Situation Report Azores – 31st March 2021 – From our colleague in the Azores .
Covid-19
The Regional Health Authority has said that in the last four days the number of new positive cases of Covid-19 resulting from 5,493 tests is 45. These tests were carried out in reference laboratories in the Region, in private laboratories with conventions, in the Regional Health Service, through rapid tests (mass screening), in the laboratory 
of Terceira University and by means of tests carried out in the scope of occupational medicine.
São Miguel registered all the cases with 45.
There have been some recoveries in the last few days, 38 in total. 38 on the island of São Miguel.
Most of the cases are on the island of São Miguel now, with just one on the island of Terceira.
There are 13 patients with Covid-19 in the region’s hospitals with five in the ICU. Most of the patients are testing positive for the new ‘British’ variant.
There are currently 129 active positive cases in the Region. 128 on São Miguel and one on Terceira.
Sadly, last Friday, a man of 55 with previous health complications died soon after testing positive for Covid-19.
Since the start of the pandemic, 4,171 positive cases of Covid-19 have been diagnosed, 30 have died, 67 have left the archipelago and 41 have shown evidence of previous cure.
To date, 389,334 tests have been carried out in the Azores for screening of Covid-19. Since December 31st and until March 30th, 43,812 people aged 15 years and over have been vaccinated in the Archipelago (28,376 with the first dose and 15,436 with the second dose), within the scope of the 1st phase of the Regional Vaccination Plan. More information at: https://vacinacao-covid19.azores.gov.pt.
Pandemic prevention and containment measures should be maintained and strengthened, whenever possible, by citizens and public, private and social sector organizations.
It is reiterated the need to comply with all recommendations already made public in this regard, especially that, in case of symptoms, do not seek a Hospital or Health Unit, but call the Azores Health Line – 808 24 60 24.
For more information, visit the website created by the Government of the Azores on pandemic control in the Region, at https://destinoseguro.azores.gov.pt/ or the Facebook page of the Regional Health Directorate, at https: // www.facebook.com/DirecaoSaudeAcores/ .
The Government of the Azores also makes available the Azores Non-Medical Clarification Line COVID-19, with the number 800 29 29 29, which can be used between 8:30 am and 6:30 pm, on working days, and the RIAC Line 800 500 501, which works from Monday to Saturday, from 9 am to 10:30 pm, and on Sundays, from 10 am to 10:30 pm.
It is also available via the email address esclarecimentocovid19@azores.gov.pt for clarification on measures taken in the region to cope with the new coronavirus pandemic.
Situation Report Azores – 27th March 2021 – From our colleague in the Azores.
The Regional Government of the Azores decided to apply, as of 00:00 today, Friday, high risk measures in two parishes in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, namely São Pedro and São Sebastião
Thus, according to the Regional Health Authority, the new measures for these two parishes are as follows:
Prohibition of pedestrian, car, motorized or similar circulation on public roads between 8:00 pm and 5:00 am the next day on weekdays and between 3:00 pm and 5:00 am the day after the weekend.
Closing of all commercial activity at 8:00 pm during the week and at 3:00 pm at the weekend, with the exception of critical services.
Teleworking regime in the activities and functions where it is feasible, for professionals who suffer from any pathology that constitutes risk comorbidity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, certified by reasoned assessment by occupational medicine or, failing that, by statement by an attending physician that expresses, justified and clearly, the need for the teleworking regime to be applied to the worker, as well as to one of the parents of children up to 12 years of age who are in distance learning or day care, kindergartens and ATL closed, as long as required.
In case teleworking is not possible, the time difference is recommended.
Closure of all restaurants, beverages and similar establishments at 3 pm, with the limitation that, during the period of operation, the maximum capacity per table is four people, unless they belong to the same household, respecting a maximum capacity of one third capacity of the establishment concerned.
From 3 pm and until 10 pm, food, beverage and similar establishments can only operate with home delivery and take-away service, with the exception of the provision of meals to guests of hotel or similar establishments by the respective restaurant services.
Nursery and ATL closures are maintained.
Closure of gymnasiums and covered swimming pools, and sports in these spaces are prohibited.
Closure of casinos and gambling establishments.
Funerals, which can only take place until 8:00 pm on weekdays and until 3:00 pm at the weekend, are subject to the adoption of organizational measures that guarantee the absence of clusters of people and the rules of social distance, namely the setting of a maximum attendance limit, to be determined by the local authority that exercises the management powers of the respective cemetery, and this limit cannot result in the presence of a spouse or de facto partner, ascendants, descendants, relatives and the like.
The municipalities of Ribeira Grande, Vila Franca do Campo and the rest of Ponta Delgada will rise in the risk level due to the pandemic, starting at 00:00 on Saturday. Lagoa and Povoação will drop their risk level and the Northeast will maintain the Very Low Risk level. All of the other islands are currently maintaining at Very Low Risk Level.
Covid-19.
The Regional Health Authority has said that in the last three days the number of new positive cases of Covid-19 resulting from 5,826 tests is 25. These tests were carried out in reference laboratories in the Region, in private laboratories with conventions, in the Regional Health Service, through rapid tests (mass screening), in the laboratory of Terceira University and by means of tests carried out in the scope of occupational medicine.
São Miguel registered all the cases with 25.
There have been some recoveries in the last few days, 30 in total. 30 on the island of São Miguel.
Most of the cases are on the island of São Miguel now, with just one on the island of Terceira.
There are 12 patients with Covid-19 in the region’s hospitals with one in the ICU.
There are currently 123 active positive cases in the Region. 122 on São Miguel and one on Terceira
Since the start of the pandemic, 4,049 positive chaos in Covid-19 have been diagnosed, 29 have died, 67 have left the archipelago and 41 have shown evidence of previous cure.
To date, 383,841 tests have been carried out in the Azores for Covid-19 screening. Since last December 31st and until yesterday, March 25th, 42,533 people aged 15 and over have been vaccinated in the archipelago (27,463 with the first dose – 13.56% of the population, and 15,070 with the second dose – 7.44% of the population), within the scope of the first phase of the Regional Vaccination Plan.
Pandemic prevention and containment measures should be maintained and strengthened, whenever possible, by citizens and public, private and social sector organizations.
