Portugal Situation Report Saturday 6th March 2021

Introduction

Good morning – Firstly, a reminder that the ban on movement between municipalities is now in place from 8 pm last night until 5 am on Monday 8th March in mainland Portugal, with some exceptions provided for, within the scope of fighting the pandemic. These exceptions are the same as previously.

Regarding Covid-19, we start the day with two pieces of good news; the first being that the average transmissibility index (Rt) of SARS-CoV-2 is 0.71 in mainland Portugal, representing a downward trend in cases. The second good news is that one 1 million doses have now been administered in Portugal since the start of the program 2 months ago. The milestone was reached yesterday.

According to a report by the National Institute of Health Doctor Ricardo Jorge (INSA) released yesterday on the epidemic curve, all regions have an Rt for five days below 1, with the exception of the two autonomous regions, which “suggests a clear decrease in the incidence of the virus in the country, taking into account that the transmissibility index reached 2.12 as the highest value during the pandemic”. More details in our separate story this morning.

Over the last two weeks we have reported four major earthquakes; one in Greece and three off the coast of New Zealand – the largest being 8.1 on the Richter scale 8.1 near Kermadec Islands Region on Thursday. Luckily these, in the case of the New Zealand ones, have not caused any damage, although extensive evacuation plans were put in place with people moving from the coastal areas along the north coast of North Island to higher ground. This was undertaken by all accounts calmly and in accordance the alerts and directions that were clearly in place.

Portugal is also a high-risk country as far as earthquakes are concerned, although thankfully those that do occur daily are seldom felt. However it is important to be aware that there is a risk as well as in some areas a risk of tsunamis. We all need therefore to know what action to take should a major earthquake occour. Each year in November, Portugal practices “A Terra Treme” the national earthquake exercise involving schools, businesses and individuals. To understand the risk and self-protection steps to take, please visit our page – a 10 minutes read which could save your life should a major earthquake occur.

Whilst on the subject of Civil Protection there was an important development on Thursday at the Council of Ministers meeting, with measures approved in the fields of integrated management of rural fires, planning of agricultural areas and forests, and the strengthening of civil protection. Most important is the defining of five strategic objectives (to strengthen governance in risk management; to improve knowledge about risks; to implement strategies for risk reduction; to improve preparedness in the event of risk; and to involve citizens in the knowledge of risks), which translate into projects and activities to be implemented by Central and Local Administration. This is a very welcomed and important approach, as the understanding of risk is essential in determining preparedness in both prevention and self-protection of rural fires.

It was announced yesterday by the President and executive director of Formula 1 Stefano Domenicali, that the Portuguese Formula 1 Grand Prix, in Portimão, will take place on May 2nd, hoping “to be able to receive spectators in Portimão safely again this year and we are working with the promoter on the details of this plan”. The decision to hold the event again in the Algarve is if course very welcomed – the issue is with or without spectators.

There is no decision yet on whether spectators will be able to attend and given the problems last year with overcrowding in various stands and in some indoor areas and clearly social distancing not being respected, we are sure that Government will take a very cautious approach in this regards. It is one thing to produce plans which incorporate DGS safety standards, but another in ensuring these plans are properly executed and enforced. Crowd management and enforcement will require a large deployment of private security and the security forces and the implications of this needs to be taken into full account.

Although the organisers and promotors are obviously pressing for the inclusion of spectators, and there are many fans who are naturally keen to attend, it would be unacceptable regardless of the importance of tourism to the economy, to allow in just 7 weeks’ time a relaxation of confinement to the extent that would undoubtedly bring thousands of people together in one location, if in doing so this results in any risk of contagion. This must not be seen as an exception to other measures that are in place at that time. In other words safety first. We wait and see developments

It is important not to let our guard down at this crucial time.

Have a Safe weekend

Covid-19

Yesterday’s DGS Covid-19 figures compared with the previous day are as follows:

Confirmed Cases: 808,405 (+ 949 / + 0.12 %)

Number of admitted: 1,583 (-125 /-7.32 %)

Number of ICU admitted: 383 (-16 /-4.01 %)

Deaths: 16,486 (+ 28 / + 0.17 %)

Recovered: 728,659 (+ 1606 / + 0.22 %)

Active Cases: 63,260 (-685 / -1.07%)

In analysing these trends it is noted that: deaths were the joint lowest since 24th October 2020; new cases were higher than previous day; recovered cases were more than new cases, for 32 consecutive days; the number of recovered patients exceeded that of new infections; there were the lowest number in hospital since 25th October, decreased by 5286 patients since 1st Feb.

The numbers in ICU were the lowest since 12th November – a decrease of 55.7% since 1st February; the number of active cases lowest since 3rd November, decreasing for 33 consecutive days and over 119,000 since 31st January (in 26 days); those under surveillance were the lowest since August 2020 and there were zero deaths in the Algarve.

Health

Percentage of total deaths attributed to the Covid-19 virus has dropped by nearly a half.

The percentage of deaths in Portugal attributed to Covid-19 has dropped, between 8th and 21st February, to about half of the percentage seen in the previous fortnight.

The number of deaths associated with Covid-19 between 25th January and 7th February had been above 40% of the total deaths, but in the following two weeks it decreased to 21.7% of the total in the week of February 15th to 21st, in which 2824 people died, 696 more than the average for the same period in the last five years, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE)

Between 8th and 14th February, 3,349 people died, 31.6% of whom with Covid-19, 175 more than the average for that week in the years 2015 to 2019.

Covid-19: Researchers use 35,000 samples to assess infectiousness of variants.

Porto, 05 Mar 2021 (Lusa) – Researchers from the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) will, through more than 35 thousand nasopharyngeal samples, evaluate co-infections with SARS-CoV-2 and see if the infectivity of the variants is changed over the past year.

Speaking to the Lusa agency, Didier Cabanes, researcher and director of the testing center for Covid-19 created at the institute of the University of Porto, explained today that the project has “two strands”: one scientific and the other technical.

Within the scope of the Horizon 2020 program, i3S received funding of 300 thousand euros from the Northern Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-N), based on its biobank of nasopharyngeal samples tested for SARS-CoV-2, which gathers more than 35 thousand samples, one third of which are positive for Covid-19.

Since March 2020, the biobank has been keeping samples in freezers at temperatures between 80 and 20 minus degrees Celsius and will allow evaluating co-infections in the last year with SARS-CoV-2.

“We will try to analyse whether other pathogens such as batteries or fungi may be associated with infection by the new coronavirus and if they vary seasonally”, explained the leading investigator of the Molecular Microbiology group at i3S.

In parallel, the researchers will assess whether the infectivity and aggressiveness of SARS-CoV-2 variants has changed over the past year.

Within the scope of the project, which runs until June 2023, the University of Porto institute acquired “robots” to “automate” the diagnosis of Covid-19 in the laboratory with the capacity to analyse 350 samples per day.

Covid-19 resulted in the death of 17,000 health workers in 2020, says Amnesty International.

At least 17,000 health professionals have died of Covid-19 in 2020 worldwide, said Amnesty International (AI), calling for “urgent action” to accelerate the vaccination of these “highly exposed” workers “and several times” unprotected “.

“It is a tragedy and an injustice that, every 30 minutes, a health professional dies with Covid-19. Workers around the world have put their lives at risk to try to keep people safe from Covid-19, but many have been left unprotected and paid the highest price “, denounces Steve Cockburn, AI specialist in Economic and Social Justice, cited in this analysis conducted by the non-governmental organization (NGO) and carried out in partnership with Public Services International and UNI Global Union.

The analysis work involved data released by Governments, unions, the press and civil society organizations in more than 80 countries.

The organizations admit that the numbers are likely to be higher, since not all States have gathered official information or have only done so partially.

Data from the Portuguese Directorate-General for Health (DGS), released last Monday, indicated that close to 28 thousand health professionals have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in Portugal, of whom 19 died and more than 16 thousand recovered.

Covid-19: Women were most affected by the pandemic at the University of Coimbra.

Coimbra, 05 Mar 2021 (Lusa) – A study to assess the impact of the pandemic on the faculty and researchers of the University of Coimbra (UC) concludes that women were the most affected group, it was announced today.

Within the Coimbra academy, women “were the group most affected by the severity of the psychological and emotional effects associated with confinement, having reported more often feelings of anxiety, sadness, concern for the professional future and perceived lack of control over the situation” , said the UC, in a press release sent to the Lusa agency.

The study, which included a survey of 281 UC professors and researchers in September 2020, was carried out within the framework of the European project “SUPERA” (Promotion of Equality in Research and Academia), in which the Centre for Social Studies of the University participates. Coimbra University.

More than two thirds of the people surveyed reported that they started to dedicate more time to domestic work and to accompany children and young people, with women noting “a greater influence of the pandemic in the allocation of time to professional work”.

