Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 26th January 2022
Introduction
Good morning – the legislative elections are certain occupying most of the news at present with around over half of all news articles published by Lusa on 24th/25th January, being devoted to this one topic.
Although this puts Covid-19 into second place, it is not good news as far as this subject is concerned. Last Friday’s bulletin from the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) showed that 303 municipalities are at extreme risk of infection, that is, with more than 960 cases of covid-19 per 100 thousand inhabitants in 14 days.
The only municipalities that escape this level of contagion are: Calheta (Azores), Mourão (Évora), Velas (Azores), Corvo (Azores) and Santa Cruz da Graciosa (Azores). Which means that only one municipality in mainland Portugal is not at the extreme level. With over half a million active cases at present this means that approximately 5% of the population or 1 in 20 people have Covid-19. This is being reflected in work absenteeism in different sectors.
Whereas the severity of the Omicron variant is lower compared to the Delta variant, the very high number of new cases (some 336,854 in the week 16th – 23rd January) is now being reflected by an increasing number of hospitalisations, putting some strain on the hospital services. As a result of this some hospitals have had to temporarily suspend hospital visits to patients.
Portugal has therefore exceeded the critical level in the pandemic assessment indicator of the Instituto Superior Técnico and the Ordem dos Médicos, which indicates that the health response to people with other diseases is beginning to be compromised.
According to this risk assessment, on Sunday the country was at 102.14 points, just above the 100 points defined as the critical level in this indicator. This comprises five parameters: new cases, deaths, hospitalized in wards and intensive care, transmissibility index (Rt) and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infections. When this assessment exceeds 100 points, the “National Health Service has to allocate more resources and starts having to put patients who do not have covid-19 in the background.
This is the second time that Portugal has exceeded the critical level in this assessment since the beginning of the pandemic, with the first taking place between the end of October 2020 and February 2021, when there was the greatest pressure on health services. The only reassuring news from this is that the indicator will probably not reach 120, the value predicted in this system for the level of disaster in the health response.
In other words, a more favourable situation than that recorded on January 21, 2021, when the pandemic assessment indicator reached 167.48, the highest since the beginning of the pandemic. Let us hope we are close to the peak of this phase of the pandemic.
Still on Covid-19, since yesterday afternoon the self-scheduling for those age 25 and over for the booster vaccination is available through the DGS portal. The Self-scheduling for those age 18 and over, for those previously given the Janssen /J&J vaccine for the booster vaccination is also available through the DGS portal. There is likely to be a large demand in these age groups so we suggest people to be patient if the system is overloaded.
A reminder that the last escudo banknotes, referring to the Discoveries series, can be exchanged until February 28, 2022. According to the Bank of Portugal, at the end of October, there were still 11.4 million escudo banknotes of this series in the public’s possession, corresponding to 95 million euros. These dominations are 500, 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10,000 escudos
These banknotes can be exchanged in person, at the Banco de Portugal treasuries in Braga, Coimbra, Évora, Faro, Funchal, Lisbon, Ponta Delgada, Porto and Viseu. Or by sending registered mail, through the special declared value service, to the Central Unit for Cash Operations in the Issuance and Treasury Department of the Bank of Portugal, at Apartado 2001, 1101-801 Lisbon.
Lastly the Instituto do Sangue da Transplantação (IPST) yesterday appealed for the contribution of all potential blood donors, at a “particularly demanding time” due to the covid-19 pandemic and in the face of “a great difficulty in maintaining stable blood and blood component supply reserves”. The current situation has “caused a large reduction in the number of donors and the postponement of previously scheduled collection sessions”.
If you can and would like to donate the IPST provides information on donations on its website www.ipst.pt Call or email first to enquire their times of operation and conditions for blood donation. Information also on website
Have a Safe day.