It is reiterated the need to comply with all recommendations already made public in this regard, especially that, in case of symptoms, do not seek a Hospital or Health Unit, but call the Azores Health Line – 808 24 60 24.
For more information, visit the website created by the Government of the Azores on pandemic control in the Region, at https://destinoseguro.azores.gov.pt/ or the Facebook page of the Regional Health Directorate, at https: // www.facebook.com/DirecaoSaudeAcores/ .
The Government of the Azores also makes available the Azores Non-Medical Clarification Line COVID-19, with the number 800 29 29 29, which can be used between 8:30 am and 6:30 pm, on working days, and the RIAC Line 800 500 501, which works from Monday to Saturday, from 9 am to 10:30 pm, and on Sundays, from 10 am to 10:30 pm.
It is also via available the email address esclarecimentocovid19@azores.gov.pt for clarification on measures taken in the region to cope with the new coronavirus pandemic.
Situation Report Azores – 24th March 2021 – From our colleague in the Azores.
Vaccination progress
The Government of the Azores announced that since the beginning of the vaccination process against Covid-19 in the region, 37,687 people have been inoculated, of which about 13,000 have received both doses of the vaccine.
From December 31st, last year, and March 21st, this year, 37,687 people were vaccinated in the Azores against Covid-19; 24,591 with the first dose and 13,096 with both inoculations.
According to a report, the archipelago has a coverage rate of 12.14% with the first dose and 6.46% with the second dose of the vaccine compared to the vaccinable population.
The island of São Miguel is the one with the lowest coverage rate in relation to the number of inhabitants, with 10.23% of people having a dose of the vaccine and 4.94% with the second dose.
Corvo Island, the smallest in the archipelago, has a coverage rate with the second dose of the vaccine of 87.7%, due to the decision of the Regional Government to vaccinate the entire population of that island of the Western group, which has 369 people over 15 years.
Regarding the percentage of the population with the second dose of the vaccine, after Corvo, the islands of Santa Maria (16.34%), Graciosa (11.23%), Pico (10.38%), Flores (9.42%), São Jorge (8.96%), Faial (6.62%) and Terceira (6.40%).
This is the first detailed report on the regional vaccination process in the Azores to be released.
Covid-19
The Regional Health Authority has said that in the last four days the number of new positive cases of Covid-19 resulting from 5,846 tests is 42. These tests were carried out in reference laboratories in the Region, in private laboratories with conventions, in the Regional Health Service, through rapid tests (mass screening), in the laboratory of Terceira University and by means of tests carried out in the scope of occupational medicine.
São Miguel registered all the cases with 42.
There have been some recoveries in the last few days, 14 in total. 12 on the island of São Miguel, 1 on Terceira and 1 on Pico.
All the cases are on the island of São Miguel now.
There are 8 patients with Covid-19 in the region’s hospitals.
There are currently 121 active positive cases in the Region. 121 on São Miguel.
Since the start of the pandemic, 4,049 positive chaos in Covid-19 have been diagnosed, 29 have died, 67 have left the archipelago and 41 have shown evidence of previous cure.
Pandemic prevention and containment measures should be maintained and strengthened, whenever possible, by citizens and public, private and social sector organizations.
It is reiterated the need to comply with all recommendations already made public in this regard, especially that, in case of symptoms, do not seek a Hospital or Health Unit, but call the Azores Health Line – 808 24 60 24.
For more information, visit the website created by the Government of the Azores on pandemic control in the Region, at https://destinoseguro.azores.gov.pt/ or the Facebook page of the Regional Health Directorate, at https: // www.facebook.com/DirecaoSaudeAcores/ .
The Government of the Azores also makes available the Azores Non-Medical Clarification Line COVID-19, with the number 800 29 29 29, which can be used between 8:30 am and 6:30 pm, on working days, and the RIAC Line 800 500 501, which works from Monday to Saturday, from 9 am to 10:30 pm, and on Sundays, from 10 am to 10:30 pm.
It is also available via the email address esclarecimentocovid19@azores.gov.pt for clarification on measures taken in the region to cope with the new coronavirus pandemic.
Situation Report Azores – 20th March 2021 – From our colleague in the Azores.
Lagoa goes Red .
The municipality of Lagoa on the island of São Miguel, will go to the level of High Risk, starting at 00:01 on Saturday, and as such, measures related to this level will be implemented, namely the curfew, said, Gustavo Tato 
Borges, president of the Monitoring Commission of Fight Against Pandemic in the Azores, at a press conference.
There are currently only 22 cases of Covid-19 in the municipality but the population is small also (14.5K) this is the reason for the jump up to High-Risk.
The new rules are: Prohibition of circulation on public roads between 8:00 pm and 5:00 am of the following day on weekdays and, between 3:00 pm and 5:00 am of the day following the weekend, without prejudice to the exceptions that are regulated in Regional Regulatory Decree no. 1 -E / 2021 / A
Implementation of the distance learning regime in all educational establishments.
Closure of day-care centres and ATL’s
Teleworking regime in the activities and functions in which it is feasible, for professionals who suffer from any pathology that constitutes risk comorbidity to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as for one of the parents of children up to 12 years of age who whether they are in distance learning or in kindergartens, kindergartens and closed ATLs, as long as they require it.
In case teleworking is not possible, the time difference is recommended.
Closure of all restaurants, beverages and similar establishments at 3 pm, with the limitation that, during the period of operation, the maximum capacity per table is four people, unless they belong to the same household, respecting a maximum capacity of 1 / 3 of the capacity of the establishment concerned.
From 3 pm until 10 pm, catering establishments, drinks and the like can only work with home delivery and take-away service, with the exception of the provision of meals to hotel and similar establishments by the respective catering services.
Closing of all commercial activity at 8:00 pm during the week and at 3:00 pm at the weekend, with the exception of pharmacies, medical clinics and offices, fuel filling stations with sale to the wicket, convenience stores selling essential goods integrated into service stations. of fuels.
Closure of gymnasiums and covered swimming pools, and sports in these spaces are prohibited.
