance prevention and self- protection measures concerning rural fires as well as Covid-19 topics – so please tune in.
A reminder that the Council of Ministers on Thursday extended the Situation of Calamity law until 13th June 23.59 hrs. Apart from the movement of various municipalities under the de-confinement plan, we are not aware of any changes in the measures themselves. We await publication of the decree law either today or tomorrow and will inform you accordingly.
We sometimes get feedback from people that they see others often thought to be tourists not wearing masks in public places. So there is no misunderstanding, there is no requirement for people to wear masks outdoors except if social distancing cannot be maintained. It is important to distinguish between circumstances where a mask is required and those which it is not.
As of 27 May, it was reported that 38.5 per cent of new coronavirus infections in the UK were cases of the B.1.617.2 variant of the virus first identified in India, according to data from Public Health England. In Portugal cases of this variant have appeared in 13 municipalities out of a total of 280.counties. Currently there are 37 cases registered with this variant, and the estimate is that the real total is around 160 – a huge difference compared with the UK, but something the authorities here are alert to and monitoring carefully.
Of some concern is the growing number of new daily cases exceeding last week’ average and, according to INSA, the number of new cases of SARS-CoV-2 / COVID-19 infection per 100 000 inhabitants, accumulated in the last 14 days, increasing slightly to 60 in 100,000. Despite this however, only four municipalities out on nearly 280 are not in the final stage of de-confinement with the measures in place effective 1st May. Around half of these new cases are in the Lisbon area. The good news is however that active cases in the Algarve have decreased over 20% in the last week to 233 cases, despite the considerable increase in tourism. Figures will be monitored closely over the next few weeks.
Yesterday we once again published our Welcome poster to tourists appealing to those visiting Portugal to respect the rules that are in place here, not the country from which they originated.
Today we have re-published the Bathing Rules in the table format, so that people can enjoy the fine weather this weekend in safety. Do not forget to download the Info Praia may so you can see the occupancy levels of your chosen beach to avoid a wasted journey. Please share this information.
With all these arrangements in place please have an enjoyable and Safe weekend.
Headlines
Covid-19. European Medicines Agency approves use of Pfizer vaccine from age 12
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved on Friday the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against covid-19 in adolescents aged 12 to 15 years, this Friday was announced.
The announcement was made by the head of the Vaccine and Biological Threats to Health Strategy at EMA, Marco Cavaleri, in a press video conference, broadcast from the agency’s headquarters in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, after the extraordinary meeting of the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use.
The vaccine should, as recommended for adults, be administered in two doses with an interval of three weeks. EMA experts consider the vaccine to be safe and effective in adolescents aged 12 to 15, whose use in this age group was already authorized in the United States.
EMA experts consider the vaccine to be safe and effective in adolescents aged 12 to 15, whose use in this age group was already authorized in the United States.
The vaccine from the Pfizer / BioNTech consortium was approved in Europe for people aged 16 and over.
Marco Cavaleri underlined that the decision of the EMA will be communicated to the European Commission, which will give the final approval. However, it will be up to each member state of the European Union to decide when and whether to use the vaccine in young people between 12 and 15 years old.
According to the European drug regulator, the vaccine’s effectiveness in this age group was demonstrated in a clinical trial with approximately 2,000 participants, with the immune response proving to be similar, and sometimes better, to that of young adults.
Marco Cavaleri stressed that the results of efficacy and safety of the vaccine in adolescents will have to continue to be monitored after approval of its use and during vaccination campaigns.
Vaccination remains the best weapon
The Minister of Health, Marta Temido, said yesterday that “vaccinations remains the best weapon” to control the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the press conference after meeting with experts at Infarmed, the Minister stressed that the vaccination process “continues to run in a favourable way” and underlined that the goal of having 70% of the adult population vaccinated by the end of the summer must be met.
“We are currently moving into a new self-scheduling age group [over 50 years old] and we are very concerned about not leaving anyone behind,” he added.
The vaccination process makes Portugal now in a «transition phase between a period when there were only non-pharmacological measures, such as the use of masks, hand washing and physical distance, and one where we have the expectation of immunity».
“At the moment we are still trying to assert immunity and the reference that was left by the experts was the need to maintain prudence,” he said.
Marta Temido reiterated the “need to maintain the criteria of incidence”, always taking into account other aspects such as the risk of transmission, the control of variants, the positivity of tests and the monitoring of the effective use of hospitals ».
