Azores Situation Report Wednesday 11th August 2021
From our colleague in the Azores
Terceira Open House
The population of Terceira has been invited to a vaccination ‘Open House’. No appointments are required, the initiative is open to residents that are 30 and over.
“There has been a satisfactory adhesion so far,” José Barbeito, chairman of the Board of Directors of the Ilha Terceira Health Unit (USIT) said, adding that only at the end of the day will it be possible to know the exact number of citizens who joined the initiative.
The model of vaccination against Covid-19, in the Open House mode, is available on the island of São Miguel, since last week, and as of this Monday the same is happening on Terceira.
“People are only now becoming aware”, adding that he is hopeful that, in the coming days, the adhesion of people to the vaccination against Covid-19 will be even greater.
In the case of Terceira Island, vaccination covers all citizens over 30 years of age who have not yet been vaccinated against Covid-19, as long as they are registered with the USIT and have not been infected in the last six months.
“People who meet these requirements, and who have an identification document, just go to the vaccination centres in Angra do Heroísmo or Praia da Vitória”.
The same information indicated that the daily vaccination capacity “is limited to the existing ‘stock’ of vaccines” and that whenever it is depleted, “the user is scheduled for the next day”.
In the Azores, 61.6% of the population (145,691 people) had complete vaccination against Covid-19, according to information released by the Regional Health Authority, which gathered data to date.
The same press release indicated that 155,446 people (65.7%) have received, to date, one dose of the vaccine.
The islands of São Miguel and Terceira are the ones where the process is delayed.
According to the same statement today from the Regional Health Authority, São Miguel has 60% of the population with full vaccination and 61% with the first dose.
In Terceira, 66% of the population had received the first dose and 55% had completed the vaccination.
On Friday, the regional secretary for Health and Sports, Clélio Meneses, said that the archipelago has 61% of the population with full vaccination against Covid-19 and 64% with the first dose, approaching 300,000 doses given.
7th August 2021
67 new positive cases of covid-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, 52 in São Miguel, 13 in Terceira and two in Santa Maria, resulting from 1,833 tests carried out in reference laboratories in the Region.
In São Miguel, two cases refer to a test on arrival for resident passengers and two other cases refer to a test on the 6th day of a resident passenger and a non-resident passenger. All other cases correspond to community transmission. By municipality, Lagoa registered four new cases, the municipality of Ponta Delgada registered 20 new cases, the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo registered five new cases and the municipality of Ribeira Grande registered 23 new cases.
On Terceira, two of the new cases referred to tests on the 6th day of two non-resident passengers. The rest are in the context of community transmission. Thus, in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo there were 10 new cases and in the municipality of Praia da Vitória three new cases were registered.
In Santa Maria, there was the beginning of a primary local transmission chain – Santa Maria/Vila do Porto, following the positive result obtained by two close contacts of a previously reported case.
48 recoveries were recorded.
8th August 2021
46 new covid-19 positive cases were diagnosed in the Azores, 38 in São Miguel, five in Faial, two in Terceira and one in Pico, resulting from 1,286 tests carried out in reference laboratories in the Region and one in a laboratory private non-agreement.
In São Miguel, three new cases correspond to as many travellers (one non-resident with a positive test on arrival, one referring to the 6th day test for a resident passenger and one case referring to the test carried out after the 6th day test). All other cases correspond to community transmission. By municipality, Lagoa registered three new cases, the municipality of Ponta Delgada registered 16 new cases, the council of Vila Franca do Campo registered seven new cases and the council of Ribeira Grande registered 12 new cases.
In Faial, five new cases were diagnosed that are linked to the pre-existing chain.
In Terceira, the two new cases correspond to community transmission, one in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo and the other in the municipality of Praia da Vitória.
In Pico, a resident tested positive on arrival on the island.
63 recoveries were recorded.
9th August 2021
27 new cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in the Azores, with 25 on São Miguel, and two on Faial, from 984 tests carried out in reference laboratories of the region, and two in a private non-verified laboratory.