Funerals can only take place until 8:00 pm on weekdays and until 3:00 pm at the weekend and are subject to the adoption of organizational measures that guarantee the absence of clusters of people and the rules of social distance, namely the setting maximum attendance limit, to be determined by the local authority.
Angler Drowns.
A 21-year-old angler died last Thursday 18th March. He drowned in a rocky area near the village of Capelas, in Ponta Delgada, after he entered the water to try to recover fishing material.
A vessel from the Ponta Delgada Lifeboat Station was activated immediately and sent to the scene and, in conjunction with the Voluntary Firefighters of Ribeira Grande, recovered the body.
Accident at the Port.
A 76-year-old man died this Friday after the car he was driving fell into the water at the commercial pier in the Port of Ponta Delgada, São Miguel.
The captain of Port and Commander of the Maritime Police of Ponta Delgada, Fernando Horta, said that the alert was given to the Maritime Search and Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) at about 7:40 am, reporting that “A vehicle had fallen into the water”.
The Captaincy and the Maritime Police and the diving unit of the Ponta Delgada Volunteer Fire Department were immediately activated. A 76-year-old man, the only occupant of the vehicle, was rescued by a diver from a company that was carrying out works in the port.
The man was rescued and resuscitation procedures were carried out on the spot, he was later transported to the Ponta Delgada Hospital, where sadly he died.
The causes of the accident “are still to be determined” and, according to the captain of the Port of Ponta Delgada, an “investigation by the Maritime Police” is already underway.
As for the vehicle, it was removed from the seabed at about 11 am.
Vaccination Road Map .
The Regional Health Authority has produced a document explaining in detail how the vaccination process will work in the region and inviting the population to make sure that they are fully registered with the health service:
https://vacinacao-covid19.azores.gov.pt/index.php
| Vacinação COVID-19 Plano Regional de Vacinação contra a COVID-19 da Região Autónoma dos Açores. Circular Normativa nº 49B, de 15 de fevereiro de 2021. Anexo – Circular Normativa nº 49B, de 15 de fevereiro de 2021 vacinacao-covid19.azores.gov.pt |
Covid-19.
The Regional Health Authority has said that in the last Three days the number of new positive cases of Covid-19 resulting from 5,438 tests is 30. These tests were carried out in reference laboratories in the Region, in private laboratories with conventions, in the Regional Health Service, through rapid tests (mass screening), in the laboratory of Terceira University and by means of tests carried out in the scope of occupational medicine.
São Miguel registered all the cases with 30.
There have been some recoveries in the last few days, 14 in total. 12 on the island of São Miguel, 1 on Terceira and 1 on Pico.
All the cases are on the island of São Miguel now.
There are 8 patients with Covid-19 in the region’s hospitals.
There are currently 121 active positive cases in the Region. 121 on São Miguel.
Since the start of the pandemic, 4,049 positive chaos in Covid-19 have been diagnosed, 29 have died, 67 have left the archipelago and 41 have shown evidence of previous cure.
Pandemic prevention and containment measures should be maintained and strengthened, whenever possible, by citizens and public, private and social sector organizations.
It is reiterated the need to comply with all recommendations already made public in this regard, especially that, in case of symptoms, do not seek a Hospital or Health Unit, but call the Azores Health Line – 808 24 60 24.
For more information, visit the website created by the Government of the Azores on pandemic control in the Region, at https://destinoseguro.azores.gov.pt/ or the Facebook page of the Regional Health Directorate, at https: // www.facebook.com/DirecaoSaudeAcores/ .
The Government of the Azores also makes available the Azores Non-Medical Clarification Line COVID-19, with the number 800 29 29 29, which can be used between 8:30 am and 6:30 pm, on working days, and the RIAC Line 800 500 501, which works from Monday to Saturday, from 9 am to 10:30 pm, and on Sundays, from 10 am to 10:30 pm.
It is also available via the email address esclarecimentocovid19@azores.gov.pt for clarification on measures taken in the region to cope with the new coronavirus pandemic.
Situation Report Azores – 17th March 2021 – From our colleague in the Azores
Vaccination
One year after the first case of Covid-19, the Azores wants to speed up the vaccination process.
Last Monday, marked the ‘one year’ anniversary of the first case of Covid-19 in the archipelago. The Regional Government plans to resort to the United States to accelerate the vaccination process in the region.
The Regional Secretary of Health, Clélio Meneses has said “What we intend to do is to achieve the greatest number of vaccines for the Azoreans so that the situation can be stabilized in the shortest possible time,”
The minister said that the President of the Government of the Azores, José Manuel Bolieiro, asked last week the commissioner of Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, for a “direct intervention” with the European Commission in the provision of vaccines in number that allow immunization of the Azoreans.
In the Azores, about 10,800 people have already taken the two doses of the vaccine and 18,600 the first, with the expectation that “by the end of April, and with the arrival of more vaccines, if what is planned is accomplished, it will complete the first phase of vaccinations.
The first case of Covid-19 in the Azores arrived on March 15th, 2020, and was a 29-year-old woman, resident on Terceira island, with a history of passing through Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, and Felgueiras, in the district of Porto.
AstraZeneca
The Regional Health Directorate has made a statement about the AstraZeneca vaccine, “considering the joint determination of Infarmed, General Directorate of Health and Task Force for vaccination against Covid-19 of the temporary suspension of administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Portugal, this determination was also made assumed by DRS for the vaccination process underway in the Autonomous Region of the Azores”.
This suspension is due to the “precautionary principle in public health”, while the safety of this vaccine is reassessed by the European Medicines Agency.
DRS ensures that “so far, no complications have been reported after the administration of this vaccine in the Azores”.
The Regional Health Directorate calls for calm from those who have already been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine and clarifies that “those who have already been administered the first dose of this vaccine will only have to take the second dose in about three months, so, until further information, the vaccination process of these people cannot yet be called into question”. The region still has about 4,000 doses of this vaccine.
“We will align with what the guidelines are and what was determined by DGS, ‘Infarmed’ and the temporary suspension task force, until the safety assessment of AstraZeneca’s vaccines is made,” he said.
The regional director of Health explained that, of the 8,500 doses of this vaccine that arrived in the archipelago on March 3rd, there are still about 4,000 doses to be administered.
