Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 2^nd March 2022

Introduction

Good morning – Yesterday was International Civil Protection Day – In Portugal and around the world, the celebration of the date has the purpose of raising the various countries to the importance of civil protection, paying tribute to all civil protection agents and promoting reflection and dialogue around the risks that we take and the role that each of us, citizens, plays in the collective effort to create disaster-resistant communities.

According to the International Organization for Civil Protection, the theme of the International Civil Protection Day of 2022 is “Civil Defence and Management of Disrupted Populations in Face of Disasters and Crises; Role of Volunteers and the Fight Against pandemics

On February 28, 1969 Portugal was affected by an earthquake which was felt throughout the country, northern Morocco and part of Spain. The magnitude of the earthquake was 7.3 on the Richter scale. The earthquake lasted about four minutes and the biggest impact was felt in the Algarve, with the epicentre recorded 80 kms southwest of Sagres.

The south, namely the Algarve, and the Lisbon region were the areas most affected by earthquake, which was also felt in Spain and Morocco. Thirteen people died, two as a direct result of the quake and 11 indirectly and several dozen were injured.

Civil Protection day and this year’s theme therefore reminds us of the risk of earthquakes and action to take, should one occur. Remember “DROP, COVER, HOLD” See our page here:  https://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/find-information/environment-and-weather/earthquake-tsunami/

A Reminder that from yesterday and until the end of March, each citizen will be entitled to two free rapid antigen tests (TRAg), after the Government has halved the four monthly tests they participated in.

In the amendment published on Monday, in Diário da República, to the ordinance that establishes the exceptional and temporary regime for the reimbursement of rapid antigen tests for professional use, the Government justifies this decision with the evolution of the epidemiological situation in Portugal.

The President of the Republic declared yesterday Tuesday his support for the “We Help Ukraine” platform and praised the solidarity effort of the Portuguese. The global platform www.wehelpukraine.org is intended to “connect people in need of help in Ukraine, or on the run, with people and organizations that can provide support”, say its promoters.

“The project started in Portugal on 27th of February and has already mobilized thousands of people and organizations to make available and manage the platform, which is a meeting point between those who need accommodation, medicines or job offers, with those who are available to give these aids”, says the note. A “contact centre” is available in English, Portuguese and Ukrainian for telephone, e-mail, instant messaging, videoconferencing and other communication channels.

Please have a Safe Day

 

Covid-19

COVID -19 DGS Situation Report

Confirmed: 3,273,624 (+11,006 / +0.34%)

Admitted to hospital: 1,358 (-120 / -8.12%)

Admitted to ICU: 96 (-6 / -5.88%)

Deaths: 21,086 (+23 / +0.11%)

Recovered: 2,787,126 (+1752 / +0.06%)

Active cases: 465,412 (+9231 / +2%)

TRENDS

Higher number of new cases but less than last week’s daily average.

A large decrease in hospitalisations after yesterday’s moderate increase.

Number in ICU decreases to below 100 last time there less than 100 patients in ICU was November 23rd, 2021.

Deaths one less than yesterday and below last weeks’ daily average (29)

A large increase in active cases due again to the fairly low number of recoveries.

 

Health

President to present SNS with Highest national Honorary Order

Lisbon, March 01, 2022 (Lusa) – The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, will award the National Health Service (SNS) on Wednesday with the highest national Honorary Order due to the acts and services provided, in particular during the covid-19 pandemic.

According to the official website of the Presidency of the Republic, this SNS decoration as an Honorary Member of the former Military Order of Valour, Loyalty and Merit will take place on Wednesday, the day that marks the second anniversary of the first case of covid-19 registered in Portugal.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa highlights the “exceptional acts and services provided, in particular during the pandemic to Portugal, the Portuguese and other citizens” by the SNS and the “abnegation and sacrifice” of its health professionals.

Covid-19 killed more than 21,000 people in Portugal in two years, infected more than three million, and led to 35 million tests, and the administration of 22 million vaccines to almost nine million Portuguese.

In two years, Portugal had several days without registering deaths due to the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, but it also had 300 deaths in a single day.

With more or less infections or deaths, Portugal has gone through five waves of pandemic and has never had, in the last two years, a single day without infections by the new coronavirus.

Covid-19: Each citizen will have only two free tests until the end of this month

From yesterday and until the end of March, each citizen will be entitled to two free rapid antigen tests (TRAg), after the Government has halved the four monthly tests they participated in.

In the amendment published on Monday, in Diário da República, to the ordinance that establishes the exceptional and temporary regime for the reimbursement of rapid antigen tests for professional use, the Government justifies this decision with the evolution of the epidemiological situation in Portugal.

“The epidemiological situation caused by the covid-19 disease pandemic has seen a positive evolution in Portugal. The number of new daily cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection, as well as the number of citizens hospitalized, including those in intensive care, has also been reduced, largely thanks to the protection afforded by the high vaccination rate that is seen in our country”, says.