The Minister also stressed the importance of adhering to the measures on the part of the population: “We need to maintain adherence and the awareness that we are facing a disease that requires specific behaviour to prevent transmission until we are protected”.
Covid-19: Risk matrix is an alert system that does not impede the path to normality – Minister
Lisbon, May 28, 2021 (Lusa) – The Minister of Health said today that the risk assessment matrix of the covid-19 pandemic is an alert system that does not jeopardize the path to restoring normality.
The risk matrix, which crosses data on the incidence of cases in the population and the risk of transmission, “does not mean that the return to the desired normality is not carried out, always using the risk matrix as an alert,” said Marta Temido at the end of the periodic meeting to analyse the country’s epidemiological situation, which brought together specialists, members of the Government and the President of the Republic at Infarmed, in Lisbon.
The President of the Republic, who proposed a change in the risk matrix two days ago in view of the increasing immunity rate of the population against covid-19, today stressed at the meeting once again “the perception that the risks are falling” and placed the issue of “public legitimation of the adopted health indicators and criteria”.
Questioned by journalists at the end of the meeting, Marta Temido stated that “the risk matrix is above all a set of warning signs” that it is necessary to “keep in mind for an eventuality” if it is necessary to “go back” in the deflation process.
The Minister of Health underlined that the number of new cases of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which causes the covid-19 disease, is influenced by the vaccination process. “Naturally, we all understand that the life we do today already reflects this process,” he said.
Covid-19 Data
On Friday, Portugal registered 598 new cases of Covid-19, and one death, according to the daily report of the Directorate-General for Health (DGS).
The main figures from yesterday were
Confirmed Cases: 847,604 (+ 598 / + 0.07 %)
Number of admitted: 246 (+ 13 / + 5.58 %)
Number of ICU admitted: 52 (-1 /-1.89 %)
Deaths: 17,023 (+ 1 / + 0.01 %)
Recovered: 808,047 (+ 515 / + 0.06 %)
Active cases: 22,534 (+82 /+ 0.36%)
Safe Communities comparisons/trends:
Deaths were lower than last weeks’ daily average; new daily cases were again higher than recoveries and well above last weeks’ daily average. Highest since 21st April 2021. Nearly half of these once again were in Lisbon and Tejo Valley repeating trends over last few days
In hospital there was an Increase, but still 5th lowest for over a year since 27th March 2020 (then 191). Covid-19 patients are 6602 less compared to number in hospital 1st February 2021. In ICU there was a marginal decrease since yesterday, second lowest since 9th September 2020. Active cases saw another increase – a continuing trend since Tuesday. Unusually there was a large increase of over one thousand under surveillance.
It is important not to let our guard down at this crucial time. This means complying with the rules in place, – wearing face masks, social distancing, hygiene and no social gathering.
Health
DGS transmission and incidence rates
The R (t) remains unchanged both on the Continent and in the entire national territory, reveals this Friday’s bulletin from the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), halting the growth trend that had been occurring in the last two weeks. The transmissibility index is, as on Wednesday, 1.07 on the Continent and in the entire national territory.
The incidence, on the other hand, has grown: it is now 59.6 in the national territory and 56 in the continent (it is now closer to half of the red line of 120). The values were 57.8 and 54.4, respectively, on Wednesday, but on March 15, when the publication of these values started, they were much higher: 96 and 84.2.
This Friday, Portugal has 18 counties with an incidence of Covid-19 120 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants in the last 14 days, three fewer than those registered a week ago.
According to data released this Friday in the epidemiological bulletin of the Directorate-General for Health, as in the previous bulletin, there are no municipalities at extreme risk, that is, with an incidence of 14 days exceeding 960 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants.
The municipality of Ribeira Grande (619) remains at a very high risk of contagion, with an accumulated incidence of more than 480 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants and the only one in this group.
Of the 18 counties, six have accumulated, in the last 14 days, more than 240 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants, two more in relation to the previous bulletin: Arganil (272), Golegã (262), Northeast (329), Odemira (364), Vila do Bispo (272) and Vila Franca do Campo (326).
The remaining 11 counties have values between 120 and 239.9 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants. With zero cases in the last 14 days, 61 counties are reported, minus 20 in relation to the previous bulletin.
New SNS 24 Branches open in the north of country
Three new SNS 24 branches opened today, two in Vila Real (in the district capital and in Alijó) and one in Barcelos, Braga district, the Northern Regional Health Administration (ARS) said today. North).
