Azores Situation Report Saturday 12th June 2021
From our colleague in the Azores
Vaccination
The Azores will lift the restrictive measures to combat Covid-19 as each island reaches 70% of its population vaccinated, with a return to normality throughout the archipelago by August 15th.
“We believe that by the end of July, if things don’t go faster, we could have 70% or more of people vaccinated on every island, which means that by August 15th will be, at most, the predictable date for a return to normality throughout the Autonomous Region of the Azores”, said the president of the Special Commission for Monitoring the Fight against the Pandemic, Gustavo Tato Borges, at a press conference in Angra do Heroísmo.
On Sunday, a massive vaccination process against Covid-19 began in five islands of the Azores without a hospital (in Corvo it had already taken place in February and March), with the collaboration of a team of nine soldiers, provided by the Ministry of National Defence, which is due to end on June 20th.
The restrictive measures will be eased 14 days after each island reaches 70% of the population vaccinated with at least one dose.
“Gatherings will have a limit of 20 people, restaurants and beverage establishments and the like will operate at normal hours, without restrictions, with a maximum of 10 people per table and three quarters of the respective capacity”, said the regional secretary of Health and Sports, Clélio Meneses.
“Cultural and sporting events will now have 50% of the capacity, complying with the distance rules. The resumption of travel by the regional administration is allowed,” he added.
Only when 14 days have passed since the inoculation of 70% of the population will all restrictive measures be lifted on each island.
“There are no longer restrictive measures of a collective nature, with the possibility of opening drinking establishments and the like, with dancing spaces, under the condition that the respective contingency plan is approved by the Regional Health Authority”, explained the official.
The survey of measures will take place in phases, by islands, with the Corvo, which has already surpassed 70% vaccination in March, to go into deconfinement next Saturday.
Santa Maria will no longer have restrictive measures on July 12th, Flores on 15th, Graciosa on 17th, São Jorge on 23rd and Pico on 27th.
According to Gustavo Tato Borges, the remaining three islands of the archipelago, where there are hospitals, should not have to “wait much longer”.
“Faial is in a favorable situation, there are not so many people that are missing for the 70% of the inoculated population. Terceira and São Miguel have a larger pool of people to be vaccinated. It may take a little longer. It will depend on this acceleration that it will be possible to do. We believe that by the end of July these two islands will have 70% of people vaccinated with two doses”.
9th June 2021
25 new positive cases of covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, one on the island of Flores and 24 on the island of São Miguel, following 3,857 tests carried out in the reference laboratories of the Region. Two of these new cases concern travellers who tested positive on the 6th day and upon arrival at the archipelago.
On the island of Flores, the positive case was diagnosed in Santa Cruz, concerning a traveller, non-resident, who tested positive on the 6th day.
On the island of São Miguel, one of cases concern a traveller, resident, who tested positive upon arrival. The rest of the cases are related to the context of community transmission. Thus, the municipality of Ribeira Grande registers five cases (three in Rabo de Peixe, one in Ribeirinha and one in Ribeira Seca). There are 19 new cases in the municipality of Ponta Delgada (eight in the Pilar da Bretanha, four in São Roque, two in São Pedro, two in São José, two in Fajã de Baixo and one in Arrifes).
Also in the last 24 hours, a total of 18 recoveries have been registered.
10th June 2021
41 new covid-19 positive cases were diagnosed in the Azores, two in Terceira and 39 in São Miguel, resulting from 3,110 tests carried out in reference laboratories in the Region. Five of these new cases concern passengers with positive tests on the 6th and 12th days, as well as on arrival in the archipelago.
On Terceira, both positive cases refer to travellers, one resident and the other non-resident, with a positive analysis on the 6th day, one in São Bartolomeu dos Regatos and the other in São Bento.
In São Miguel, there was one case referring to a non-resident passenger, with a positive test on arrival, and another two to resident passengers, with a positive test on the 6th and 12th day. The rest are in the context of community transmission. Thus, the municipality of Ribeira Grande registers nine new cases (three in Ribeira Seca, two in Rabo de Peixe, two in Matriz, one in Maia and one in Ribeirinha). In the municipality of Ponta Delgada there are 23 new cases (seven in Pilar da Brittany, seven in Fajã de Cima, four in São Pedro, one in Fajã de Baixo and one in Ajuda da Brittany). In the municipality of Nordeste there are two new cases in Santo António de Nordestinho, in the municipality of Lagoa there are four new cases (two in Santa Cruz, one in Rosário and one in Cabouco) and in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo there was a new case, in Saint Michael.
Also in the last 24 hours, a total of 28 recoveries were recorded.
11th June 2021
48 new positive cases of covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, all on the island of São Miguel, following 2,533 tests carried out in the reference laboratories of the Region. Three of these new cases concern two travelers who tested positive upon arrival, and one on the 12th day.
The rest of the cases are related to the context of community transmission. Thus, there are 33 new cases in the municipality of Ribeira Grande, nine in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, four in the municipality of Lagoa and two in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo.
In the last 24 hours a total of 13 recoveries were registered. Two cases previously reported on the island of Terceira, in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, with history of travel from outside the Region, for which screening tests carried out after the sixth day on SARS-CoV-2 produced positive results, provided documentation demonstrating a previous infection and recovery, and are no longer considered to be active cases in the Region.
As of today, 13 patients are in hospital, all at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital in Ponta Delgada, with one of them in intensive care.
There are currently 312 positive active cases in the Azores: 311 on the island of São Miguel and one on the island of Faial. There are no active local transmission chains and 203 have been extinguished so far. There are 1,567 people under active surveillance today.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 5,856 positive cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in the Azores and 5,378 people recovered from the disease. There were 33 deaths, 79 people who left the archipelago and 54 cases with history of previous cure.
Up to now, 532,736 tests have been carried out in the archipelago for SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes covid-19 disease. From December 31st, 2020 until June 4th, 146,999 doses of covid-19 vaccine were administered in the Azores, corresponding to 92,036 people aged 16 years or more who received the first dose, and 54,963 people who received both doses, under the Regional Vaccination Plan.
Countries on the “yellow list” are subject to tighter restrictions, namely a 10-day quarantine on arrival in the UK and two PCR tests on the second and eighth day, as is already the case with most European countries, such as Spain, France and Greece.
The bathing season started yesterday, Tuesday 1st June in the Azores. There are 32 zones, and a manual on the use of these spaces is being finalized in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, which does not provide for fines, but warns users of their responsibility.