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Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 11^th August 2021

Introduction

Good morning – Since last Wednesday we are beginning to see an improving situation concerning key data in respect of Covid-19 in Portugal. In particular the decrease in transmission rates below 1.0 and the reduction in incidence rates which are most welcoming indicators. From our weekly trend reports, however, although the figures are encouraging, the number of deaths still gives rise to concern.

As far as vaccinations are concerned, Portugal is moving forward quickly with 18 year olds and over entitled to use the self-scheduling system and casa aberta (open house); those aged 16 and 17^th years who have booked vaccinations for the 14^th and 15^th August and a decision now reached on the vaccination of 12-15 year olds. Some 13 million doses of vaccines have so far administered in just over 6 months,  7.33 million people (71% of the population), having been vaccinated, with more than 6.4 million having completed the immunization with the appropriate number of doses according to the brand injected (62%). A remarkable achievement by any standards. Many congratulations to the Vice Admiral and his team.

Yesterday Safe Communities discussed with the British Embassy the situation concerning those mainly without utente numbers who have been turned away from vaccination centres. We are aware however from the feedback on our Facebook page, that some people have been recently contacted by SMS some months after registering their names on the DGS website without a utente number, so some progress has been made. You may recall this was an issue we raised with the Vaccination Task Force about 2 months ago

In order to try and resolve the issue we have shared on our Facebook page a post from our friends at Brits in Portugal, that if you have been turned away from a vaccination centre just comment with the name of the vaccination centre and its location and it will be consolidated and forwarded to the Task Force.

As you will hopefully have seen, we have published bulletins regarding an expected considerable rise in air temperature, which started today with the main effects being felt from Friday to Saturday. From what we understand this could be the hottest period this year. Although by metrological standards this does not amount to a heatwave, which requires a continuous period of 6 days at 5C or above, what it does mean is that we will see on certain days very high temperatures in certain places. The IPMA have issued high temperature warnings for 7 districts so far, which we expect to be increased both in number and intensity. We will keep you informed of further warnings and updates.

During this period in particular there are two very important things to remember: the risk of rural fires and high temperatures. If you live in a high risk fire area, ensure you have a plan of action, in case of fire and an emergency kit. Thinking about these issues after a far starts is leaving it too late.

I would also advise that you think about your outdoor activities over the weekend. This may not be the best time for a nature walk or a long bike ride for example, but if you decide to do so, ensure that you follow the safety tips, particularly ensure adequate consumption of fluids and avoiding the hottest periods of the day. Remember it can be much hotter later in the afternoon, than mid-day.

We have spent considerable time and investment over the last few years in developing safety advice and information, which is available in our new website. As a Civil Protection Volunteer Organisation (the only one serving the international community in Portugal) we take our role seriously and our information and advice is from official sources.  Our website and services do not cost anything to use, but not doing so  could place you and your family at unnecessary risk in by not being aware of the measures to take in the event of rural fires and other catastrophes.

With that please have a good day.

 

DGS Covid -19

Confirmed Cases: 990.293 (+ 2232 / + 0.23 %)

Number of admitted: 829 (-28 /-3.27 %)

Number of ICU admitted: 186 (-3 /-1.59 %)

Deaths: 17.502 (+ 17 / + 0.10 %)

Recovered: 929.547 (+ 3705 / + 0.40 %)

Active cases: 43,244 (-1490 /-.3.3%)

Safe Communities comparisons/trends show that deaths were similar to Monday and above last week’s daily average; new daily cases were double that of yesterday, similar to last week’s daily average. In hospital there was a moderate decrease after a small increase on Monday and in ICU there was a small decrease after a small increase the previous day. As far as active cases were concerned there was a large reduction for one day due to a high number of recoveries.

Health

DGS Vaccination Report

More than 6.4 million Portuguese people already have complete vaccination against Covid-19, which corresponds to 62% of the Portuguese population, indicates the latest vaccination report from the DGS. The information also confirms what had already been advanced by the Government: 71% of the population has already received at least one dose, the equivalent of 7.33 million people.

Data from the DGS also reveal that more than a third of young people between 18 and 24 years old have received at least one dose of a vaccine against the coronavirus, and 19% of people in this age group are fully vaccinated.

The vaccination report indicates that, in the 65-79 and 80-and-over age groups, the percentage of people who have received at least one dose of vaccine is 99%. Complete vaccination is higher in the 65 to 79 (97%) than in the over 80 (96%).