In a statement, ARS Norte announces that the new branches cover the inhabitants of the parishes of Vilar de Maçada and Alvelos and União de parish of Constantim and Vale Nogueiras.
At these counters, users can make appointments, make teleconsultations, consult exams, access treatment guides, renew chronic medication, assess and record symptoms caused by covid-19 and ask for exemption from user fees, among other health information.
ARS stresses that with these openings the North region “now has 46 units, in 45 parishes”. The units have digital mediators, “duly qualified” employees, who help citizens through two accesses: easy access (the user has autonomy to access digital services) and mediated access (the user accesses with the help of the mediator).
“The inauguration of the SNS 24 Balcão unit’s results from a network of partnerships between the Northern Regional Health Administration, SPMS, EPE, municipalities, parish councils and the Health Center Groups”, adds ARS.
Covid-19 Variants
João Paulo Gomes, from INSA, reported yesterday that the British variant already represents 87.2% of the total cases in Portugal. The one in Manaus (Brazil) fell from 4.3% in April to 3% in May, “and it should remain so”.
The South African variant is at 1.9% in May and the Indian is now at 4.6%, with no case detected a month ago. Cases of this variant in nine districts of 13 counties.
Currently, there are 37 cases registered with this variant, and the estimate is that the real total is around 160. “It is expected” that “there is already community transmission” of this variant, warned João Paulo Gomes.
The virus is adapting to an increasingly immunized population,” said the expert, warning of the appearance of mutations “that somehow manage to deceive our immune system” and “cause some infections”.
Ricardo Jorge Institute collaborates with the Lisbon Firefighters Regiment in a simulation exercise
The National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA) and the Sapadores Firefighters Regiment of Lisbon (RSBL) carried out, on May 28, in Lisbon, a simulation exercise in a level 3 biosafety laboratory (BSL-3), in order to to prepare the procedures for the removal of a health professional from the laboratory, in the event of an accident of biological origin. This action had the participation of about 10 operational staff, and took place within the scope of the collaboration between the Emergency Response and Biopreparation Unit (UREB) and the RSBL.
In order for the evacuation of the health professional concerned to be carried out in complete safety, the RSBL is required to comply with a set of steps, with natural primacy for the stabilization of the vital signs of the person concerned, decontamination process and respective hospital transport. At the same time, and taking into account the nature of the operation, the use of specific personal protective equipment and the decontamination of all operational personnel are also fundamental procedures.
UREB is responsible for coordinating the specialized, rapid and integrated laboratory response in situations of cases and outbreaks that may pose a risk to Public Health, particularly in the context of cases of outbreaks of infections by emerging and re-emerging microorganisms of natural or deliberate dissemination. . It has laboratory diagnosis for more than twenty infectious agents, including bacteria, hemorrhagic viruses, orthopoxvirus and toxins.
INSA currently has five level 3 biological safety laboratories, nomenclature applicable to clinical, diagnostic, teaching, research, or production facilities, where work is carried out with very pathogenic agents, which can cause serious or potentially lethal diseases through inhalation or other type of exposure. Two of these laboratories, located in its headquarters building in Lisbon, have recently undergone a rehabilitation and refurbishment intervention that allows INSA to improve its response capacity to emergencies and bio-preparation.
Henrique Barros, from the Public Health Institute of the University of Porto, announced yesterday a report from “From the acute infection to chronic consequences” study.
The expert points out that, in terms of incidence, the values are now slightly higher in the North and in Lisbon compared to the same period in the previous year.
The difference, says Henrique Barros, is in the older age group, now more protected.
Hospitalizations are much lower, which reflects “the learning” done over these 15 months of the pandemic.
In children up to the age of 10 and in the age group of 80, positivity fell sharply compared to the previous year. The specialist also pointed out that, now, “the probability of dying has dropped dramatically”: it became 1 in 5 infected people and went to “1 in 20 infected people”.
The infection has become “endemic”, at least socially, he argued. “The infection circulates much less, but you have to be careful,” he added.
Within a year, the fear of being infected and anxiety about the pandemic have dropped significantly, revealing that the Portuguese population is learning to live with the coronavirus.
Covid-19 survey results – Carla Nunes, from Universidade Nova de Lisboa
She said that, in the last week, Lisbon had 3 times more cases than what was expected.