The Covid-19 pandemic pointed to the adoption of contingency measures “which had strong implications for the organization and conditions of academic work”, such as the transition to ‘online’ classes or the compatibility of teaching and scientific activity with the care of children , explained the project’s local coordinator, Mónica Lopes, mentioned in the press release.

“This study has shown that the new conditions for carrying out teaching and research work have had a different impact on women and men in academia, making visible or accentuating pre-existing inequalities in terms of working conditions, possibilities of work-family reconciliation, division of work, academic work, and scientific performance “, added the researcher.

Portuguese government hopes to reopen tourism in May.

Portugal hopes to be able to open borders and tourism in early May thanks to certificates of vaccination or tests, the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rita Marques, told the BBC today.

“For the time being, non-essential travel needs to be restricted, but we believe that Portugal will be able to allow unrestricted travel soon, not only for vaccinated people, but also for people who are immune or who test negative,” she said.

According to the official, “it will happen soon, in about two months. Perhaps in May, early May” she added, guaranteeing that she plans to “have everything ready to allow the British to visit the country”.

Rita Marques told the British public station that the Government is “working to reopen Tourism as quickly as possible in a safe way” and showed confidence in the so-called “green pass” to be issued by the countries of the European Union.

On the 17th, the European Commission is going to present a legislative proposal to create a digital free pass that will make it possible to resume travel at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, proving the vaccination or the recovery of citizens.

The pass may include not only a certificate of vaccination against Covid-19, but also test results or immunity information for people who have recovered from the disease.

The United Kingdom remained the main tourist emitter market in 2020, representing 16.3% of overnight stays from non-residents, despite the 78.5% decrease compared to the previous year, said the Portuguese National Statistics Institute.

Currently, travel between Portugal and the United Kingdom is prohibited and there are no direct flights, although nationals or residents of both countries are allowed to travel with a valid justification and evidence that they have tested the coronavirus with a negative result.

The British government has already said it does not intend to change the rules before 17th May, after evaluating a study with recommendations for safely restoring international travel.

Schools – Protective equipment

The Ministry of Education announced yesterday that it has made about seven million euros available for schools to buy masks and other materials and personal protective equipment against Covid-19.

Specifically with regard to masks, the Ministry of Education explains in a statement that, although mandatory use for 1st cycle students is not foreseen, the amount of the budget was defined in order to allow schools to buy enough masks to these students.

“Bearing in mind the signposts of parents and guardians for their students to use this equipment, it was understood for reasons of prudence that it would be considered for its acquisition for 1st cycle students, with the respective guardians being responsible for decision on its use ”, he says.

According to a note from the Directorate-General for School Establishments (DGEstE), which has already been sent to schools, the materials to which these seven million euros are destined are detailed: three masks for each student, teacher and employee, gloves and aprons for operational assistants, and disinfectant.

“The provision of free masks and other personal protective equipment to students and professionals, as well as disinfection and cleaning products, is part of the set of measures to prevent and mitigate the risk of transmission of Covid-19, which have allowed increase the security of the school space ”, underlines the authority.

Ministry of Health creates new National Trauma Commission.

The creation of a green route for trauma in the provision of pre- and intra-hospital health care is one of the new competences of the renewed National Trauma Commission, according to an order today published in Diário da República.

The order of the Deputy Secretary of State and Health, António Lacerda Sales, renews the constituted National Trauma Commission, which is now made up of representatives of the various bodies of the Ministry of Health with attributions in the field of health and the management of “especially relevant” means. for coordination regarding trauma”.

In addition to ensuring the implementation of the green route of trauma, this commission will propose the model of operation and articulation of the agents participating in the network, identify and encourage the dissemination and implementation of good practice standards and assess the needs in terms of equipment and infrastructure in the emergency services integrated into the hospital urgency and emergency network.

The order also establishes that the commission proposes the creation of the National Trauma Registry in the Urgent Patients Guidance Centres (CODU) and pre-hospital medical emergency means and in the urgency and emergency hospital network, and consequent epidemiological surveillance of trauma in Portugal. , in conjunction with INEM, Shared Services of the Ministry of Health and the National Institute of Health Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA).

The National Trauma Commission, which by March 31st is expected to present an activity plan for the year 2021, is also responsible for promoting the appointment of local trauma coordinators, from each institution in the hospital network with emergency medical and surgical services (multipurpose) to evaluate the management and reserve mechanisms of relevant blood products in this context and identify the pertinence of constituting a specific component within the scope of the Strategic Medicines Reserve.

Other news

Government approves investment of 30 Million Euros in measures to enhance forest landscape.

The Council of Ministers today approved a set of measures under the policy of enhancing the forest landscape that involve an investment of around 30 million euros, announced today the Minister of the Environment.

At the end of the Council of Ministers (CM) dedicated to forests, which today took place in Monsanto, Lisbon, João Matos Fernandes highlighted that the largest share, of more than 20 million euros, will be destined to investments in public forests and in forest perimeters.

The minister also highlighted the investment of five million euros in the extension of intervention projects for the restoration of ecosystems started in 2016 in the Peneda-Gerês Natural Park.

According to the communiqué of the CM, the Government today approved a resolution for the projects of restoration and enhancement of natural habitats, with structural prevention against fires, in five parks, namely the Natural Parks of the North Coast, Alvão, Serra da Estrela, Sintra-Cascais and the Guadiana Valley.

“The funds dedicated to these projects go from 21 to 26 million euros, with a total of 19 protected areas now covered”, he said.

These projects will “focus on the active conservation of protected areas, associating the investment directed to the restoration and enhancement of natural habitats with the structural prevention against fires, also guaranteeing the provision of the means and equipment necessary for this purpose”, added the statement.

The remainder will be distributed between the launch of four more landscape plans and the extension of co-management measures for parks and protected areas.

Portugal Situation report Wednesday 3rd March 2021

Introduction

Good morning, yesterday was one year since the first two cases of Covid-19 were recorded in Portugal. Inevitably there was much reflection on the events over the last year with the President of the Republic leading, by thanking the population by the way they organized and committed themselves in responding to this pandemic, with a particular word of appreciation for the work and commitment of health professionals, thanking all concerned.

He stated that “it was desirable that, more than learning from what went well, we all have the ability to learn lessons from what went less well. Improving the ability to plan and anticipate scenarios and responses, reacting more quickly and being more adapting to circumstances, are examples of areas that should be the focus of current and future attention from all of us”

This is not, of course, confined to Portugal. After any major crisis, and this is arguably the largest for many years, it is necessary to reflect on what went well and what did not – in other words, lessons learned as well as best practices. By doing this improvements can be made in facing major challenges for the future – and there will be more.

In our report this morning we also include the work of two major hospitals in Portugal in dealing with Covid-19, the Hospital Curry Cabral (part of the Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Central Group, (CHULC)) and Hospital Santa Maria. From these two reports it can be seen the considerable pressure these hospitals and all the doctors, nurses and all staff would have been under over the last year. We thank you all for your tremendous work operating in the most dangerous of conditions.

The national average Covid-19 infection rates per 100,000 people have improved considerably, which is clearly reflected at the local level. At extremely high-risk level there are now only 3 municipalities, according to the DGS report published on Monday, compared with 234 municipalities on 1st February 2021. This is a remarkable achievement.

When analysing yesterday’s DGS daily figures, this showed: the second lowest number of daily deaths since 29th October; in terms of new cases – 3rd lowest since 6th October; that the number of recovered patients exceeds that of new infections consecutively for 30 days; the lowest number in hospital since 31st October; lowest numbers in ICU since 18th November; number of active cases lowest since 30th December, decreasing for 29th consecutive day and over 115,000 (67.3%) since 31st January (in 26 days) and those under surveillance the lowest since mid-October.

With the improving situation, it would be easy to let our guard down, but to do so now would increase the risk of contagion and jeopardize the sacrifice that people have made during the latest period on confinement and again put pressure on hospitals and the health service, which cannot happen.

The Prime Minister stated yesterday: “It is the way we behave out there that will help us stop this pandemic. Here [in hospitals] they treat patients and save lives, but it is out there that the pandemic is stopped, each one of us, with our behaviour, with the use of a mask, with hand hygiene, with physical distance and with the deprivation of social contact”, he said.

A reminder that the deadline for land cleaning for those living in rural areas still remains 15th March. The GNR began on 22nd February the Monitoring and Awareness phase by visiting those living in high-risk areas to raise fuel management awareness in order to ensure the safety of the population. This phase, will take place until March 31. The full details of land cleaning can be found on our website. Remember if your land includes holm oak trees then special permission is required before pruning or cutting down such trees. Failure to make the application will incur a large fine.

