Azores Situation Report Saturday 10th July 2021
From our colleague in the Azores
Public Events
Public cultural and sporting events can take place in every municipality in the Azores from today and, at weddings and christenings, tests for SARS-CoV-2 will be required, announced the Secretary of Health.
“Public, cultural or sporting events can exist and with audiences at any risk level, only with limited capacity”, said the head of the Health in the Azores, Clélio Meneses.
Until now, in the Azores, the holding of “public events promoted by the regional administration, including public institutes and companies of the regional business public sector” was suspended in municipalities with medium, medium-high and high risk of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which provokes Covid-19, with the recommendation that autarchies and private sector entities follow the same measure.
From 00:01 on Saturday, it is possible to hold public events in all municipalities, but the maximum capacity depends on the level of risk.
“In very low-risk municipalities, there is a capacity limitation of half of the respective capacity. In low-risk municipalities, it is a third of the respective capacity and, in medium-risk or higher municipalities, a quarter of the respective capacity and subject to a plan of contingency”.
As for private events that involve a greater concentration of people, such as weddings or other religious festivals, they can also be held in all municipalities, regardless of the level of risk, but participants will have to undergo screening tests.
“Considering that there is evidence of a greater risk of contamination in festivities and gatherings, including weddings, baptisms and similar events, it is defined that they can take place at any risk level. However, with capacity limits, in accordance with the regulations. levels of risk, but also with mandatory testing to participate in this type of events,” said the regional secretary of Health.
“if they are PCR tests, they must be performed at most 72 hours in advance of the event”, if they are antigen tests, they must be performed 48 hours in advance and “self-tests can be performed at the time”.
The event organizer “will be responsible for identifying all those present and ensuring that the tests have been carried out”, so that, in the event of any type of contagion, it will be possible to identify the contacts.
He justified these measures with the inexistence of deaths by covid-19 in the Azores, claiming that the last recorded case was due to comorbidities, and to the reduction in the number of hospitalizations with this disease.
“In April 2020 we had 40 inpatients in one day, in January this year we had 28 inpatients. We have only four hospitalized currently with fewer hospitalizations and no deaths, it demonstrates that we are in a different time, our protection is being guaranteed by the ongoing vaccination process”.
From midnight on Saturday, on the island of São Miguel, the municipalities of Ribeira Grande and Lagoa will be at high risk, Ponta Delgada at medium high risk, Vila Franca do Campo at low risk and Nordeste and Povoação at very low risk.
Also the municipalities of the other islands of the Azores, where no community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is identified, will be at very low risk.
7th July 2021
45 new positive cases of covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores , one on the island of Santa Maria, two on the island of Pico, one on the island of Terceira and 41 on the island of São Miguel, following 1,723 tests carried out in the reference laboratories of the Region.
On the island of Pico, two cases were diagnosed in the parish of Bandeiras, municipality of Madalena, resulting from tests upon arrival to non-residents.
On the island of Santa Maria, there was a new case in Vila do Porto of a non-resident, who tested positive on the 6th day.
A new case was also registered on the island of Terceira, in the parish of Porto Judeu, municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, of a resident, with a positive result on the 6th day test.
On the island of São Miguel, all cases are related to community transmission. Thus, there were seven new cases in the municipality of Ribeira Grande (two in Ribeirinha and one in each of the parishes of Pico da Pedra, Rabo de Peixe, Matriz, Conceição and Santa Bárbara). There were 10 new cases in the municipality of Ponta Delgada (five in Arrifes, two in Covoada, two in São Sebastião and one in Sete Cidades). There were 24 new cases in the municipality of Lagoa (six in Água de Pau, eight in Rosário, nine in Santa Cruz and one in Ribeira Chã).
33 recoveries have been registered.
8th July 2021
36 new positive cases of covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, one on the island of Pico, three on the island of Terceira and 32 on the island of São Miguel, following 2,953 tests carried out in the reference laboratories of the Region and three in an independent laboratory.
On the island of Pico, a new case was diagnosed in Bandeiras, municipality of Madalena, leading to a new primary local transmission chain.