The behaviour of the Portuguese have “had significant changes, in line with the lack of definition”. The study released by Carla Nunes found that 16.2% of respondents said they had already been in groups of 10 or more people, compared to 1.8% on February 19.
According to the same study, there is a “clear recovery” of confidence in health services. Only 14.1% of respondents remain little or not confident in the treatment of covid-19, against 32.7% in February.
To change the risk matrix or not?
Redlines and question of updates
Andreia Leite, from the National School of Public Health at Universidade Nova de Lisboa, spoke about the update of the red lines.
The analysis is done through the cumulative incidence and the transmissibility rate, allowing to understand if the epidemic situation is controlled or not. It is called the risk matrix. With vaccination progressing, explains Andreia Leite, it is questionable whether it makes sense to update this framework.
“Incidence and Rt should remain the main indicators”
The official argues that there are several unknowns regarding vaccination, namely regarding the duration of immunity. For Andreia Leite, at this stage, it is important to continue looking at the incidence as it is the indicator that allows us to act in a timely manner. “It allows us to meet international criteria, to understand if the measurement of measures has effects and to identify if there is any change in the characteristics of the virus”.
Experts continue to propose the maintenance of the current set of indicators, stressing the importance of incidence and Rt as “main indicators”, she said.
Individual protection measures
Raquel Duarte, from the University of Porto, said it was “almost unanimous” among the experts to “maintain the obligation to maintain individual protection measures”. The use of the mask continues to be encouraged, “especially in closed environments”. She also called for testing to be maintained at relevant levels and for “effective ventilation” to be carried out in the interior spaces.
The specialist said that it is necessary to go back “in the imposing character” of the measures, betting on a more pedagogical approach. The reason is that the improvement in the pandemic situation inevitably generates a greater willingness for the population to take to the streets.
Like João Paulo Gomes, Raquel Duarte also wants to watch the borders and “restrict” travel to and from countries with a significant impact of new variants.
Raquel Duarte proposes the creation of three new levels of restrictions – A, B and C -, in addition to the existing ones. At level C, the capacity of restaurants must be limited to 25%, changing to 50% at B. Level A is the least restrictive and will only require compliance with general protection measures.
As for family life, the specialist proposes to lift restrictions on levels B and A, while maintaining the risk assessment taking into account criteria such as age.
5.2 million Vaccinations administered
Vice Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo, coordinator of the Task Force for the Vaccination Plan reported at the Infarmed meeting the latest vaccination roll out progress.
According to the official, in the second quarter of the year 1.5 million vaccines will arrive in Portugal. Until Thursday, 5.2 million vaccines were given nearly 3.5 million first doses and 1.8 million second doses.
If everything goes according to plan, he advanced, on the 6th of June, the 40-year-old age group will start vaccinating and, in the last week of June, the 30-year-old. By the end of this week, more than 85% of people aged 60 to 69 will be vaccinated and about 40% of those aged 50 to 59.
Henrique Gouveia e Melo says he has two concerns: maintaining the rate of vaccination and ensuring that geographically isolated communities have all the necessary health care. “I am concerned about some grants for the elderly who, in this process, are left behind”, he said, also showing concern for the bedridden, the hospitalized people and those with comorbidities.
More than 25,000 patients have moved from hospitals to long-term care
More than 25,000 patients who were admitted to public hospitals have been placed in long-term care units since the pandemic began.
The National Network of Integrated Continuous Care (RNCCI) “extended its offer and it was possible to hospitalize an additional 25,300 patients between March 2020 and March 2021”, said the coordinator, Purificação Gandra, who spoke to Lusa about the Barometer of Social Internments, published by the Portuguese Association of Hospital Administrators (APAH).
According to the barometer, which reports data collected on 17 March from 43 public hospitals, the number of social admissions dropped 45% compared to February 2020, but the 853 beds occupied without clinical justification represented a cost of more than 16 million euros and they were mainly due to the lack of vacancies in social institutions.
Purification Gandra considered that the barometer is “very valuable” and helps to understand “many things”, but noted that the measurement used “is exactly the same” that has happened over the years when there were different situations than the one experienced in the pandemic.
“We really had to have different strategies and measures to help fight the pandemic and to free hospital beds and, therefore, we all know the difficulty that the country experienced in terms of hospitalizations and we have to take this into account,” he declared.
“We are very happy with the results” because there was “a great effort on the part of all the teams” in health and social security to try “as much as possible to get answers to these patients”, he added.