When undertaking the burning of debris, whereas in the past it was necessary to call the local Bombeiros to register the burn, this has now changed. The procedure now is to make an on-line application either through the ICNF website or by calling the central number. To make an on-line application visit the ICNF website here. Here you can also find the ICNF manual which Safe Communities Portugal has translated into English.

If you are considering burning debris or land to dispose of pasture, we stress the need to ensure that you are physically able to do this whilst at the same time ensuring adequate safety measures to avoid the burn becoming out of control. Last year over half of rural fires were caused this way. More details are in this week’s Algarve Resident in a SCP feature available tomorrow 4th March.

So with that advice, Stay Safe.

Headline

Prime Minister calls for civic sense for confinement to be maintained strictly.

Prime Minister António Costa appealed to all Portuguese people to maintain the strictness of the confinement rules and reiterated that the pandemic can only be stopped by containing any risky behaviour.

During the visit to Curry Cabral Hospital, which marked the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic in Portugal, António Costa reiterated the need to maintain confinement to ensure control of the pandemic, and that the risk of unemployment and the closure of companies is increasing. But we cannot repeat what happened in the first wave, nor what happened in the second wave, nor what happened in this tragic month of January”.

“We cannot forget what happened because the idea that tragedies are not repeated is a false idea. Tragedies are repeated when the mistakes that resulted in these tragedies are repeated. It is good to keep your memory well because it is the best way to support excellent health professionals”, he added.

António Costa praised the “excellence of all health professionals” for the work they have done during the last twelve months and reiterated that the best way to support those inside hospitals “to do their best to save the life of those lives at risk” is a huge discipline in containment.

“It is the way we behave out there that will help us stop this pandemic. Here [in hospitals] they treat patients and save lives, but it is out there that the pandemic is stopped, each one of us, with our behaviour, with the use of a mask, with hand hygiene, with physical distance and with the deprivation of social contact”, he said.

Covid-19

This Tuesday Portugal recorded 38 more deaths and 691 new cases of Covid-19, according to the daily report of the Directorate-General for Health (DGS). The keys figures in the report were as follows:

Confirmed Cases: 805.647 (+ 691 / + 0.09 %)

Number of admitted: 1.997 (-170 /-7.84 %)

Number of ICU admitted: 446 (-23 /-4.90 %)

Deaths: 16.389 (+ 38 / + 0.23 %)

Recovered: 723.465 (+ 3230 / + 0.45 %)

Active cases: 68,370 (-898 / -1.19%)

Health

Covid-19: Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Central received the first of 3,316 treated patients a year ago.

Lisbon, 03 March 2021 (Lusa) – Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Central (CHULC) received the first patient with Covid-19 a year ago and has since treated 3,316 patients, 313 of whom are children and young people, according to data released today to the agency Lusa.

On March 3rd, 2020, Hospital Curry Cabral, one of six hospitals that are part of CHULC, received the first patient diagnosed with Covid-19, one day after the first two cases were diagnosed in Porto, one at the Hospital of Santo António and the other at Hospital São João.

The first was a 38-year-old man who entered the Curry Cabral at 8:20 am and had to wait 10 hours until he knew the result of the analysis confirmed as positive by the National Institute of Health Ricardo Jorge (INSA), a source told Lusa from the hospital centre.

He left the hospital 10 days later, but still tested positive for Covid-19, having stayed at home in isolation until the test was negative, which happened in April.

Of the 3,316 patients who were followed up at the hospital until the 28th of February, 656 were admitted to intensive care units, including three children who received this care at the paediatric hospital D. Estefânia.

During this period 629 people died, including a child, victims of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, 222 of whom were in intensive care units (ICU).

The maximum number of patients hospitalized with Covid-19 was recorded on February 7th, totalling 346, and the maximum number of open beds was reached the following day.

The data states that the maximum number of infirmary beds for adults was 274 and that of ICU level 3 beds were 60, and in paediatrics, there were 17 and two beds, respectively.

Covid-19 – One year: Hospital Santa Maria treated around 2,500 infected patients.

Lisbon, 02 Mar 2021 (Lusa) – About 2,500 patients with Covid-19 were treated this past year at Hospital Santa Maria, 450 of which in intensive care, where the survival rate is 78%, according to data from the Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa North released today.

Of the 450 patients who needed to be admitted to intensive care, around fifty needed ECMO, an extracorporeal circulation device that allows them to temporarily replace the function of the heart and lungs.

According to the Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte (CHULN), they were “the highest numbers in the Lisbon region and the highest in the whole country”.

In recent weeks, the hospital centre has had eight intensive care units exclusively dedicated to Covid patients, of which five are new, totalling 69 beds, the Hospital Centre says in a note sent to the Lusa agency, on the day that marks a year the appearance of the first two cases of Covid-19 in Portugal.

“This plan is now beginning to be reconverted in a phased manner to non-Covid activity, which has already resumed the priority surgeries and resumes the outpatient surgery this week”, he stresses.

In the balance sheet of a year of pandemic, the Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte says that the emergency department dedicated to respiratory diseases attended about 31 thousand patients in the last year, more than half (55%) coming from outside the reference area of ​​CHULN .

“The urgency of the Hospital de Santa Maria did not end a single day and responded to suspected Covid patients from the Metropolitan Area of ​​Lisbon and the West region, but also to users from Leiria, Santarém, Alentejo or the Algarve”, he stresses.

Nearly a third (29%) of the consultations resulted from referrals from the National Institute for Medical Emergency (INEM).

“The rate of positivity in CHULN Covid urgency was 13%, while 75% of patients tested negative for Sars-Cov-2. Eleven percent of the patients did not need to be tested and only 1% of the cases were inconclusive”, reveals the hospital centre, which includes the Santa Maria and Pulido Valente hospitals.

In total, the CHULN Clinical Pathology laboratory carried out more than 155 thousand tests for screening

Teachers and non-teaching staff to be included as a priority for vaccinations.

The Minister of Health admitted today that teachers and non-teaching staff can be included as priorities for vaccination against Covid-19, considering that schools are an “essential service”.

“When we talk about essential services – and schools are in some way in our social approach an essential service – it may make sense that adults who work in these places have a differentiated vaccination,” said Marta Temido in an interview with Jornal da Noite da SIC.

On the day that marks a year of the first cases of infection with the new coronavirus diagnosed in the country, the official considered that the inclusion of teachers and non-teachers, including those who are not at risk groups, in the first phase of vaccination that is being carried out, taking place is a “hypothesis that is being analysed, not only in Portugal, but also in other countries”.

“When we look around us and see what the processes of deflation are, we see the very intense presence of two realities: vaccination and testing”, stressed Marta Temido, adding that the experts’ opinion “is quite comprehensive in relation to those that will be the various options that can be taken”.

“This is, in fact, one of the difficulties that we have even had in communication: the fact that there is a variety of opinions on the same subject, which makes the decision process very difficult”, admitted the minister.

Schools

Marta Temido: there are no “conditions” to talk about returning to school.

Minister of Health stressed yesterday, that although there has been a decrease in cases of infection and deaths by Covid-19 in the last few days in Portugal, the situation is not yet ideal and refers more clarifications on the reopening of schools on 11th March.

Asked about returning to face-to-face education, in an interview with Antena 1, Marta Temido replied: “We are not in a position to talk about this topic yet. We have chosen to keep this information conditional on a set of circumstances, a set of hearings and specifically a calendar that has already been announced by the Prime Minister and which states that on 11th March we will report on a set of rules that, if determined assumptions remain, then they will apply.””

The Minister of Health points out that, although there has been a decrease in cases of infection and deaths by Covid-19 in the last few days in Portugal, the situation is not yet ideal. “When, in August, we had a maximum of 29 patients admitted to intensive care on a given day, yesterday we had 469. When, in August, we had 270 patients admitted to the infirmary, yesterday [Monday] we had 2167 . When, in August, we had a positive rate [from tests to Covid-19] of just over 1%, we are now still above 4%. Therefore, there are many things that, although today – because we are already used to it – seem to us to be calm, they are far from being”, he said.

According to Marta Temido, with regard to the reopening of schools and restrictions planned for Easter, the Government intends to adopt the best possible balance, despite criticism. The minister also highlights the pressure on hospitals and the contact surveillance system.

European Union Health Ministers underline need to speed up vaccinations.

The Minister of Health, Marta Temido, stated that the implementation of the National Vaccination Plans was one of the three main themes addressed during the informal meeting of the Ministers of Health of the European Union, which also counted on the presence of the European Centre for the Prevention and Control of Diseases and the European Medicines Agency.

At the press conference after the meeting, at the Centro Cultural de Belém, in Lisbon, the Minister stressed that the Member States “identified the need to accelerate, together, the alignment between the response of science and the response of industry in the sense of the contracts concluded by the Commission can be fulfilled, guaranteeing the implementation of the National Vaccination Plans as soon as possible”.