Portugal has already received almost 14.4 million doses of anti-Covid vaccines, with 13.2 million doses being distributed.

The most advanced region in vaccination is the Centre, where 72% of people already have a dose and 65% have completed the vaccination schedule 

Covid-19: “Everything is ready” to vaccinate children before the school year, says Costa

The prime minister today congratulated the DGS for recommending universal vaccination for children between 12 and 15 years old, saying that “everything is in place” to guarantee the vaccination of this age group before the school year.

“I am delighted that science has confirmed that it is possible to fulfil our duty to guarantee universal protection for all children over 12 years old”, wrote António Costa in a message posted on his official Twitter account.

The prime minister thus reacted to the announcement, made today by the General Directorate of Health (DGS), which recommends universal vaccination of children and young people between 12 and 15 years of age, thus no longer limited to specific situations, such as cases in who have risky diseases.

“Everything is in place to guarantee the administration of two doses of vaccines until the beginning of the school year”, António Costa wrote today, similarly to what he had already announced on 21 July, during the debate on the state of the Nation.

“The vaccines were purchased, the logistics were ready and the calendar was defined: young people between 12 and 17 years old can have complete vaccination until September 19th”, he pointed out.

Vaccination 12-15 year olds provisional scheduling under consideration

Lisbon, 10 Aug 2021 (Lusa) – The ‘task force’ for vaccination against covid-19 is “planning” the process of administering vaccines to young people between 12 and 15 years old, so that families can organize them.

“Planning is being done for these age groups and as soon as it is defined (the calendar) it will be communicated, so that the parents of the young people can organize themselves”, said the same source.

On July 27, the coordinator of the task force, Vice Admiral Gouveia e Melo, stated that the vaccination of young people aged 16 and 17 would start on the weekend of August 14 and 15 and that vaccination of the age groups below should happen on the following weekends.

“On August 14th, we are going to start vaccinating teenagers aged 16 and 17 years. Between the ages of 12 and 15 it will be on the following two weekends, if the DGS agrees on the importance of vaccinating this segment of the population”, said Gouveia e Melo at the time.

Covid-19: Delta variant with a frequency of 98.9% in Portugal

The Delta variant of the coronavirus that causes covid-19 is the most prevalent in Portugal, with a relative frequency of 98.9% in the week ending August 1, according to the Ricardo Jorge Institute.

According to the latest situation report on the genetic diversity of the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus in Portugal, of the total Delta variant sequences analysed, 62 have the additional K417N mutation in the Spike protein (the so-called Delta Plus), which has maintained a relative frequency below 1% from the week of June 14th to 20th.

No case was detected in the week analysed between the 26th of July and the 1st of August (week 30), reports the National Institute of Health Doctor Ricardo Jorge (INSA).

The INSA report indicates that, to date, 13,807 sequences of the genome of the new coronavirus, obtained from samples collected in more than 100 laboratories, hospitals and institutions, representing 298 municipalities in Portugal, have been analysed.

The institute also states that an average of 588 sequences per week have been analysed since the beginning of June and that this sampling involved laboratories distributed throughout the 18 districts of mainland Portugal and the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira, covering an average of 118 councils per week.

Study concludes that the total eradication of the virus that generates covid-19 is “probably feasible

The study developed by experts from the University of Otago Wellington (New Zealand, and published in BMJ Global Health, includes comparative data on technical, socio-political and economic factors of covid-19, polio and smallpox infections

The global eradication of covid-19 is “probably feasible” thanks to vaccination, public health measures and a global interest in controlling the pandemic, according to a new study.

For the signatories of the study published in BMJ Global Health, health policies and the global interest resulting from the financial and social crises make eradication of the virus possible, but, according to specialists from the University of Otago Wellington (New Zealand), the main objectives are to ensure greater vaccination coverage, capable of responding quickly to variants.

“Although our analysis is preliminary, with several subjective elements, it seems to place the eradication of covid-19 within the realm of the possible, especially in terms of technical feasibility”, say the authors of the study, which includes comparative data from technical, socio-political factors and economics of covid-19, polio and smallpox infections.

The researchers used a three-point scoring system for each of 17 variables, including availability of a safe and effective vaccine, lifetime immunity, the impact of public health measures, and effective government management of infection control.