“It is not about wasted doses, because, basically, it is not a withdrawal of these vaccines from the circuit, it is a suspension for re-evaluation”, adding that they “have a very long shelf life”.
Berto Cabral clarified that the approximately 4,000 doses that await the opinion of the European Medicines Agency were intended for “private health professionals, the security forces” and “patients between 50 and 65 years old” with “heart failure, coronary disease and respiratory failure”.
Covid-19
The Regional Health Authority has said that in the last four days the number of new positive cases of Covid-19 resulting from 5,433 tests is 50. These tests were carried out in reference laboratories in the Region, in private laboratories with conventions, in the Regional Health Service, through rapid tests (mass screening), in the laboratory of Terceira University and by means of tests carried out in the scope of occupational medicine. To date, 366,731 tests have been carried out.
São Miguel registered most of the cases with 49. Terceira had 1 case.
There have been some recoveries in the last few days, 13 in total. 10 on the island of São Miguel, 1 on Terceira and 2 on Pico.
There are 4 patients with Covid-19 in the region’s hospitals.
There are currently 105 active positive cases in the Region. 103 on São Miguel, 1 on Pico and 1 on Terceira.
Since the start of the pandemic, 4,019 positive chaos in Covid-19 have been diagnosed, 29 have died, 67 have left the archipelago and 41 have shown evidence of previous cure.
Pandemic prevention and containment measures should be maintained and strengthened, whenever possible, by citizens and public, private and social sector organizations.
It is reiterated the need to comply with all recommendations already made public in this regard, especially that, in case of symptoms, do not seek a Hospital or Health Unit, but call the Azores Health Line – 808 24 60 24.
For more information, visit the website created by the Government of the Azores on pandemic control in the Region, at https://destinoseguro.azores.gov.pt/ or the Facebook page of the Regional Health Directorate, at https: // www.facebook.com/DirecaoSaudeAcores/ .
The Government of the Azores also makes available the Azores Non-Medical Clarification Line COVID-19, with the number 800 29 29 29, which can be used between 8:30 am and 6:30 pm, on working days, and the RIAC Line 800 500 501, which works from Monday to Saturday, from 9 am to 10:30 pm, and on Sundays, from 10 am to 10:30 pm.
It is also available via the email address esclarecimentocovid19@azores.gov.pt for clarification on measures taken in the region to cope with the new coronavirus pandemic.
Azores
Situation Report Azores – 13th March 2021 – From our colleague in the Azores.
Corvo
Corvo is the first territory of Europe to have the entire population vaccinated with both doses.
This week, the update of the measures to contain the pandemic was announced from the island of Corvo, the smallest of the Azores islands, where the second dose of the vaccine against Covid-19 is administered to the entire population over 16 years. The island has limited health care provision and no hospital beds.
English Variant
Most of the new cases of Covid-19 infection detected last Thursday in the Azores belong to a transmission chain in which the English strain was detected, said the chairman of the Commission for Monitoring the Fight against Pandemic.
After a day without registering new cases, the Azores detected 34 new positive cases of infection by the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 disease, all on the island of São Miguel, 26 of which in the municipality of Ribeira Grande and, of these, 25 in the village of Rabo de Peixe, 27 were of the English strain.
Covid-19
The Regional Health Authority has said that in the last three days the number of new positive cases of Covid-19 resulting from 3,507 tests is 38. These tests were carried out in reference laboratories in the Region, in private laboratories with conventions, in the Regional Health Service, through rapid tests (mass screening), in the laboratory of Terceira University and by means of tests carried out in the scope of occupational medicine. To date, 361,299 tests have been carried out.
São Miguel registered all of the cases with 38.
There have been some recoveries in the last few days, 45 in total. 40 on the island of São Miguel and 5 on Pico.
There are 2 patients with Covid-19 in the region’s hospitals.
There are currently 69 active positive cases in the Region. 64 on São Miguel, 3 on Pico and 2 on Terceira.
Since the start of the pandemic, 3,969 positive chaos in Covid-19 have been diagnosed, 29 have died, 67 have left the archipelago and 40 have shown evidence of previous cure.
Pandemic prevention and containment measures should be maintained and strengthened, whenever possible, by citizens and public, private and social sector organizations.
It is reiterated the need to comply with all recommendations already made public in this regard, especially that, in case of symptoms, do not seek a Hospital or Health Unit, but call the Azores Health Line – 808 24 60 24.
For more information, visit the website created by the Government of the Azores on pandemic control in the Region, at https://destinoseguro.azores.gov.pt/ or the Facebook page of the Regional Health Directorate, at https: // www.facebook.com/DirecaoSaudeAcores/ .
The Government of the Azores also makes available the Azores Non-Medical Clarification Line COVID-19, with the number 800 29 29 29, which can be used between 8:30 am and 6:30 pm, on working days, and the RIAC Line 800 500 501, which works from Monday to Saturday, from 9 am to 10:30 pm, and on Sundays, from 10 am to 10:30 pm.
It is also available viathe email address esclarecimentocovid19@azores.gov.pt for clarification on measures taken in the region to cope with the pandemic.
Situation Report Azores – 10th March 2021 – From our colleague in the Azores
Arrested Foreigners
On the island of Faial, the PSP detained 3 foreign citizens for disobedience and non-compliance with health standards related to fighting the pandemic. The arrests took place on Friday the 5th of March at a bar in the Porto Pim area. The owner of the bar accused the Horta PSP of excessive use of force but the police said that they acted on numerous complaints from nearby neighbours.
New Private Hospital
The first private hospital in the Azores was inaugurated, last Monday, in the municipality of Lagoa, an investment of 40 million euros that will help prevent travel to the continent of patients from the Regional Health Service.
At the inauguration ceremony, the chairman of the board of directors of the ‘Hospital Internacional dos Açores’, Luís Farinha, said that the new unit features more than 40 specialties, some of which do not exist in the Azores, and 
intends to offer its customers “excellent health care”, with 50 consultation rooms, 96 beds and five operating theatres.
There are only three hospitals in the Azores, all assigned to the Regional Health Service, one of which is in Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel, another in Angra do Heroísmo, on the island of Terceira, and the other on Horta, on the island of Faial.