Marta Temido reiterated the objectives proposed by the European Union to vaccinate 80% of people over 80 by the end of March, as well as health professionals and professionals supporting health professionals, in addition to reaching 70% of the entire population of the European Union by the end of the summer.

During the meeting, two other key themes were also addressed, said the Minister. “Circulating variants and the various strategies essential for early detection, genetic sequencing and containment, and testing strategies, underlining the importance of uniform and coordinated guidance at Member State level”.

The Minister of Health also referred that the Ministers of Health discussed the possibility of implementing “vaccination certificates and other documents useful for the mutual recognition of the health status of each citizen of the European Union”.

Covid-19: Vaccination of about 15,000 firefighters completed.

The vaccination process for the 15,000 firefighters began on February 11th and was completed last week, a source from MAI told Lusa.

Firefighters were considered a priority in this first phase of the vaccination process, taking into account the essential role of the State they perform and due to the operational dimension of the pre-hospital transport they perform.

According to MAI, the order of vaccination of these firefighters was defined by the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority “based on operational criteria and covered the universe of volunteers, sappers and municipalities”.

In this first phase, which lasted two weeks, about 50% of the total number of firefighters was vaccinated against the Covid-19.

Covid-19: Disposal of 78 doses of vaccines at the Hospital das Caldas da Rainha under investigation.

The Centro Hospitalar do Oeste confirmed today the opening of an investigation to investigate the circumstances in which 78 doses of vaccines against Covid-19 were rendered useless, allegedly due to a failure of the cold system in the Hospital of Caldas da Rainha.

Questioned by the Lusa agency, the Centro Hospitalar do Oeste (CHO) confirmed “the destruction of 13 vials of vaccine against Covid-19”, equivalent to 78 doses, intended for vaccination of professionals.

According to the CHO board of directors, the vaccines were discarded after on the 19th it was detected, at the Hospital das Caldas da Rainha, in the district of Leiria, “an abnormal temperature record inside the cold equipment used for the condition, due to an apparent failure of the refrigerator”.

In an email sent to the newsrooms, the board of directors states that it has already been decided to open an “investigation process to ascertain what happened”, waiting for the conclusion of the same to provide more concrete information about the vaccine’s destruction.

The Centro Hospitalar do Oeste integrates the hospitals of Caldas da Rainha, Torres Vedras and Peniche, having an area of ​​influence constituted by the populations of the municipalities of Caldas da Rainha, Óbidos, Peniche, Bombarral, Torres Vedras, Cadaval and Lourinhã and part of the municipalities Alcobaça and Mafra. These counties are divided between the districts of Lisbon and Leiria.

Enforcement

Lisbon, 01 March 2021 (Lusa) – Three citizens with false documents were detected on Sunday at Lisbon airport by the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), this criminal and border police body announced today.

In a statement, SEF said that two of these citizens were detected during the flight departure to the Republic of Ireland, in possession of other documents.

The third, however, was detained at the health control on arrival of a flight from Vienna, Austria, having identified himself with counterfeit documentation.

At the Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport, in Porto, SEF also held a citizen from Paris, France, on Sunday, for having presented a falsified proof of test of Covid-19.

The citizen then carried out the Covid-19 test at his own expense, inside the airport, says the SEF.

EU travel certificate does not provide for data exchange nor is it limited to vaccines.

European Commissioner for Justice, Didier Reynders, guaranteed today that the digital certificate for Covid-19 that will allow travel within the European Union does not provide for any data sharing between Member States.

“We want to avoid fundamental rights problems and violation of data protection and also discrimination between citizens”, Reynders said today in a press conference, adding that “it will be a very simple verification of data and that it will be coordinated through a legislative instrument.”

“It will be a certificate, not a passport that will give an account of the situation of each person in relation to the disease: if he was ill, if he was vaccinated or if he had a PCR test”, he underlined.

The European Commission is preparing “a legislative instrument on the data that will appear on a digital numeric certificate” that allows the vaccinated persons who have developed antibodies or who have a negative PCR test to circulate in the European Union (EU).

“We will continue to work on a way to organize free movement,” said the commissioner, guaranteeing that “there will be no discrimination in these certificates”.

“We want a legislative instrument that allows the same data to be collected on the same certificates issued through the EU. Then we will see what are the possible uses for the certificates”, he clarified.

The commissioner also said he was waiting for a response from the six Member States that banned non-essential travel, stressing that they should limit themselves to following the recommendations of the EU Council itself.

“We wrote [on 23 February] to six Member States and gave ten days for a detailed response and contacts continue with the countries,” said Reynders, stressing that the countries concerned have nothing more than to correctly implement the recommendations adopted by the Council of the United Nations. EU, a body that brings together the 27.

Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary and Sweden are the countries targeted.

These recommendations, he stressed, are aimed at allowing travel restrictions, through the presentation of tests or the imposition of quarantine, but avoiding prohibitions.

Portugal Situation Report Saturday 27th February 2021

Introduction

On March 2nd, one year ago, the first case of Covid-19 in Portugal was diagnosed. A study by Instituto Doctor Ricardo Jorge (INSA) published yesterday shows that the virus had been circulating in the country since February 2020. It is important to understand how the new coronavirus entered Portugal and the report gives some insight into this. Safe Communities Portugal first reported the new coronavirus on 26th January 2020, one month earlier.

We start the day with the continuing good news concerning the key Covid-19 Statistics.

Yesterday there was the 3rd lowest in terms of daily deaths since 21st December; new cases – 2nd lowest number since 7th October 2020; those recovered cases were double new cases; lowest number in hospital since 5th November; lowest in ICU since 7th January and a decrease of 39.6% since 1st February; the number of active cases lowest since 30th December, decreasing for 26th consecutive day and over 100,000 (61.4%) since 31st January (in 26 days) and those under surveillance. the lowest since mid-October.

Although these are indeed very encouraging figures, the Government has decided, rightly in our view, to retain the existing State of Emergency measures until 23:59 hrs on 16th March. The Prime Minister explained the rational for this, namely that although there is now “clear improvement” in the European context, the country just two weeks ago was the worst in the EU.

He warned, “all improvements are relative”, this being “the second reason for maintaining the measures “. The number of new cases in the last 24 hours (1027) is still more than four times higher than that registered on 4th May 2020 (242), with similar relationships in the number of hospitalized and hospitalized in Intensive Care Units.

In other words it is too early to make changes with the risk of reversing the downward trend.

“He emphasised that we must remain confined for the next 15 days. This is the message, nothing should change” and “We must avoid confusing citizens with messages that end up inducing wrong behaviour.” So in other words however optimistic the figures, it is important to ensure the basic rules of compliance and in particular the wearing of face masks, avoiding social gatherings, maintaining social distancing hygiene.

In these respects we cannot relax.

Importantly he stated that he will present the de-confinement plan on March 11th.

Also important was his emphasis that we are living in a “dangerous phase”. There may be the illusion that the worst has already been overcome and that we are not in danger of regressing. If there is one thing we have to strive for, it is not to regress in something achieved with such a sacrifice by the Portuguese.

Finally, a reminder about the purpose of our Facebook page. The aim of our page is to provide information and guidance from official channels which helps people during these difficult times. This can take us quite a bit of research and time, especially when we are publishing this in English. It may take a few minutes to publish a piece of information, but an hour or more to prepare it.

We are also there to answer, as far as we can, people’s questions, which again we need to research. When Facebook becomes full of opinions often bearing no relevance to the topic, this can result in long drawn out debates. This detracts from the topic and with long threads makes it more difficult for people to find the answers they really need. There are many Facebook groups where opinions and personal argument abound and Safe Communities Portugal is not one of them. The challenge for our administrators who have to deal with and try and answer the many questions we receive, is immense. We are an open page not a group, so information can be widely shared so as many people as possible benefit. As a result we now have over 40,000 followers compared with 17,000 just a year ago.

We therefore encourage people to keep abreast of developments through our page and website and through the various official channels, DGS, ECDC, etc as this helps in developing a broader more accurate understanding of the ongoing situation and the state of emergency measures in place.

There is much misinformation around, including as reported a few days ago the fake government plan. There are Facebook groups and pages which are abound with misleading information, provocative statements, argument, negativity and personal insults which is not helping during a health crisis and goes against our standards and values. This maybe a reflection of stressful times for many, which we understand, but we will not allow this on our page and such comments will be removed. We thank everyone for their understanding.

Please have a Safe Day.

Headlines

The Prime Minister announces extension of State of Emergency

New State of Emergency, government decree-law has “no change”, says António Costa.

“The measures have continued to produce the desired effects in controlling the pandemic. This is evidenced by the reduction in the transmissibility factor of the disease, the famous R, which is relatively stable, and a continued decrease in new cases”

Costa says that “this is not yet the time for the de-confinement”, although Portugal continues “sustainably” to see the number of new daily cases of infection decrease.