Political and public concern with economic and social repercussions or the acceptance of restrictive measures were also calculated.

Mean scores in the study totalled 2.7 for smallpox, 1.6 for covid-19, and 1.5 for polio.

Sports

Volta s Portugal loses two cyclists due to a covid-19 case

Emanuel Duarte is infected with the new coronavirus and David Livramento was also removed from the Volta a Portugal, for sharing a room with the infected cyclist, confirmed today to Lusa a source at Atum General-Tavira-Maria Nova Hotel.

Alejandro Marque thus loses two teammates to help him defend the yellow card, with the Tavirenses being reduced to five units, before the start of the fifth stage of the 82nd edition, which today links Águeda to the Sanctuary of Senhora da Assunção (Santo Tirso), totaling 171.3 kms.

The 39-year-old Galician leads the overall standings, five seconds ahead of Amaro Antunes (W52-FC Porto) and 25 over Frederico Figueiredo (Efapel).

Travel

Largest recruitment action: Ryanair to hire 300 people in Portugal

Ryanair will hire more than 300 pilots, cabin crew and information technology professionals in Portugal, the biggest recruitment action ever made in the country, the airline announced this Tuesday.

The decision follows on from the investment that the company will make at Lisbon airport, where it will allocate three more aircraft as of November as part of its 2021 winter schedule.

“We are pleased to announce this recruitment campaign for new jobs in Portugal, as Ryanair continues to invest in our Portuguese operations, not only in Lisbon, but also in the Porto, Faro and Ponta Delgada regions”, says the director of Ryanair staff, Darrell Hughes, in a statement. “Ryanair is a major employer and investor in Portugal and we are pleased to be able to offer pilots, crew and IT professionals exciting opportunities.”

Pilot and cabin crew job offers will be available at Ryanair bases in Lisbon, Porto, Faro and Ponta Delgada.

“Ryanair currently has an information technology HUB (Ryanair LABS Lisboa), which operates virtually, allowing its employees (qualified IT professionals) to work 100% from home. This virtual office will be expanded in the coming years, Ryanair invites applications for these exciting IT positions,” the statement explains.

The company also guarantees that it will continue, through its growing investments, to support the recovery of the Portuguese economy and the tourism industry.

Anyone interested in these job opportunities and in knowing all the details can find out on the page: https://careers.ryanair.com/

Portugal Situation Report Saturday 7^th August 2021

Introduction

Good morning – Firstly our SCP team would like to thank the government as for the first time we can recall in a year, there was no Council of Minister’s meeting last Thursday concerning Covid-19 and therefore no re-scheduling of dinner for us, through publishing charts, translations, preparing Facebook posts, answering your questions etc! Hopefully this is a sign things are improving.

On a more serious note, yesterday was a very busy day concerning rural fires, particularly in the Algarve, both in terms of providing prevention and self- protection advice as well as monitoring of fires, which we did as usual throughout the day, reporting on those. For the Algarve the fact that there were five fires in less than for hours in the afternoon came as no surprise given the extreme fire risk which we had outlined earlier in the day.

Each day at this time of the year there are upwards of around 40 fires sometimes reaching over one hundred. This is too many, but a vast reduction of over 300 per day during the worst of the 2017 fire period. The vast majority of rural fires take place in isolated areas and do not pose a threat to life or property, and the vast majority are extinguished quickly, normally within one hour due to the great work of the emergency services.

These fire are monitored by Civil Protection through their dashboard and through Fogos.pt which has an automatic link to the ANEPC dashboard downloading information but with more features. This is important as it ensures accuracy, and avoids human error.

Our role at Safe Communities, as it was when I spent over 30 years as a police officer, is to protect life and property. For that reason SCP trained for and became Portugal’s only Civil Protection Voluntary Organisation under Portuguese law in the area of communication in particular to the international community living and visiting here.

We attended numerous civil protection exercises, visited command posts during incidents, and entered into formal agreements with the ANEPC, as well as becoming part of the National Civil Protection plan, plus working closely with fire behavioural experts. As such in times of crisis we can call upon the relevant authorities for guidance, advice and information when required as in carrying out our statutory duties.