 

DGS in solidarity with Ukrainian population

In the current context of the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, the Directorate-General for Health, through the National Program for the Prevention of Violence in the Life Cycle, shows solidarity with the Ukrainian population and reinforces the role of Health and the entire community in promoting human rights, prevention of violence and discrimination against migrants and refugees, in a matter that is everyone’s responsibility.

As part of the International Day of Zero Discrimination, created by the UN, governments and civil society organizations are called upon to develop efforts to promote equality, inclusion and protection. Refugee population flows can represent risk contexts for possible situations related to human trafficking.

The Russian invasion could leave Ukrainians surrounded by another enemy: an uncontrollable increase in Covid-19 cases

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began at dawn last Thursday, surprised by the speed with which it arrived and surrounded the main cities. This meant that the inhabitants of large urban centers had to abandon their homes, causing a large migratory flow within the country, or, for lack of an escape route, they were forced to entrench themselves in improvised and overcrowded shelters. In addition to the visible threat, populations were thus also besieged by a silent invader: covid-19.

Health authorities are reporting, on average, 26,000 new infections per day and the incidence is at 63 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. At first glance, these do not seem alarming numbers for a country with 44 million inhabitants, but that changes if you take into account that only a third of Ukrainians are fully vaccinated against covid-19 – well below the 99% of soldiers who completed the vaccination schedule.

In addition, the Russian invader itself can be a focus of transmission, since Russia, despite being one of the first countries to develop a vaccine (Sputnik V), has not yet managed to immunize half of the population.

The war is also being fought over the approval of vaccines, which can have deadly consequences. If on the one hand Ukraine refuses to give the green light to the use of Sputnik V, the Russian Federation also does not authorize the administration of any of the vaccines against covid-19 produced in the West, such as those of Pfizer, Moderna, Janssen or from AstraZeneca.

Other news

Portuguese companies have already placed more than 2 thousand offers for refugees

The platform created to gather job offers from companies for Ukrainian refugees in Portugal has already collected more than two thousand of these offers, said this Tuesday the Minister of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security.

The platform was launched this Monday and “at this moment, more than two thousand job offers are already loaded, which shows well the dynamics of the companies that are joining” , said Ana Mendes Godinho, at the end of an extraordinary Council of Ministers .

Ana Mendes Godinho appealed for companies to continue to make their job offers available (which they can do at www.iefp.pt/portugal-for-ukraine), stressing that the Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional (IEFP) has there is currently a ‘task force’ mobilized to ensure the “best possible match” between the qualifications and profile of the Ukrainians arriving in Portugal and the needs of companies.

Merchant Ship of Azores sinks

The merchant ship ‘Felicity Ace’, which caught fire off the Azores on February 16 and was being towed, sank today outside the limit of the Economic and Exclusive Zone of Portugal, revealed the Navy.

“At the site, there are some wreckages and a small patch of oily waste, which is being dispersed by the water jets of the tugboats and which is being monitored by the Directorate for Combating Pollution of the National Maritime Authority and by the European Water Agency. Maritime Security (EMSA)”, he described.

A C-295 aircraft from the Portuguese Air Force is also planned, he added.

The vessel was “at about 25 nautical miles, the equivalent of 46 kilometres”, in an area “whose depth is around 3,000 meters”, the Portuguese Navy said in an information note published on its Facebook page.

“Today, in the early morning, during the tow, which had started on February 24, the ship ‘Felicity Ace’ lost stability, having sunk”, observed the Navy.

The Navy “continues to monitor the situation, namely through the Hydrographic Institute, which keeps updating the drift calculations of the current spot”.

Carnivals 2022

Yesterday marked the Carnival season across many parts of the world. In Portugal due to the pandemic we find that Although most of the 2022 Carnival parades have been cancelled all over the country, there are many municipalities that try to keep the tradition active by looking for alternatives to the traditional Carnival.

You can fully experience the spirit of Carnival in Figueira da Foz, which chose to keep the parades and corsos, or in Macedo dos Cavaleiros, where the Caretos de Podence once again take to the streets.

In the rest of the country, the official parades were cancelled, but several municipalities created alternatives, so you can attend various carnival performances in municipalities such as Loulé, Estarreja, Sines, Sesimbra, and Ovar.

Although most carnivals are not happening the Government has allowed all Public service employees to take today as a special holiday. In previous years they would have taken the opportunity to choose their best Carnival costume and enjoy the free day to dance and celebrate.

Across the world Carnival is still very popular. The most famous of these events has become the Brazilian Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Venetians have long celebrated carnival with a masquerade. The use of the term “carnival” in other contexts derives from this celebration.

In Spain, the Carnival Tuesday is named “día de la tortilla” (“omelette day”): an omelette made with some sausage or pork fat is eaten.

One of the most popular is in Cádiz, in Andalusia, is the carnival of “comparsas”, “coros” and “chirigotas”: songs full of irony and criticism that are written by the different groups who participate in the fiesta. They parade through the city centre, spreading an atmosphere of freedom and fun in a carnival officially declared of International Tourist Interest. This carnival has been postponed until June 2022 due to Covid so there is still time to experience it. You should check with the Spanish Tourist offices for their latest information on carnivals happening this year.