The Prime Minister underlined the “clear improvement” in the European context, when the country was the worst in the EU just two weeks ago.

However, he warned, “all improvements are relative”, this being “the second reason for maintaining the measures “. Portugal is better, but still with levels of new cases and hospitalizations four times above the beginning of the de-confinement of May 2020.

And Costa adds a risk factor: “A very high incidence of the British variant (49%), with a higher risk of contagion. This also justifies the greatest prudence regarding the de-confinement.”

And another one: “We have been executing a vaccination plan. We can confirm only the objective of having 80% of people over the age of 80 vaccinated in March, as well as the full vaccination of those over 50 years of age with major comorbidities.”

António Costa said that he will present the de-confinement plan on March 11th.

Covid-19, One Year On

On March 2nd, one year ago, the first case of Covid-19 in Portugal was diagnosed. A study by Instituto Doutor Ricardo Jorge (INSA) explains now that the virus had been circulating in the country since February 2020.

The first known patient was a 60-year-old doctor who had been on vacation in Northern Italy, one of the European countries most affected by the pandemic. He had fever, cough and body pain. He was admitted to the Hospital de Santo António, in Porto.

About two weeks later, contagions soared and Portugal decreed a State of Emergency: police on the street, mandatory confinement, closed-door business, prohibited travel, but above all, crowded hospitals.

According to a study developed by INSA and released this Friday, SARS-CoV-2 had been circulating in Portugal since February. It also advances that by the end of March 2020, more than 200 infected people had landed at national airports.

It is estimated that, for example, one case in Italy originated more than four thousand in Portugal; the majority in the northern and central regions. So far, in the country, more than 800 thousand Portuguese have been infected with Covid-19, 16 thousand lost their lives

Covid-19

This Friday Portugal counts another 58 deaths and 1,027 new cases of Covid-19 , according to the daily report of the Directorate-General for Health (DGS).

Confirmed cases: 802.773 (+ 1027 / + 0.13 %);

Number of admitted: 2.404 (-209 /-8.00 %);

Number of ICU admitted: 522 (-14 /-2.61 %);

Deaths: 16.243 (+ 58 / + 0.36 %);

Recovered: 714.493 (+ 2780 / + 0.39 %).

Active: 72,037 (-1811 /-2.45%)

Health

Only 55% of those invited responded to the SMS for vaccination against Covid-19. 30,500 messages have already been sent

Since vaccination against Covid-19 began – for people over 80 and certain individuals between 50 and 79 – 30,500 scheduling SMS have been sent and 16,799 responses have been received, Público reveals this Friday.

These are the numbers: 30,500 appointments have been sent and 16,799 responses have been obtained (55.08%), the Ministry of Health’s Shared Services (SPMS) revealed to the Public. Of these, 16,393 people answered yes to the vaccination and 406 said no, which means that only 2.47% of the people refused to be vaccinated.

The call is made by SMS message, whenever there is information on the user’s mobile phone number in the system.

The number 2424 messages that users receive, asks about their availability to be vaccinated at a specific date, time and place.

To this information, users must answer ‘Yes’, fully confirming the scheduling data, or ‘No’, which results in the sending of a second mobile message with a new scheduling proposal. The same happens if the user does not respond.

In the absence of a reply to the SMS or if the scheduling proposals are refused, the users will be contacted by telephone, by the health centres, to find an alternative scheduling, or, in the absence of telephone contact, a letter will be sent.

SPMS explains which message that reaches users explains how they should respond. “The SMS is sent from the number 2424, to the user eligible for vaccination in phase 1, with the location, date and time. This SMS needs a response through the format: SNS.NUMERO UTENTE.SIM or NO. When the user answers yes or no, that confirmation is recorded. ”

When the answer goes in the wrong format, the user receives the following message: “COVID19: Incorrect answer format. Answer: SNS.NUMERO UTENTE.SIM or NO. ” If you answer with an SNS number of a user who is not eligible for this phase “you receive information that the number of users in the response does not match the number of users of the person contacted”.

On the eve of the date scheduled for vaccination, an SMS is sent to remind the appointment.

The second dose of the vaccine is scheduled at the time of the first dose, ensuring that the vaccine used is the same brand.

All vaccines against Covid-19 are available from the National Health Service and are universal and free of charge.

European Union deepens cooperation in vaccine production process

European Union leaders focused their attention on combating Covid-19, during the videoconference that brought them together on 25th and 26th February, said Prime Minister António Costa at the end of the meeting.

The Prime Minister stated that “there was widespread concern and a very constructive exchange of views with the President of the European Commission, with a view to collectively supporting the increase in vaccine production and the streamlining of the vaccine licensing process by the European Agency Medicines’.

“We all realize that, in order to eradicate the pandemic, it is essential to speed up the vaccination process, and to speed up the vaccination process, it is essential to have a more agile licensing process, and the industry to have greater production capacity,” he said.

António Costa underlined that “in addition to the need to ensure compliance with contracts already signed, it was seen that it is essential to develop mechanisms to anticipate the joint detection of new variants, in an articulated effort of cooperation between the different research institutions and the different research authorities, health of all member states’.

“This step is very important”, he underlined, adding that “information about the new variants requires teamwork, through an incubator that the European Commission is developing, in which the pharmaceutical industry participates, so that the industry can adapt vaccines put on the market to the variants that may emerge”.

Covid-19. Vaccination decreases incidence rate among health professionals at São João hospital

The vaccine against Covid-19 is proving to be effective among health professionals at São João hospital, in Porto. The Director of the occupational health service says that the seven positive cases detected this month were identified in people who have not been vaccinated.

“Before the vaccination season, in this hospital, the incidence of illness was around 50 cases per week. Currently, in the entire month of February, we had about seven cases. All of them in unvaccinated professionals. Even so, the incidence that we have in a whole month is lower than what we had a day before starting the vaccination”, says Pedro Norton.

The Director of the occupational health service also stresses that this “is the first evidence that the vaccine is in fact effective and that opens a window of hope for the remaining Portuguese citizens”.

DGS reviews standard for conducting screening tests in the community

In view of the decrease in the number of Covid-19 cases in the country, the Directorate-General for Health is preparing a new update of the standard that establishes the criteria for conducting screening tests in the municipalities.

Despite issuing on February 11th an update to the norm that establishes the “National Test Strategy for SARS-CoV-2”, the Directorate-General for Health (DGS) is revising these guidelines, due to the decrease in the number of infections by Covid-19 in the country.

In response to the JN, the DGS explained that “due to the evolution of the epidemiological situation, incidences will be considered lower than those currently provided for in the standard and that better respond to the testing needs for the current and next phases of the epidemic”.

It is recalled that the current regulation provides for regular laboratory screening in schools with secondary school students, in prisons and in occupational contexts with high social exposure, such as factories and civil construction. But only in municipalities with a cumulative incidence over 14 days exceeding 480 new cases per 100 thousand inhabitants. The data revealed by the DGS at the beginning of the week showed the existence of 113 municipalities in this situation.

“The new version, in preparation, will consolidate the defined strategic axis, always with a view to its alignment with the needs at national level”, according to the recommendations of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Organization Health Organization (WHO), added this entity.

The DGS also stressed that “tests on a large scale, integrated with other measures of Public Health, are a key element to limit the spread of Covid-19.” This new version should include the use of saliva tests, analysed in the laboratory by PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), as has been announced by the Minister of Health, Marta Temido.

These join standard PCR tests, with analysis of samples collected in the nose or mouth (nasopharynx and oropharynx) using swabs and rapid antigen tests with biological material obtained in the same way.

Also this week, the Assistant Secretary of State and Health, António Lacerda Sales, explained that screening criteria were being defined, such as, for example, tests in schools every 7 days, or every 14 days, depending on the epidemiological situation in the region of the country where they are located.

Covid-19: Portuguese industry will contribute to EU collective effort

The Prime Minister, António Costa, said today that the Portuguese industry will certainly contribute to the “collective effort” agreed between all the Member States to increase the production capacity of vaccines against Covid-19 in the European Union.

At the press conference at the end of two virtual summits of European Union leaders, between Thursday and today, the first of which being devoted to the coordinated European response to the pandemic, and in which the 27 made it a top priority to accelerate the production of vaccines and vaccination, António Costa pointed out that Portugal has already communicated to Brussels “the diverse capacities” of the Portuguese pharmaceutical industry “to be able to collaborate in the different stages of production of a vaccine”.

“We hope and are sure that our industry will do its best to be able to collaborate in this collective effort,” he said.

The Head of Government and President-in-Office of the Council of the EU recalled that, in addition to the reprogramming of the framework for the application of EU funds for the development of the country “Portugal2020”, “credit lines were created that have supported the conversion of industrial lines to the production of the most diverse materials to combat Covid-19 ”.