Headlines
Covid-19: EU wants people with vaccination or recovery certificates not to be subject to testing or quarantine
European Union (EU) member states agreed yesterday that people with a valid Covid-19 Certificate, such as vaccinated or recovered, should not be subject to “additional restrictions on free movement”, such as testing or quarantine, to facilitate travel.
“The Council yesterday adopted a recommendation of a coordinated approach to facilitate safe free movement during the pandemic” and, according to the new rules, “the measures related to covid-19 must be applied taking into account the status of the person and not the situation at a regional level, with the exception of areas where the virus circulates at very high levels”, informs the structure in which the Member States are represented in a statement.
In practice, “this means that a traveller’s vaccination, testing or Covid-19 recovery status, as evidenced by a valid EU Covid-19 Certificate, must be the fundamental determinant”, adds the EU Council, stressing that this new “person-based approach will substantially simplify applicable rules and provide additional clarity and predictability to travellers”.
It is therefore envisaged that anyone who has a valid EU Covid-19 Certificate, such as vaccinated, recovered or tested, “should not be subject to additional restrictions on free movement”, that is, re-testing or quarantines.
“This recommendation responds to the significant increase in vaccine adoption and the rapid implementation of the EU Covid-19 Certificate”, says the EU Council, currently chaired by France.
The new recommendation, agreed by the General Affairs Council, replaces the existing rules by taking effect on February 1, when a new acceptance period of 270 days for vaccination certificates also begins to operate.
WHO admits pandemic could end soon in Europe but urges caution
The director of WHO Europe, Hans Kluge, said on Sunday that the Omicron variant, which can infect 60% of Europeans by March, started a new phase of the covid-19 pandemic in Europe that could bring it to an end.
“It is plausible that the region is reaching the end of the pandemic”, said the main official of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Europe, still urging caution, due to the unpredictability of the virus.
“When the wave of the Omicron subsides, there will be, for a few weeks or months, general immunity. Either because of the vaccine or because people will become immune due to infections, in addition to a break because of seasonality,” added Kluge, while acknowledging that the endemic stage has not yet been reached.
“Endemic means (…) that we can predict what will happen. This virus has surprised us more than once. We must therefore be very careful”, insisted the WHO official in Europe.
In the WHO Europe region – which includes 53 countries, some of them located in Central Asia – the omicron was responsible for 15% of new cases of covid-19 on 18th January, more than half of the previous week, according to data from the WHO.
In the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA), this variant emerged at the end of November, proving to be more contagious than Delta, and is now dominant, according to data from the European health agency.
Covid-19 Situation report Tuesday 25th January
Confirmed: 2.312.240 (+57657 / +2.56%)
Admitted: 2,320 (-28 / -1.19%)
Admitted to ICU: 158 (-14 / -8.14%)
Deaths: 19,661 (+48 / +0.24%)
Recovered: 1.780.008 (+54666 / +3.17%)
Active cases: 512,571 (+2493 / +0.48%)
TRENDS
Second highest number of new cases since start of pandemic and above last week’s daily average
Deaths higher than yesterday and again over 40. Above last week’s daily average
A decrease in hospitalisations as well as in ICU compared with the very large increases reported yesterday
Much smaller increase in active cases resulting from a record recoveries for one day.
Health
Covid-19: Inspection opened 41 investigation processes for vaccine irregularities
Lisbon, January 25, 2022 (Lusa) – Last year, the General Inspectorate for Health Activities (IGAS) launched 41 investigation processes and six inspection processes, following the investigation carried out on 272 entities within the scope of the vaccination plan against Covid-19, the organization announced.
At the beginning of the vaccination process in Portugal, cases of improper vaccination arose, which led IGAS to institute, on January 28, 2021, an inspection process for the implementation of the first phase of this plan to verify compliance with the rules and guidelines applicable to the administration of the vaccine against Covid-19.
At the time, IGAS said that the inspection would cover, at this stage, the five regional health administrations, hospitals, hospital centers and local health units of the National Health Service, as well as some entities that make up the central services of the National Health Service. Ministry of Health.