Although we monitor all rural fires we do not report each and every one, such as stating the number of operatives, vehicles and aircraft as that alone provides very little information concerning the fire situation, especially where exactly the fire is and which direction it is moving in for example. Our criterial for creating SITREPS (situation reports), is when the fires has exceed the initial attack stage; and or if it poses a threat to life or property; it becomes a major incident declared by the ANEPC or there multiple fires in a close area. In such cases we create a Facebook post, linked to a major incident page (in serious cases) on our website with as much relevant and accurate information available.

Regarding to the fire at Carvalhal, Loulé, which re-ignited 2 days after it was dominated, this shows the problem concerning fires which burn at high temperatures when the vegetation is very dry, there are high air temperatures, low humidity with high winds. If you have burned piled and cut debris, you will know the problems of ensuring the fire is fully extinguished – this is why in cases like this there is always deployment of fire fighters well after the conclusion stage, to monitor the situation  and to ensure a quick response to and re-ignitions that take place.

Turning to the weather. We frequently provide advice concerning the dangers of high temperatures and how to avoid exposure to the heat, as well as ways recommended by the DGS to keep safe in high temperatures. We are now seeing temperatures across several parts of the country, particularly in the Algarve, temperatures are well into the 30s.  For those working outdoors, such as builders, for example, or those undertaking leisure sports activities, in these temperatures there is a danger of heat exhaustion or heat stroke, if your body basically over heats. This can lead to heat exhaustion and even worse heat stroke which if left untreated can lead to death. We have advice on the symptoms and treatment which can be downloaded here.

https://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/find-information/environment-and-weather/sun-and-temperature-extremes/

I will be discussing these subjects on KissFm radio on Sunday at 0915 on Solid Gold Sunday.

 

Please take care and have a Safe Day

 

Covid 19

DGS Covid-19 Report
Confirmed Cases: 982.364 (+ 2377 / + 0.24 %)
Number of admitted: 866 (-32 /-3.56 %)
Number of ICU admitted: 194 (-2 /-1.02 %)
Deaths: 17.440 (+ 18 / + 0.10 %)
Recovered: 920.278 (+ 2911 / + 0.32 %)
Active cases: 44,646 (-552/-4.5%)

Safe Communities comparisons/trends show that deaths yesterday were nearly double that of Thursday and above last week’s daily average; new daily cases were slightly higher than Monday in line with last week’s daily average. In hospital it was the 4th day in a row of moderate decreases and in ICU there was a reduction for two consecutive days. In active cases there was a smaller decrease, with the total having have decreased by 17.6% in 12 days.

In Algarve new cases at 245 is more than yesterday’s figure of 230. Increase 10.3% of total similar to yesterday.

Health

Covid-19: Portugal with 12 million doses of vaccines administered expects an additional 1.2 million this month

Portugal has already administered more than 12 million doses of vaccines against covid-19 and expects to receive 1.2 million additional doses this month, in addition to 1.6 million doses contracted with suppliers.

“Mainland Portugal surpassed the mark of 12 million doses of vaccines against covid-19 administered to the population, which allowed to vaccinate more than 6.8 million people, with at least one dose, of which more than 6.1 million have the complete vaccination schedule”, says the Ministry of Health in a statement released today.

In the same note, the Ministry of Health also states that the country hopes to receive over 1.2 million doses of vaccines this month.

“It should be noted that more than 1.2 million additional vaccines are expected to be delivered during the month of August, which will be added to the 1.6 million doses of vaccines already expected and resulting from initial contracts with companies that supply vaccines”, advances the document.

The Ministry of Health highlights the “commitment of all those involved in the process” of vaccination, such as health professionals, security forces and the armed forces, among others, to have reached “a milestone” of 12 million doses administered, as well as efforts to purchase additional vaccines.

Covid-19: Reinforcement of more than half a million vaccines arrives in Portugal in the coming weeks

Evora, 06 Aug 2021 (Lusa) – Portugal will receive a booster of more than half a million vaccines against covid-19 in the next two weeks, in an “effort” to give the virus “the last blow”, said the coordinator of the ‘task force’ of vaccination today.

“We are going to receive a booster, in addition to what is planned, of 286,000 [vaccines], on Monday, then on another Monday, another 300,000, and then still another booster”, which did not he needed the quantities, he indicated.

The task force coordinator, Vice Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo, who was speaking to journalists at the end of a visit to the Covid-19 Vaccination Center in Évora, said that Janssen and Pfizer vaccines have “already arrived”, which allowed again to “accelerate the process”.