“This was particularly visible, for example, in the textile industry in relation to the production of masks, but it is also naturally open to the pharmaceutical industry”, he pointed out.

Extension of Portugal – Spain Border Controls

The control of people at land and river borders will continue until 16th March. According to the Ministry of Internal Administration, in a statement sent to the newsrooms, more Authorized Crossing Points (PPA), Ponte da Barca and Vinhais were added to the list, which will operate on working days between 6 am and 9 am and 5 pm and 8 pm.

In this way, from 00:01 on March 2nd, circulation between Portugal and Spain – and only in the PPAs – is limited to “the international transport of goods, cross-border workers and seasonally documented, and vehicles of emergency and relief and emergency service “.

Cross-border rail traffic also remains suspended, and “except for goods transport, as well as river transport between Portugal and Spain”.

About 1,900 people prevented from crossing the borders between Portugal and Spain

About 1,900 people have been prevented from moving across the borders between Portugal and Spain since January 31st, when controls came back into force due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Internal Administration (MAI) said today.

In a report sent to the Lusa agency on land border control, the MAI states that the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF) and the National Republican Guard (GNR) controlled, between January 31st and February 24th, a total of 279,578 citizens and 251,750 vehicles at authorized crossing points (PPA).

According to MAI, of the 279,578 citizens, 1,904 were prevented from travelling through authorized crossing points.

The Ministry, under the tutelage of Eduardo Cabrita, states that the refusals of circulation occurred in Valença (593), Caia (367), Castro Marim (339), Vila Verde da Raia (188), Vilar Formoso (140), Quintanilha (62) , Vila Verde de Ficalho (53), Marvão (39), Monção (35), Melgaço (28), Monfortinho (20), Miranda do Douro (15), Barrancos (11), Mourão (8) and Montalegre (6) .

MAI also states that the Valença PPA, Viana do Castelo, was the one that controlled the largest number of citizens, a total of 111,459, followed by Vilar Formoso, Guarda (41,354), Caia, Elvas (33,532), Vila Verde da Raia , Chaves (31,353), Castro Marim, Faro (19,327), Quintanilha, Bragança (10,881) and Vila Verde de Ficalho, Beja (9,209).

In PPAs that operate with limited hours, SEF controlled 3,599 people in Marvão, 10,673 in Monção, 1,018 in Melgaço, 382 in Montalegre, 1,008 in Miranda do Douro, 2,475 in Termas de Monfortinho, 2,690 in Mourão, 593 in Barrancos and 25 in Rio de Onor.

The MAI also mentions that GNR controlled 251,750 vehicles, 114,347 of which were heavy goods and 137,403 light vehicles, having rerouted 225 vehicles to the PPA at unauthorized crossing points.

International Travel

European Union admits creation of “vaccination passport” until summer. Will “dispense with quarantine”

In the aftermath of the European Council meeting, Prime Minister António Costa announced that the EU is considering the creation of “a document to help dispense with quarantine”, but rejected the term “health passport”.

The document will prove that the passport holder already has immunity, due to having been vaccinated, or performed a test with a negative result.

“The Commission will prepare in the coming months a document that allows to certify, in an unidentified way, that a person is in one of the following circumstances: either he has already been infected with Covid-19, or is properly vaccinated, or carried out a test that confirms which is not currently contaminated with Covid-19 “, said António Costa.

Asked about the “vaccination passport”, António Costa said that “this is not a national measure” but rather on a European scale.

“We are defenders of a European-wide measure, it is with that objective that as Presidency we are working together with the European Commission. The wish we all have is that until the summer it is possible that this document exists”, he guaranteed.

In the government’s view, the document “will help freedom of movement”, the functioning of the internal market and will enable “a more peaceful recovery” of tourism.

Other news

Traffic accidents – First week without road deaths since records began

There is no memory of anything similar: for seven consecutive days, between the 18th and 24th of February this year, there was no record of deaths on Portuguese roads.

The information was provided by the National Road Safety Authority, through its Twitter account, on the eve of the launch of the website on the new strategic plan to combat accidents. Called “Vision Zero 2030”, the program aims to achieve zero deaths and zero injuries on the roads over the next decade.

“From February 18th to 24th, 2021, there were ZERO fatalities on Portuguese roads. There were 7 consecutive days without deaths resulting from road accidents, something never seen in Portugal”, reads the Twitter of the Autoridade Nacional de Segurança Rodoviária (ANSR), which has already completed the first phase of the “Vision Zero 2030 Strategy”, the new plan to combat accidents that aims to achieve zero deaths and zero injuries on the roads in the next decade

Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 24th February 2021

Introduction

Good morning – All eyes this week are on the meeting of the Council of Ministers to determine whether there will be any changes to the State of Emergency that will almost certainly be extended.

As mentioned, the President of the Republic yesterday and today is hearing the views of the representatives of the various political parties before sending a draft decree law extending and outlining the basic framework of the new law. This will take affect from 2nd March until 23:59 hrs 16th March 2021.

As usual, there will be various statements by the parties following their meeting as to what the President said, but as we know from experience these are not always enshrined in the final law. Yesterday, the sole deputy of the Liberal Initiative said that the President of the Republic has no intention of “changing anything” in the decree of the State of Emergency. The deputy of the Ecological Party “Os Verdes” (ENP), Mariana Silva, also echoed this after meeting with the President.

There is no doubt that the confinement in place has worked and new cases have decreased considerably. The Prime Minister is concerned, however, of the continuing pressure on the health services even though the numbers in hospital and ICU have decreased considerably since the beginning of the month.

A matter of some concern is that, according to government, movements on the streets and in public areas has increased slightly in the last week and there have been three illegal parties one with around 70 people where the police have had to take enforcement action. This is a likely sign of impatience to return to normality. There is also demands on Government to reopen some schools to return to face to face learning.

How to come out of confinement, of course, is not unique to Portugal and is a dilemma government’s face in trying to relax measures in a phased way that does not result in undoing all what has been achieved, in the case of Portugal, over the last 3-4 weeks. From listening to the views of the President and the Prime Minister we would be surprised if there is anything but cosmetic changes at this stage, especially given the delays in the first phase of the vaccination plan.

We expect therefore a cautious approach, but one which may include some form of roadmap of a phased relaxation of measures, such as the re-opening of some schools provided that certain conditions are met; for instance cases in ICU reducing to a certain level, no increase in variants or new ones etc.

This approach would clearly indicate government’s intentions, thereby giving hope to those affected such as businesses, but at the same time allowing the plan to be adjusted if needed.

Our headline today is the statement of the UN Secretary-General over the global distribution of vaccines, namely that ten countries have administered more than 75% of all vaccines against Covid-19. At the same time, more than 130 countries have not received a single dose.

Having worked in an international organisation myself, Interpol, I can empathize with this statement. It is similar in many ways to crime prevention that protection is only as good as the weakest link. Of course people wish to obtain the vaccination as soon as possible, but there are many in the world who will have to wait far longer than ourselves.

A reminder for those of you living in rural areas that according to the national budget law the deadline for fuel management and the cleaning of land is 15th March 2021. Last year due to the first confinement under the State of Emergency the deadline was extended twice – eventually being 31st May. We have been in contact with relevant Government authority concerning this matter and although there is no proposed extension at present, we would not be at all surprised if it were extended. I have written a feature for the Algarve Resident on this topic which will appear on 4th March. Full details concerning land cleaning can be found on our website here

Please have a Safe Day

Headlines

Guterres: ten countries administered 75% of vaccines and 130 did not receive a single dose.

The UN Secretary-General warns that the virus has exacerbated inequalities and has infiltrated other fields besides health. The distribution of vaccines, he says, has been unfair.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, says that “the world is facing a pandemic of human rights abuses”. Covid-19 accentuated vulnerabilities and weaknesses, but also created new problems, he says in an opinion article published on Monday in the British newspaper The Guardian: “Ten countries have administered more than 75% of all vaccines against Covid-19. At the same time, more than 130 countries have not received a single dose.

António Guterres had already criticized the distribution of vaccines, saying that it was “extremely unequal and unfair”. It was at a meeting with the UN Security Council that the Portuguese Secretary-General advised this data on the 130 countries that have not yet received a single dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

“The virus has proliferated because poverty, discrimination, the destruction of our natural environment and other human rights flaws have created enormous weaknesses in our societies. The lives of millions of families have been turned inside out – with jobs lost, overwhelming debt and huge income cuts. ” Those most affected were professionals at the forefront of combating the pandemic, people with disabilities, the elderly, women and minorities, he continued. The pandemic has also “hampered efforts to achieve world peace” and levels of extreme poverty are increasing for the first time in recent decades.

Covid-19 – Portugal is the 6th EU member state with the most complete vaccines administered.