On the island of São Miguel, all cases were the result of Community transfer. By municipalities: Two new cases have been reported in Lagoa and 15 in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, one in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo.
On the island of Faial, two new cases were diagnosed, which are connected to the pre-existent chain.
14 recoveries were recorded.
10th August 2021
67 new positive cases of COVID-19 were diagnosed in the Azores with 56 on São Miguel island, seven on the island of Terceira, and four on Faial island, arising from 1,291 tests carried out in reference laboratories of the region, and four in a private non-contracted laboratory.
On the island of São Miguel, two of the new cases correspond to a non-resident traveller who tested positive on arrival, and a resident traveller who was tested pursuant to symptomatology. The other cases are the result of community transmission. By municipalities: four new cases were recorded in Lagoa, 37 in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, one in the municipality of Povoação, one in the municipality of Nordeste, and 13 in the municipality of Ribeira Grande.
On the island of Terceira, one resident traveller tested positive pursuant to symptomatology and all the other cases are the result of community transmission. By municipalities: one new case was recorded in Praia da Vitória, and six in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo.
On the island of Faial, the four new cases are connected to the pre-existent chain in Horta.
77 recoveries were recorded, with 66 on São Miguel, seven on Santa Maria, and four on Terceira.
As of today, 10 patients are hospitalised: six in Divino Espírito Santo Hospital, in Ponta Delgada, and four in Santo Espírito Hospital, in Angra do Heroísmo (one of which in ICU).
Currently, there are 544 active positive cases the archipelago, with 428 on São Miguel, 73 on Terceira, 24 on Faial, eight on Santa Maria, six on Pico, and five on São Jorge.
There are seven active primary local transmission chains: two on Pico, two on São Jorge, two on Santa Maria, and one on Faial. To date, 223 have been extinguished on all islands. There were 1,552 people under active surveillance yesterday.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, 8,122 positive cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed in the Azores, 7,383 people have recovered from the disease, 38 died, 89 left the archipelago and 68 provided evidence of previous cure.
To date, 659,069 tests have been carried out for SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 disease.
From 31st December 2020 to 9th August, 155,446 people in the Azores have been vaccinated with the first dose (67,5 per cent) and 145,691 with complete vaccination (61,6 per cent), within the Regional Vaccination Plan.
Ryanair airline revealed that it will increase the number of weekly flights between Lisbon and Ponta Delgada and Terceira during the winter.
In São Jorge, a resident traveller, in the parish of Santo Amaro, in the municipality of Velas, made an inter-island trip, obtaining a positive result upon arrival on the island.
52 new covid-19 positive cases were diagnosed in the Azores, 46 in São Miguel, three in Terceira, two in Faial and one in Santa Maria, resulting from 2,233 tests carried out in the reference laboratories of the Region and five in non-agreed private laboratory.
On the island of São Miguel, one traveller non-resident in the civil parish of São Sebastião, municipality of Ponta Delgada, tested positive on arrival. All the other cases are the result of community transmission. By municipalities, three new cases were recorded in Lagoa, 18 in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, two in the municipality of Vila Franca do Campo, and 15 in the municipality of Ribeira Grande.
“The ‘open house’ is a simple vaccination process and does not require advance booking”, this activity is scheduled for six days with a daily assessment of adherence and 120 inoculations per hour/1000 day are planned.
In Terceira, a resident traveller, in the parish of Santa Luzia, municipality of Angra do Heroísmo, had a positive result on arrival. The remaining cases correspond to community transmission. Thus, in the municipality of Angra do Heroísmo there were two new cases and in the municipality of Praia da Vitória there was a new case.
The archipelago had 246,772 inhabitants in 2011 and lost 10,115 within 10 years, equivalent to 4.1%, and now has 236,657 residents.
18 patients are hospitalised, with 10 at the Divino Espírito Santo Hospital in Ponta Delgada (with two in intensive care unit), seven at the Santo Espírito Hospital in Angra do Heroísmo (with one in intensive care unit) and one in Horta Hospital.