Luís Farinha said that, due to the specialties he has, some of which do not exist in the Azores, it will be possible to avoid travel to the continent by users of the Regional Health Service and to combat waiting lists in the public system.
This is the case, among other specialties, of cardiac surgery, ophthalmology (vitrectomy), urology and cosmetic surgery.
The Mayor of Lagoa, Cristina Calisto, said that this is a “historic day” for the city, since it is the largest private investment made in the municipality and that, along with other ongoing investments, will generate more economic gains.
The private hospital unit will create 300 jobs and will be equipped with a 3 Tesla magnetic resonance device, a 128-section TAC, five operating theatres, one of which is hybrid and will allow for cardiac, endovascular and surgical procedures to be combined in the same space and in the same patient, as well as a maternity, intensive care and permanent care.
Isabel Cássio is the clinical director of the Hospital.
The International Hospital of the Azores was inaugurated three years after the laying of the first stone, in a ceremony that was also attended by the president of the Regional Government, José Manuel Bolieiro.
That hospital unit is not yet fully operational, the administration envisages the phased opening of services until it is fully operational.
Covid-19
The Regional Health Authority has said that in the last four days the number of new positive cases of Covid-19 resulting from 4,664 tests is 22. These tests were carried out in reference laboratories in the Region, in private laboratories with conventions, in the Regional Health Service, through rapid tests (mass screening), in the laboratory of Terceira University and by means of tests carried out in the scope of occupational medicine. To date, 357,792 tests have been carried out.
São Miguel registered the most cases with 20. Pico had 1 as did Terceira.
There have been some recoveries in the last few days, 21 in total. 18 on the island of São Miguel, 2 on Pico and 1 on Terceira.
There are no patients with Covid-19 in the region’s hospitals.
There are currently 76 active positive cases in the Region. 66 on São Miguel, 8 on Pico and 2 on Terceira.
Since the start of the pandemic, 3,931 positive chaos in Covid-19 have been diagnosed, 3,719 people have recovered from the disease, 29 have died, 67 have left the archipelago and 40 have shown evidence of previous cure.
Pandemic prevention and containment measures should be maintained and strengthened, whenever possible, by citizens and public, private and social sector organizations.
It is reiterated the need to comply with all recommendations already made public in this regard, especially that, in case of symptoms, do not seek a Hospital or Health Unit, but call the Azores Health Line – 808 24 60 24.
For more information, visit the website created by the Government of the Azores on pandemic control in the Region, at https://destinoseguro.azores.gov.pt/ or the Facebook page of the Regional Health Directorate, at https: // www.facebook.com/DirecaoSaudeAcores/ .
The Government of the Azores also makes available the Azores Non-Medical Clarification Line COVID-19, with the number 800 29 29 29, which can be used between 8:30 am and 6:30 pm, on working days, and the RIAC Line 800 500 501, which works from Monday to Saturday, from 9 am to 10:30 pm, and on Sundays, from 10 am to 10:30 pm.
It is also available via the email address esclarecimentocovid19@azores.gov.pt for clarification on measures taken in the region to cope with the new coronavirus pandemic.
Situation Report Azores – Saturday 6th March 2021 – From our colleague in the Azores
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
The visit of the head of State, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, to Madeira, this Friday, was postponed due to the forecast wind conditions, and his trip to the Azores was also postponed. The wind conditions forecast for Madeira, forced the postponement of the trip to Madeira and the trip to the Azores. The visit will be re-scheduled.
The President of the Republic was going to travel to the autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores to meet with representatives of the Republic, presidents of governments and regional parliaments.
According to the agenda released on Thursday, the head of state would first go to Madeira, arriving in Funchal close to lunchtime, going in the afternoon to Ponta Delgada, in the Azores, where he would stay until night.
The Constitution says that the President of the Republic appoints a representative of the Republic for each of the autonomous regions, whose mandate has the same duration as the presidential term – ending, therefore, on Tuesday, March 9th.
Re-elected on the January 24th at the presidential elections with 60.67% of the votes cast, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa will take office for a second five-year term on Tuesday morning, in the Assembly of the Republic.
According to the program released today, the President of the Republic would have lunch in Madeira with the president of the Regional Government, Miguel Albuquerque, at Quinta Vigia, the seat of the presidency of the Madeiran executive, in Funchal.
Then, a meeting with the representative of the Republic for the Autonomous Region of Madeira, Ireneu Cabral Barreto, in his official residence, the São Lourenço Palace, with the president of the Regional Legislative Assembly, José Manuel Rodrigues, and the president of the Regional Government. .
During the afternoon he would proceed to Ponta Delgada, meeting on arrival with the representative of the Republic for the Autonomous Region of the Azores, Pedro Catarino, at the Convent of Belém, his official residence, and with the president of the Regional Legislative Assembly, Luís Garcia, and the president of the Regional Government, José Manuel Bolieiro.
The program will end with a dinner for Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and José Manuel Bolieiro at the Sant’ana Palace, seat of the presidency of the Regional Government of the Azores.
Under the terms of the Constitution, it is the representatives of the Republic who appoint the presidents of the governments of Madeira and the Azores, after the election.
Vaccines
The regional secretary for Health and Sport said yesterday that the AstraZeneca vaccines, which arrived on Wednesday in the archipelago, are ready to be administered.
The 8500 vaccines that arrived Wednesday in the Azores can be administered according to the Health Units that have them at their disposal.
Covid-19
The Regional Health Authority has said that in the last four days the number of new positive cases of Covid-19 resulting from 4,680 tests is 15. These tests were carried out in reference laboratories in the Region, in private laboratories with conventions, in the Regional Health Service, through rapid tests (mass screening), in the laboratory of Terceira University and by means of tests carried out in the scope of occupational medicine. To date, 353,128 tests have been carried out.
São Miguel registered the most cases with 14, the other island with reported cases is Pico with 1.
There have been some recoveries in the last few days, 16 in total. 13 on the island of São Miguel and 2 on Pico and 1 on Faial.
The number of people under surveillance is 948 and the local transmission chain on the island of Pico, remains active.
There are no patients with Covid-19 in the region’s hospitals.
Sadly, there have been 29 deaths due to the virus.