“The reinforcement [of vaccines] at Moderna is also being negotiated”, he pointed out, stressing that this “effort” is aimed at “giving a final blow” to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the covid-19 disease.

Stressing that the country is “close to reaching” 70% of the vaccinated population, Gouveia e Melo considered that this number “is no longer a goal” and established that the goal now is to have, by September, “all the eligible population” for the vaccine “with the first dose”.

In this sense, he added, the country will once again “have an average of more than 100,000” doses of vaccine administered per day, as early as next week.

“We want to vaccinate 800,000 people, of which more than half a million are first doses and, in these coming weeks, we want to give a high amount of first doses and then have the second doses for September”, he stressed.

Asked about people missing appointments at vaccination centers due to vacations, the coordinator of the ‘task force’ said he had already noticed that “in some centers” of vaccination there are people with appointments “who do not show up”.

“But later, when we go to study” the case, it is observed that “there were scheduling errors, because we put these people on schedule but there was no confirmation from the person whether they wanted or not” the vaccine, he stressed.

 

Covid-19: DGS prepares guidance on vaccines not approved by the European Agency

Lisbon, 05 Aug 2021 (Lusa) – The Directorate-General for Health (DGS) is preparing guidelines on vaccines against covid-19 Covishield (AstraZeneca) and Chinese Sinovac, not approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), that will be released soon.

Asked by Lusa about whether the DGS will recognize these two vaccines for the purposes of quarantine exemption for travellers arriving, for example, from Brazil, the entity said only that it is “preparing guidelines on these matters, which will be published in due course” .

SIC reported on Tuesday that Portugal will recognize the Indian-made AstraZeneca vaccine and the Chinese Sinovac vaccine, which are neither approved by the EMA nor administered in national territory, saying that “Infarmed’s decision will be applied by the General Directorate’s rule of health”.

In response to Lusa, Infarmed said that “it provided the necessary information to the Directorate-General of Health at the right time” and sent any clarification to the DGS.

“Portugal continues to receive and purchase vaccines within the scope of supplies under the contracts signed by the European Commission, namely with AstraZeneca, Janssen, Moderna and BioNTech/Pfizer”, adds the National Medicines Authority.

 

DGS issues Guidelines for outdoor events

Lisbon, 06 Aug 2021 (Lusa) – Outdoor shows, even free ones, must have admission tickets, controlled entrances and the public must be distributed by marked places, indicates an updated guideline by the General Directorate of Health (DGS) .

In the document, the DGS emphasizes that, “at this stage, shows with audiences not distributed by marked places are not allowed”, insisting that the places in the outdoor show venue must be previously identified (chairs or marking on the floor), “giving preference to seating positions”.

Stressing the importance of always complying with a distance of 1.2 meters between non-cohabiting spectators, “given that spectators do not move, they are outdoors and are obligatorily wearing a face mask at all times”.

DGS also says that in outdoor shows “the period of entry and exit of the public must be extended so that the entrance of spectators can be delayed, complying, in access, with the rules of minimum physical distance of 1.5 meters between people non-cohabitants”.

In shows with a stage, the first two rows next to the stage must not be occupied or, alternatively, a distance of at least two meters must be guaranteed between the stage and the first row of spectators to occupy, indicates.

The guideline also defines that events with audiences held outside fixed spaces or establishments of an artistic nature, “should be preceded by a risk assessment by the territorially competent health authority”, in conjunction with the event organizer, listening to the local security forces, to determine if there is feasibility and conditions for realization.

Portugal analysing with Brazil easing of travel restrictions

On Wednesday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva, revealed that Portugal is analyzing with Brazil the possibility of easing restrictions on the entry of passengers from the South American country due to the covid-19 pandemic.

“We started working together with the Brazilian authorities (…) to see under what conditions and when we can ease some of the restrictions that currently apply to passengers arriving in Portugal from Brazil,” said Augusto Santos Silva.

Currently, passengers from Brazil can only travel to Portugal for family, professional, study or humanitarian reasons, they have to present a negative test to covid-19 and they have to comply with a period of quarantine.

Augusto Santos Silva said that Portugal can “evaluate the restrictions that are currently in place” as the situation of the pandemic evolves positively in each of the countries.

“It was this work that began on July 30th, between Portugal and Brazil, and will continue after the holidays,” said the minister, when asked about the difference in criteria between Portugal and Spain regarding the recognition of vaccine certification against covid-19.