Portugal is the 6th EU Member State with the most complete vaccines. At least 85 countries have already started the vaccination process against Covid-19. In total, more than 194 million doses have been administered. Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom continue to stand out from all other countries in the world ranking.

The most conservative models indicate that group immunity is achieved when 7 out of 10 people are vaccinated. The European goal is to reach the end of the summer with 70% of adults immunized, that is, with both doses of the vaccine given.

In Portugal, when analysed by age group, the group between 65-79 years old is at this stage of the least protected: only 2% of this population has taken a dose and 1% has the complete vaccination. These percentages are the same for people between 18 and 24 years old. In contrast, 12% (79,774 people) of the population over 80 have already taken a dose and 7% (42,991) have a complete vaccination. It is the most protected group.

The North adds more inoculated doses but the Alentejo is the region of the country that leads in population that has the complete vaccination (4%), followed by the Centre (3%), Lisbon and Vale do Tejo and Norte (both with 2%) and Algarve (1%).

Covid-19: Portugal has the lowest contagion rate in Europe

According to André Peralta Santos, from the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), on Monday afternoon, the incidence of new contagions had a “very significant decrease”. Incidence is decreasing in all age groups – it is highest above 80 years old. Portugal has the lowest transmissibility index since the beginning of the pandemic

According to Baltazar Nunes, the estimate for the transmissibility index R (t) of Covid-19 in Portugal is 0.67, between February 13th and 17th – “The lowest figure we have estimated since the beginning of the epidemic”, he said. “The value of Rt is below 1 in all regions of the continent and autonomous regions and in the last five days there has been a stabilisation of the value of Rt around 0.66 and 0.68”, he added. According to the expert, Portugal now has the lowest R (t) value in Europe. “If we continue, it is possible to continue descending at a marked speed.”

Covid-19 Situation

On Tuesday Portugal reported 63 deaths and 1,032 new cases of Covid-19, according to the daily report of the Directorate-General for Health (DGS).

The figures and our analysis of trends reported yesterday is as follows:

Confirmed Cases: 799.106 (+ 1032 / + 0.13 %)

Number of admitted: 3.012 (-310 /-9.33 %)

Number of ICU admitted: 597 (-30 /-4.78 %)

Deaths: 16.086 (+ 63 / + 0.39 %)

Recovered: 705.976 (+ 4567 / + 0.65 %)

Active cases: 77,044 (-3958 / – 4.4&)

So again we see very good news in all key indicators reflected in the following trends:

– Second lowest number of daily deaths since 28th December

– New cases – Second lowest number since 8th October 2020

– Recovered cases four times new cases

– Lowest number in hospital since 2nd January

– Lowest in ICU since 13th January – decreased by 27.5% since 1st February

– Number of active cases lowest since 2nd January, decreasing for 23rd consecutive day and over 100,000 less than 31st January (in 21 days)

– Those under surveillance lowest since 2nd January

Health

Vaccinations

Covid-19: Close to 250 thousand people have already received two doses of the vaccine

Nearly 250 thousand people have already received the two doses of the vaccine for Covid-19 according to data published today by the General Directorate of Health, corresponding to 3% of the population.

According to the data released today by the DGS, they have already received two doses of the vaccine 248,708, representing 3% with the complete vaccination, 46,565 more than in the previous week.

According to the same data, since the beginning of the vaccination plan against SARS-CoV-2, which started on December 27th, at least 433,475 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, having injected 96,701 people in the last week.

Covid-19: Rapid Intervention Brigades activated in homes 431 times since October.

Lisbon, February 23rd, 2021 (Lusa) – The Rapid Intervention Brigades (BIR), created to act in the event of an outbreak of Covid-19 in nursing homes, have been activated 431 times since October, the month they started operating, revealed today the latest State of Emergency report.

“As of October 1st, the BIRs started to operate, which allow responding to the needs of social responses that, due to an outbreak, have the human resources teams compromised, having already activated 431 brigades”, states the report on the situation between 16th and 30th January and delivered to the Assembly of the Republic.

The document, carried out by the State of Emergency Monitoring Structure, coordinated by the Minister of Internal Administration, Eduardo Cabrita, stresses that, in the Northern region, the Rapid Intervention Brigades remain properly established in all districts, being activated whenever necessary.

In turn, in the Centro region, BIRs were used in all districts, but there was “a great difficulty” in building these brigades due to the lack of volunteers.

“Institutions’ difficulties in strengthening human resources, namely direct action assistants and nurses, remained. To mitigate some specific needs, the Military Family Volunteers were made available”, reads the report, which explains the “strong pressure on homes and other residential structures for the elderly” that existed in the Center region between 16th and 30th January.

According to the same document, in these residential structures for the elderly in the Centro region there was a “substantial increase in cases” of Covid-19, going from 227 to 282 homes with active cases.

Hospitals have no chance of hiring doctors who trained abroad.

Although the Government allows the hiring of doctors who have trained abroad and who have not yet completed the process of recognition of training, hospitals reject this option. To “Jornal de Notícias”, several hospital units said that they are responding with internal resources and that it is not planned to hire professionals who have not yet seen their courses recognized in Portugal.

The Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Central said that “there are no plans to hire foreign doctors and nurses” and the Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra said that it has “tried to respond to the challenges with internal resources”. In Porto, the response from the Centro Hospitalar de São João was similar: “At the moment, we have no professional in these conditions who has contacted us or that we can contact” and in Aveiro, “this hiring was not expected”.

There is a “need for professionals” for certain specialties, explained Alexandre Lourenço, president of the Portuguese Association of Hospital Administrators. “However, we are obliged, and rightly, to hire certified professionals as a guarantee of quality, “he added. Of the 800 doctors who attended medical courses abroad, only 160 meet the criteria for hiring – that is, having passed a written knowledge test.

Open letter calls for the re-opening of schools

An open letter, published in the weekly Expresso , calls on government that “it is urgent, for the present and for the future of the country, to adopt measures, based on science and data, capable of protecting schools as an essential good”, asking for their reopening “quickly for face to face teaching, safely and continuously, starting with the youngest”.

The signatories argue that the nurseries and pre-school education establishments will be reopened in early March, as well as the 1st and 2nd cycles of basic education, which should gradually resume.

The Government has already signalled that it will give priority to schools when it starts the process of the relaxation of confinement, according to the Minister of Health on Monday after the Infarmed meeting, and that of the Minister of the Presidency last weekend. However, Mariana Vieira da Silva said it was still “premature to speak for this next fortnight of lack of definition and particularly in terms of schools”.

The letter however demands face-to-face classes to resume as soon as possible, recalling not only “the increase in psychological and psychiatric problems of children and young people associated with the confinement and closure of schools”, but also that “teaching distance is less effective than classroom teaching and has been a multiplier of inequalities of all kinds, not just educational, penalizing the most vulnerable “.

“The delay in the acquisition of apprenticeships may lead to the reversal of the progress made in recent decades in the reduction of social inequality and early school leaving”, they warn, also stressing that “Portugal is one of the European Union countries with less conditions for distance learning”, both because of the lack of network coverage and because of the “conditions of material deprivation in which many families with children live, suffering from energy and housing poverty”.

Unemployment

Registered unemployment enters 2021 to rise to the highest level since the start of the pandemic.

Unemployment in Portugal started to rise in 2021. In January, a month marked by the worsening of the Covid-19 pandemic and the return of the country to general confinement, 424,359 unemployed people were registered in employment centres, according to data from the Institute of Employment and Professional Training (IEFP), published this Monday.

This figure represents an increase of 5.5% compared to December (more 22,105 people) and 32.4% (more 103,801 people) in year-on-year terms, that is, in relation to January 2020.

While it is certain that registered unemployment is usual in Portugal to increase in January compared to December, due to the negative seasonal impact on the labour market, this is the highest number of registered unemployed since the beginning of the pandemic. Moreover, it is necessary to go back to May 2017 to find a higher value.

At the regional level, in January, “registered unemployment increased in all regions of the country”, indicates the IEFP. Of the year-on-year increases, the most pronounced occurred in the Algarve region (61.3% more), followed by Lisbon and the Tagus Valley (45.3% more) and Madeira (30% more).

The IEFP also indicates that, in terms of professional groups of unemployed registered in the Mainland, the most representative, in decreasing order, stand out: “Unqualified workers” (24.9%); “Personal service, protection, security and salesperson workers” (22.8%); “Administrative staff” (11.6%); “Specialists in intellectual and scientific activities” (10.2%) and “Skilled workers in industry, construction and craftsmen” (10.0%) “.

Tourism

Support line launched for Travel Agencies and Tour Operators with 100 million euros.

Turismo de Portugal, in partnership with Banco Português de Fomento, Mutual Guarantee Societies and Banks, launches a credit line to support treasury, with an endowment of 100 million euros, for Travel Agencies and Tour Operators.