There are currently 76 active positive cases in the Region. 65 on São Miguel, 9 on Pico, and 2 on Terceira.
Pandemic prevention and containment measures should be maintained and strengthened, whenever possible, by citizens and public, private and social sector organizations.
It is reiterated the need to comply with all recommendations already made public in this regard, especially that, in case of symptoms, do not seek a Hospital or Health Unit, but call the Azores Health Line – 808 24 60 24.
For more information, visit the website created by the Government of the Azores on pandemic control in the Region, at https://destinoseguro.azores.gov.pt/ or the Facebook page of the Regional Health Directorate, at https: // www.facebook.com/DirecaoSaudeAcores/ .
The Government of the Azores also makes available the Azores Non-Medical Clarification Line COVID-19, with the number 800 29 29 29, which can be used between 8:30 am and 6:30 pm, on working days, and the RIAC Line 800 500 501, which works from Monday to Saturday, from 9 am to 10:30 pm, and on Sundays, from 10 am to 10:30 pm.
It is also available via the email address esclarecimentocovid19@azores.gov.pt for clarification on measures taken in the region to cope with the new coronavirus pandemic.
Situation Report Azores – 3rd March 2021 – From our colleague in the Azores
Vaccines
On Monday of this week, 5,850 doses of the Pfizer vaccine were delivered to the Santo Espírito Hospital on Terceira Island.
The delivery of an equivalent amount is scheduled for March 15th for the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital in Ponta Delgada.
The doses will allow the vaccination of people over 75 years old and over 50 years old (with existing health conditions) to continue. The priority in the 1st phase of vaccination includes patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis in the Azores.
On March 2nd, 8,500 doses of vaccines from AstraZeneca should have arrived, however, the supplying laboratory did not comply with the delivery to Portugal. There was no cancellation of the delivery, and it is expected that the country will still receive this order.
AstraZeneca’s vaccines will make it possible to extend vaccination to private health professionals and security forces in the Autonomous Region of the Azores.
SRPCBA
Brigadier-general Eduardo Faria is the new president of the Regional Service of Civil Protection and Firefighters of the Azores, it was announced this Monday, by the regional secretary of Health.
The government official said he hoped that the “mission of Brigadier-general Eduardo Faria, would bring a new dynamic to the Azorean civil protection, which will soon have a new organism, capable of bringing more efficiency and better organization to the service” .
EU
The European Commission has approved a program of 15 million euros to support the liquidity of small and medium-sized Azorean companies most severely affected by the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The program, released in January by the Regional Government of the Azores and entitled “Apoiar.pt Açores”, serves, according to the Commission, to support “micro, small and medium-sized companies” with “permanent headquarters or establishments” in the Azores and that operate in the “sectors most severely affected” by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Companies eligible for the program will receive, in direct grants, funds corresponding to 20% of lost income, with a maximum ceiling of 5,000 euros for micro-enterprises, 20,000 for small companies and 50,000 for medium-sized companies.
Covid-19
The Regional Health Authority has said that in the last four days the number of new positive cases of Covid-19 resulting from 5,722 tests is 56. These tests were carried out in reference laboratories in the Region, in private laboratories with conventions, in the Regional Health Service, through rapid tests (mass screening), in the laboratory of Terceira University and by means of tests carried out in the scope of occupational medicine. To date, 348,448 tests have been carried out.
São Miguel registered the most cases with 45, the other island with reported cases is Pico with 7. Pico has the only transmission chain active. Terceira had 3 new cases
There have been some recoveries in the last few days, 33 in total. 28 on the island of São Miguel and 4 on Pico and 1 on Terceira.
There are no patients with Covid-19 in the region’s hospitals.
Sadly, there have been 29 deaths due to the virus.
There are currently 79 active positive cases in the Region. 65 on São Miguel, 10 on Pico, 3 on Terceira and 1 on Faial.
Pandemic prevention and containment measures should be maintained and strengthened, whenever possible, by citizens and public, private and social sector organizations.
It is reiterated the need to comply with all recommendations already made public in this regard, especially that, in case of symptoms, do not seek a Hospital or Health Unit, but call the Azores Health Line – 808 24 60 24.
For more information, visit the website created by the Government of the Azores on pandemic control in the Region, at https://destinoseguro.azores.gov.pt/ or the Facebook page of the Regional Health Directorate, at https: // www.facebook.com/DirecaoSaudeAcores/ .
The Government of the Azores also makes available the Azores Non-Medical Clarification Line COVID-19, with the number 800 29 29 29, which can be used between 8:30 am and 6:30 pm, on working days, and the RIAC Line 800 500 501, which works from Monday to Saturday, from 9 am to 10:30 pm, and on Sundays, from 10 am to 10:30 pm.
It is also available via the email address esclarecimentocovid19@azores.gov.pt for clarification on measures taken in the region to cope with the new coronavirus pandemic.
As of March 28th, 46,037 vaccine doses (30,426 first doses and 15,611 second doses) had been administered since Covid-19 vaccination started on December 31st. By that same day, 87% of the residents aged 80 or older had been vaccinated with the first dose of the vaccine and 50.7% (5,605 people) had been fully vaccinated. Inoculation of patients with trisomy 21 (59 patients) started on March 26th. And Rogério Correia, the director of the Porto Santo Health Centre (Centro de Saúde do Porto Santo) predicted that 25% of the Porto Santo residents will have been vaccinated by April.
More than 2,200 students from Francisco Franco Secondary School (Escola Secundária de Francisco Franco) will be tested on April 5th. Testing will take place at the school’s sports hall. Students from over 100 classes have been assigned testing slots throughout the day and must be in school 15 minutes before the testing appointment. The meeting point will be at the astro turf sports pitch. The class director will welcome and walk them to the sports hall. The school also informed that students who had tested positive for Covid-19 in the last 90 days will be exempt from Covid-19 testing and from coming to school on that day, although they will first have to inform their class director of this situation.
Madeira has been operating a green corridor for tourists who have either recovered from Covid-19 or who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
And on Friday, there were 31 new Covid-19 cases (from 4 passengers who had arrived from Poland, 1 passenger who had arrived from Lithuania and 26 cases of local transmission) and 43 recoveries. The number of patients in hospital decreased to 17, 4 of whom are were intensive care.