On the island of Terceira, three cases were registered, one in the municipality of Praia da Vitoria, parish of Santa Cruz, and two in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo (one in Sé and the other in Conceição). Of the total, one case remains to be assessed and two others are related to travellers, non-residents, one who tested positive on the 6th day and the other who was tested due to the appearance of symptoms. Since this new case now confirmed in the municipality of Praia da Vitória is a close contact to another positive case reported in previous press releases, a primary local transmission chain is now formed on the island of Terceira.
On the island of São Miguel, two cases concern travellers, residents, one who tested positive upon arrival and the other on the 6th day. All the other cases are the result of community transmission. Thus, in the municipality of Ribeira Grande there were six new cases (three in Ribeirinha, one in São Brás, one in Matriz and one in Conceição). In the municipality of Ponta Delgada, there were 15 new cases (three in Fajã de Baixo, three in São José, two in Arrifes, and one in each of the parishes of São Pedro, Santa Clara, Relva, Livramento, Fajã de Cima, São Sebastião and Remédios). There were 19 new cases in the municipality of Lagoa (11 in Água de Pau, four in Santa Cruz, three in Rosário and one in Cabouco). In the municipality of Nordeste, there was a new case in Vila de Nordeste.
41 recoveries were registered.
9th July 2021
51 new positive cases of covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, with 44 on the island of São Miguel, six on the island of Terceira and one on the island of Flores, following 2,487 tests carried out in the reference laboratories of the Region and five in an independent laboratory.
On the island of São Miguel, six new cases concern travellers, non-residents (four who tested positive on the 6th day and two who tested positive upon arrival). All other cases are related to community transmission. Thus, there were 20 new cases in the municipality of Lagoa (13 in Santa Cruz, four in Rosário, two in Água de Pau and one in Cabouco). In the municipality of Ponta Delgada, 12 new cases were registered (three in Fajã de Baixo, two in São José, two in Arrifes and one in each of the parishes of São Pedro, São Sebastião, Capelas, Remédios and Pilar da Bretanha). There were eight new cases in the municipality of Ribeira Grande (two in Pico da Pedra, two in Rabo de Peixe, two in Conceição, one in Matriz and one in Maia). In the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo there were four new cases (three in Água de Alto and one in São Miguel).
On the island of Terceira, three of the six new cases concern travellers (one resident and one non-resident who tested d positive on the 6th day and one resident who tested positive upon arrival). One of the positive cases now diagnosed on the island has led to a new primary local transmission chain in Praia da Vitoria and two others are related to a previously identified chain. Thus, three new cases were registered in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo (one in Sé, one in São Pedro and one in Santa Bárbara). There were three new cases in the municipality of Praia da Vitoria (two in Cabo da Praia and one in Lajes).
On the island of Flores, the new diagnosed case concerned an interisland traveller from São Miguel to Flores who tested d positive on the 6th day.
19 recoveries have been registered and six patients are hospitalised, five at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital in Ponta Delgada and one at the Santo Espírito Hospital of Terceira Island. None of these patients are in intensive care unit.
The archipelago currently has 338 active positive cases: 311 on the island of São Miguel, 15 on the island of Terceira, six on the island of Pico, two on the island of Faial, two on the island of São Jorge and two on the island of Flores. Five primary local transmission chains are active in the archipelago, one on the island of Faial, two on the island of Pico and two on the island of Terceira. To date, 204 have been extinguished on all islands. There were 2,032 people under active surveillance yesterday.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 6,631 positive cases of covid-19 have been diagnosed in the Azores and 6,118 people recovered from the disease. There were 34 deaths, 83 people who left the archipelago and 58 cases with history of previous cure. To date, 595,212 tests have been carried out for SARS-CoV-2, which causes covid-19 disease.
From 31st December 2020 to July 8th, 250,705 doses of covid-19 vaccines have been administered in the Azores, with 129.190 people who received the first dose (53.21 % of the population) and 121.515 people with complete vaccination (50.05 %), under the Regional Vaccination Plan.