The inspection was based on three aspects: criteria for selecting people to be vaccinated within the priority groups, procedures for managing excess doses and measures to prevent waste.
The inspection results have now been published in the IGAS ‘newsletter’ and indicate that, in total, 272 entities and health units from the public, private and social sectors were investigated, and 10 weekly (interim) reports and a global report were prepared.
Following this inspection, eight clarification processes, 41 investigation processes and six inspection processes were initiated.
Still on this topic, the General Inspection of Health Activities established eight inspection processes to verify the conditions of the cold chain of as many vaccination centers against Covid-19.
In these eight processes, 53 recommendations were issued, says the organization.
Computer failure makes it difficult to sell medicines in pharmacies
The electronic prescription service, which allows pharmacies to access prescriptions in a dematerialized form, was down for a few hours this Monday.
The Shared Services of the Ministry of Health (SPMS) confirmed to the JN that there was “intermittent functioning of an information system that is used by other systems, namely the one to support the dispensation of prescriptions” during the afternoon.
The situation has already been regularized and these “difficulties are completely overcome”, confirmed an official SPMS source. Despite the computer failure, it was possible, until 7.30 pm, to issue more than half a million packages of medicines.
“System restart required” due to an update, process that took a few minutes and brought the system down. At the moment, the computer system is “functioning perfectly”, said an official SPMS source.
The failure was absolutely exceptional, he added, but as it interferes with a system “with greater demand”, it ends up being more felt by users and pharmacies.
Other news
Portuguese Armed Forces accounted for a total of 27,741 troops in 2021
In 2021, the Portuguese Armed Forces accounted for a total of 27,741 effectives, excluding military personnel in the reserve situation out of service effectiveness. This number represents an increase of 1,007 employees compared to 2020, whose consolidated data recorded a total of 26,734 employees in that year, reinforcing the increase already seen in 2019 (26,569 employees). Considering this universe, the available numbers reveal a sustained growth in the last three years.
Despite the pandemic situation, which affected the normal dissemination and holding of competitions, the balance of 2021 shows that, as was the case in 2020, the global values of applications in RV/RC were above 10 thousand (10,492), which it had not occurred since 2016. For the permanent staff, in 2021, there were 3,540 applications, a number that rose slightly compared to 2020, and a year in which there had already been an increase of more than 25% compared to 2019.
The high number of applications reflects, in particular, the results of the efforts of the branches of the Armed Forces and the services of the Ministry of National Defence, in terms of improving their communication and dissemination processes, which are more intense and based on digital instruments, with the objective of to bring National Defence closer to young people.
Housing
190 thousand houses were sold in Portugal in 2021. Foreigners bought 11%
After being one of the most resilient sectors in the first year of the pandemic, the real estate market continued to shine in 2021. According to the consultancy JLL, last year 190,000 homes were traded, a growth of almost 20% compared to 2020. In what was the “best year ever” for the sector, a volume of transactions in the region of 30 billion euros was achieved.
“Housing was the star sector of real estate in 2021, surpassing all previous levels of activity”, says JLL this Tuesday, on the day it released the annual market report “Market 360º”. Last year, the consultant estimates that 190,000 homes were sold, 18% more than in 2020 and 12% more than in 2019 (in what had been a record year for the national residential market).
Of the 190,000 homes sold, 89% were sold to domestic buyers and around 11% to foreign buyers. “The strong market fundamentals are expected to continue in 2022, with a new year of high activity expected”, says the consultant, noting that changes to the golden visa regime should not have negative consequences for the market, since Portugal is already a recognized residential destination abroad”.
Despite this good performance, the problem of shortage of supply persists. Joana Fonseca, responsible for the Research area at JLL, notes that the housing stock “has increased by only 1.9% in the last decade, which corresponds to around 108,500 dwellings, that is, less than what was sold this year”.