Pedro Ramos, Madeira’s Health and Civil Protection Secretary, said Madeira was not only the first Portuguese region to resume vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine but also the first Portuguese region to start inoculating teaching and non-teaching staff.
crew of 28 sailors (6 officers, 5 sergeants and 17 enlisted) and will replace NRP Douro, which has returned to Lisbon. It will ensure there is a continuous Navy presence in Madeira and will be patrolling Portuguese waters around the archipelago. It will also be providing an additional search and rescue capability and support to the regional authorities in the event of an emergency.
had provided reassurance that it is “safe and effective”. Vaccination with this vaccine resumed at Madeira Tecnopólo, which is hosting Centro de Vacinação do Funchal (Funchal Vaccination Centre). As one of the priority groups for vaccination, vaccination for teaching and non-teaching staff, who are physically working in school premises, started yesterday. About 600 teaching and non-teaching staff from nurseries, kindergartens, primary schools and special education needs were inoculated yesterday. Pedro Ramos (Madeira’s Health and Civil Protection Secretary) and Jorge Carvalho (Madeira’s Education Secretary) visited the vaccination centre to witness the start of this vaccination campaign. Vaccination will also continue in the municipalities of Câmara de Lobos and Ponta do Sul.
It is also estimated women will be called up according to the parish (freguesia) where they live: Machico (between the second fortnight of March and the second fortnight of May); Água de Pena (between the second fortnight of May and the first fortnight of June); Caniçal (between the first fortnight of June and the first fortnight of July); Porto da Cruz (between the first fortnight of July and the second fortnight of July); St da Serra (second fortnight of July).
Empresa de Electricidade da Madeira (Madeira power supplier) announced there will be a power cut today due to planned work on the electricity supply network. This work cannot be postponed.
So far, 3.543 people have been inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccine in the Region and no serious side effects were reported.
The Municipality of Funchal informed there will be a water supply disruption due to scheduled work on the water supply chain in Caminho das Romeiras (Santo António). The disruption will take place from 09h30 until 12h00 and will affect water supply in the following areas: Caminho das Romeiras, Beco do Freitas and the stretch between Centro Cívico and the junction with Rua Dr. William Clode.
from the AstraZeneca vaccine batch that may have caused some adverse reactions on some people who were inoculated with it. For instance, out of the 8,500 vaccine doses that had been delivered on March 5th, 2,400 doses have already been safely administered and without any issues.
CAMPANÁRIO – 6th March – 09h00 to 11h30 (TODAY)
The curfew is from 19h00 until 05h00 during weekdays and from 18h00 until 05h00 during weekends; commercial, industrial and service activities and businesses must close at 18h00 during weekdays and at 17h00 during weekends; take-away deliveries can take place everyday until 22h00 and individual sports practice is allowed.
On Friday, there were 15 patients in isolation in a dedicated hotel, 759 patients in isolation in their own accommodation and 45 patients in Covid-19 units, 8 of whom were in the Covid-19 Intensive Care Unit.
A shipment of 8,500 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived in Madeira last night after a delay. The Portuguese Air Force aircraft carrying the shipment had been forced to remain in Porto Santo due to windy weather. An Air Force Merlin helicopter then proceeded to carry the shipment to Funchal. After arriving at Funchal Airport, the shipment was immediately taken under police escort to the pharmacy at Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça.
The two patients returned home after spending 30 days at Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça. They were enormously grateful for the Madeira health professionals and for all entities that had been involved in this process.
José Manuel Rodrigues, President of the Legislative Assembly of Madeira (Madeira’s regional parliament) expressed his gratefulness, on behalf of all Madeira and Porto Santo residents, for the tireless work of all health professionals in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic in the region. He also thanked the staff responsible for the vaccination campaign. He expressed the view that Madeira’s vaccination plan is very well-structured and has been smartly implemented by health professionals, nurses and operational assistants. He advised the population to take all precautions to prevent being infected. He ended by praising Madeira for having been a pioneer in introducing the mandatory use of face masks and mandatory Covid-19 testing for passengers arriving in the Region, policies that prevented Madeira from having had more cases.
Due to building work in the centre of Estreito de Câmara de Lobos, Águas e Resíduos da Madeira (ARM) informed that the general waste collection bin was moved from Rua Dr. António Vitorino Castro Jorge to Rua do Calvário (next to the recycling bins). This is a temporary move that will last until the building work is completed.
The more measures are relaxed, the greater potentially the risk increasing in Portugal. At present the Rt on the mainland is 0.79 and incidence of 80 per 100,000 compared to the government threshold of Rt 1 and 120 per 100,000 respectively.
Regarding sports, yesterday the Government decided not to take any chances and the Professional Leagues games will remain closed to the public at least until May, as well as the Portuguese GP and Formula 1 Grand Prix. In respect of the latter events. the de-confinement plan does not allow such major events to take place until after 3rd May with an audience present. This decision seems wise given the current situation and in line with the cautious approach that government is taking. Any exception for F1 would, in our view, be difficult to justify. This however came as a surprise to some including Regional Tourism Algarve and other entities as they did not receive any official communication from the Government regarding this decision. We await developments.
It is especially important if you are planning to burn debris, that the burn is registered and approval sought. We emphasise the importance of following the safety guidelines which are very clear. As you can see from our earlier post today, the situation in the Algarve is highly conducive to rural fires with some seven municipalities on VERY HIGH level.
According to official data, when only the territory of mainland Portugal is analysed, the incidence is 75.7 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and the Rt is 0.84.
This situation can result, among others, in syncope or sudden death.
The president of the Association of Hotels and Tourist Enterprises of the Algarve (AHETA), Elidérico Viegas, reacted thus to a news item from the newspaper Expresso, that points to the Government’s intention to prevent the presence of spectators at the Formula 1 Grand Prix, which takes place between 30th April and May 2nd, in the Algarve.
Ana (fictitious name) worked at Faro airport, but was discharged in August and stopped earning the “little more than a thousand euros” she received each month. At the age of 40, with two children and bills to pay, she was forced to “live with family members” and ask for food support.
virtual format”, RTA announced in a statement.