This measure to support the economy aims to help in the recovery of one of the activities most affected by the effects of the pandemic of Covid-19, resulting in bank loans exclusively to finance the treasury needs of Travel Agencies and Tour Operators, in view of the obligation refunds for trips that were not made or cancelled due to the pandemic context.

With a total allocation of 100 million euros, and a term of validity until June 30th, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) can apply, as well as Small Mid Cap and Mid Cap that develop activities of Travel Agencies and Tour Operators.

Credit operations benefit from an autonomous guarantee at the first request, provided by the SGM, up to 90% of the capital of each of the loans guaranteed to Micro and Small and up to 80% of the capital of each of the loans guaranteed to Medium-sized Companies, Small Mid Cap and Mid Cap.

Overseas Support – Thank you to Germany.

Diogo Serras Lopes, Secretary of State for Health, said on Tuesday that the help of German professionals who arrived in Portugal earlier this month allowed “to open an autonomous intensive care wing” with eight beds, a number that, according to Serras Lopes, is “significant”.

Yesterday morning, Diogo Serras Lopes and the Secretary of State for Human Resources and Former Combatants, Catarina Armento e Castro, welcomed the German team of military health professionals who will replace the one currently working at Hospital da Luz, in Lisbon.

The Secretary of State also said that “each bed counts” and that the German contribution was “invaluable” and allowed “to relieve the hospitals of the National Health Service” and to treat more patients.

The German clinical team of 26 health professionals arrived in Portugal earlier this month to support the Portuguese health system in the face of pressure from the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to a joint statement from the ministries of health and defence of Portugal, German health professionals are replaced every 21 days, until the end of March, “if necessary”.

Confinement: Cascais lifts restrictions to sea walls, beaches and parks.

The Cascais City Council announced on Monday that it will lift restrictions on access to the sea wall (Cascais-Carcavelos), beaches and parks in the municipality as of 6 pm on Tuesday, February 23rd.

The municipality, in a statement on the official website , justifies the decision with the “decrease in the number of cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 inhabitants”, thus guaranteeing the municipality a “two-level descent, abandoning the Extremely and Very High Risk level passing to be part of the group of municipalities with a high risk level ”. The health and safety authorities in the municipality gave a positive opinion to this update.

This reopening still has some rules. Only “physical activity and the training of individual outdoor sports are allowed, as well as all professional and equivalent training and competitive activities, without an audience and in compliance with the guidelines of the DGS, under the terms of the law”. The use of a mask remains mandatory, as well as social distance, still fixed at two meters. Gatherings of people are prohibited, as well as being on the beach. The municipality also asks for “the fulfilment of the directions of circulation”.

Borders

Covid-19. EU asks for explanations from Member States that have closed borders.

The European Commission sent a letter on Monday to six member states of the European Union (EU) asking for explanations about restrictions on freedom of movement, giving the countries concerned ten days to respond, the Community executive said Tuesday.

“On Monday, the Commission sent specific letters about our concerns to six Member States – Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary and Sweden – which are currently applying stricter measures than recommended, in particularly in the prohibition of entry and exit of the country “, informed the spokesman of the community executive with the portfolio of Justice, Equality and Rule of Law, Christian Wigand.

The spokesman stressed that, in the letter, the Commission highlights the “need” to ensure that “restrictions on freedom of movement” are “proportional” and not “discriminatory”, and urges countries to “align their provisions more than closely with the Council’s recommendations “, agreed between all EU Member States, and, more generally,” with EU rules regarding freedom of movement “.

The executive gives the member states ten days to respond to the letter and “the Commission is closely following the steps taken by the member states on an ongoing basis”, said the spokesman.

Asked about the steps the Commission can take if the Member States in question do not comply with the executive’s recommendations, Christian Wigand said that “the European Commission’s aim is to find solutions as soon as possible”.

“We believe that we will find solutions with the Member States in question, without having to resort to legal steps, which can be time consuming. Therefore, Member States now have ten days to respond and we start there,” he said.

The spokesman also recalled that the European Commission has always been clear on the issue of coordinating measures within the EU to combat Covid-19, stressing that “without a coordinated approach between the 27 Member States”, the EU “runs the fragmentation risk “and” disruptions in freedom of movement and distribution chains.”

International Travel

Covid-19. Airlines insist on rapid airport tests.

RENA – Association of Airlines in Portugal yesterday insisted on the implementation of rapid tests for Covid-19 at airports, also stressing that there is an urgent need for a harmonized reduction of imposed restrictions and the end of quarantines.

The appeal was left at the general meeting of RENA that elected its governing bodies for the 2021-2023 triennium, with Paulo Geisler, representative of Lufthansa, being re-elected president, unanimously, according to a statement.

“These rapid tests give passengers and the airport community the certainty that health and safety remain at the top of the priorities and convey confidence,” said Paulo Geisler, adding that he hopes that “vaccination will quickly contribute to recovery”.

“A harmonized reduction of imposed restrictions and the end of quarantines is urgently needed at a global level”, underlined the re-elected president of RENA mentioned in the statement.

The association stresses that the international aviation industry and tourism were among the sectors most affected by the pandemic at the global level, “going through the biggest crisis ever”.

In Portugal, according to RENA, there was a decrease of around 80% in the number of flights and passengers at Portuguese airports and “the situation has been aggravated by the additional restrictions implemented in recent weeks, which are even more severe than any time in 2020 “.

Enforcement

Covid-19: GNR ends party with more than 70 people in Campo Maior.

Campo Maior, Portalegre, 23rd Feb 2021 (Lusa) – GNR ended on Monday an illegal party with more than 70 people in a neighbourhood in Campo Maior (Portalegre), having identified “some” of the participants, revealed today to the Lusa agency source of that security force.

According to the commander of the GNR Territorial Detachment of GNR, João Lourenço, the GNR military became aware of the situation “through various complaints” that reported that “some noise” was heard in a neighbourhood in that Alentejo village.

“The patrol, when travelling to the site, found that there was a large crowd of people and movement on the public road. It was a party, an unauthorized event and that the participants did not respect the duty of home collection”, he said.

According to the GNR captain, reinforcements were immediately requested from other posts in that area and “an hour later” the situation was resolved.

“There were some people identified, who are known and who were able to be identified. In our action, the intention, considering that there was a high number of people, was to disperse and direct all people to their homes, but naturally some of the people were identified ”, he explained.

The Commander of the Territorial Detachment of Elvas of the GNR, who did not provide data in relation to the number of people identified, just added that it is now being “elaborated expedient regarding the administrative offenses” to be applied.

The GNR captain also added that this action at an early stage had “some resistance” on the part of the participants at the party, but later “the indications” of the Guard’s military were accepted.

Covid-19: GNR interrupts illegal party with 19 young people in Famalicão.

Vila Nova de Famalicão, Braga, February 23, 2021 (Lusa) – GNR interrupted, yesterday morning, an illegal party that gathered 19 young people in a house in Gondifelos, Vila Nova de Famalicão, in violation of the general duty of recollection, said a source that strength to Lusa.

Secondly, the source confirmed, the young people transformed the house “into a kind of disco”.

All participants were subject to administrative offences, amounting to 200 euros.

If they are caught again in an identical situation, they will incur a crime of disobedience.

The alert for the situation was given at 00:30, with the GNR mobilized to the location of the Famalicão and Joane posts and a team from the Detachment of Intervention.

The young people were assessed and sent to their homes, and the situation was resolved by 02:30.

Other News

DCIAP investigates case of private jet in Brazil destined for Portugal with 500 kilos of cocaine.

The Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action is investigating the case of the seizure in Brazil of a private jet destined for Tires (Cascais), which was carrying 500 kilos of cocaine, told Lusa source today from the Prosecutor’s Office.

“The existence of an inquiry is confirmed that runs under the terms of the Central Department of Investigation and Penal Action” (DCIAP), the press office of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) replied to the Lusa agency, without further details alleging secrecy of justice.

Police sources today revealed to Lusa that the Portuguese Judiciary Police (PJ) and the Brazilian federal police had been alert, since the beginning of the pandemic, to the possibility of cocaine trafficking between the two countries using private jets.

According to the same source, the police had already realized that, with the decrease in regular flights between the two countries, the “modus operandi” of trafficking cocaine between Brazil and Portugal had changed with the traffickers using other means, namely the use of private jet charters.

The recent seizure of more than 500 kilograms of cocaine in the fuselage of a jet chartered to the Portuguese company OMNI Aviação e Tecnologia, based in Porto Salvo, for a flight from Salvador to Tires Aerodrome, Cascais, is one of the cases that fits these suspicions, with the two policemen collaborating and sharing information.

On the jet’s passenger list was João Loureiro, former president of Boavista, who has already been heard by the Brazilian Federal Police (PF) and whom “files were extracted” from his cell phone.

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