Good morning. Today’s introduction is all about risk – in this case in three areas. The first of these is the decision by Portugal to what is now described (by the vaccination co-ordinator), as “a pause” for a short while in the administering of the AstraZeneca vaccine, following reports of 37 cases of severe blood clots in people overseas, discovered sometime after they had received the vaccine. This was taken as a precautionary measure and follows similar moves in 12 other countries. AstraZeneca said there have been 37 reports of blood clots out of more than 17 million people vaccinated in the 27-country EU and Britain. If correct, the chances of you having a blood clot are one in every 629,620. The drug maker said there is no evidence the vaccine carries an increased risk of clots.
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“All the scientific evidence shows that the vaccine is safe and effective. I say this with the peace of mind that I am being vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. I already took my first dose and I am waiting for the second one in May”, he started by saying. “I hope that everything will be clarified and my conviction is that everything will be clarified. The available scientific information shows this and the Governments, including ours, have taken a preventive decision”, he continued.
DGS confirms that these indicators will be: the incidence at 14 days, the national R (t) and by region, the number of patients in Intensive Care Units at national level, the proportion of national positivity (that is, the percentage of results positive in the total of tests performed), the proportion of case isolation and tracking of contacts by region, and also the proportion of virus variants considered most worrying (also by region).
Ana Mendes Godinho watched the testing of some of the employees of the Centro Social Paroquial da Azambuja, which reopened on Monday, within the scope of the first measures of deflation, the valences of day care, pre-school and Leisure Activities (ATL).
“I know how critical the second quarter is for the development of vaccination strategies in the Member States. These 10 million advance doses raise the total doses of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine in the second quarter to 200 million. This is excellent news, as it gives the Member States room for manoeuvre and possibly compensates for gaps in deliveries ”of other vaccines, commented Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The coordinator of the vaccination plan against Covid-19 avoids expressing a position on the temporary suspension of administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine, but says he is confident of resuming the vaccination process in “five or six days”.
CTT’s profit fell 42.9% last year, compared to 2019, to 16.7 million euros, in a year marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Correios de Portugal announced.
positive epidemiological situation” in Portugal.
In a statement the Municipality mentions that the Passeio das Dunas, the pedestrian part of Avenida Infante de Sagres and Calçadão de Quarteira, the footbridge of Forte Novo in Quarteira, the footbridges of Garrão, Ancão and Ludo, the bridge of Quinta do Lago, Queda do Vigário in Alte, the Local Protected Landscapes of Fonte Benémola and Rocha da Pena are the spaces that will be able to be visited again by the citizens and by all those who visit the municipality.
The de-confinement plan has generally well been received. Thankfully, as it appears at present (without seeing the details in the decree law) the phased de-confinement, subject to bi-weekly risk assessments is relatively simple to understand, being based on two simple risk indicators; namely Rt (rate of transmission) and the number on cases per 100,000. There has been however an increase in Rt yesterday reported at 0.80. This is likely as a result of increased movements of people erven though there has so far been no relaxation of restrictions. Although this is still below 1.0, this is something that government and experts will be monitoring closely.
Further good news came last night when Germany announced the removing of Portugal from the list of “countries with a high incidence of mutations in the coronavirus, with effect from next Sunday”, according to a note from the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the social network Twitter. This follows a similar move by Switzerland a few days earlier. With the massive decreases in cases in Portugal to levels below most of Europe, let’s hope this sets the lead for other countries to take similar action.
And, secondly, “the plan is until May, which is good because it is not too long and is flexible in the indicators chosen in the way they are linked with the measures, to safeguard an idea that seemed important to me, from Easter with confinement ”, added Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
More than 50,000 public school workers as well as employees of private establishments begin testing for Covid-19 on Tuesday, the Minister of Education announced this Friday.
academic year 2020/2021, regarding the assessment and certification of learning.
In a publication on social networks, Fernando Medina (PS) says he hopes that the equipment “is no longer needed”, but he points out that it could reopen “if so justified”.
There are 400 patients recovering at home, plus 27 inpatients, 7 in the Intensive Care Units and 5 ventilated. The same source says that since the beginning of the pandemic, 341 deaths have been registered in the region.
Through this action, the municipality of Portimão joined the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection and the Portuguese Institute for the Sea and the Atmosphere, as well as other entities throughout the national territory, to test the communication procedures to be implemented after the arrival of the tsunami warning message.
He mentioned that “We will have to rebuild people’s lives,” says Marcelo. “It is more than returning to 2019”, defends the President for whom it is necessary “good management, transparency and efficiency” in public management.
An important announcement for British nationals is that SEF have confirmed to the British Embassy that if you arrived in Portugal before 31st December 2020, and you are not resident or don’t intent to become resident, and you are still in Portugal due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, you do not need a visa or further authorisation to stay in Portugal longer than 90 days. SEF has told the Embassy that this is because you were exercising your right to free movement when you arrived and you are not subject to immigration control.
This passport is intended to “boost the global economic recovery and facilitate” international travel, said a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At the University of Beira Interior, work is being done on the creation of a nanovacin capable of preventing and treating the disease, the work of Dalinda Eusébio, and a PhD student in Biomedicine.
Confederation of Tourism of Portugal (CTP).
The objective is to prevent the consumption of products at the door of the establishment or in its surroundings, which is already prohibited, and not the sale, which only harms the already difficult situation of our companies”, says the association at a time when it is beginning talking about the model to follow in the deflation.
At the origin of this alert are the more than two dozen complaints that came to the office of Maria Lúcia Amaral from people who, having seen their unemployment benefit end between June 30th and December 31st, 2020 and whose condition of resources did not allow them accessing social unemployment benefit, they fell into a situation of social deprotection since the automatic extension for another six months of the unemployment benefit provided for in the State Budget for 2021 (OE2021) includes only those who cease this benefit during the year of 2021.
Group for Drug Addicts.
According to the Bloc, the Food Bank reported that last year, only between April and December, due to the crisis that the pandemic brought to the region, requests for food aid increased significantly, 74%, from 16,200 people supported through 104 institutions, to 26,300 people, through 119 institutions, making the Food Bank go from 2 million to 3.3 million units of food products distributed.