Portugal Situation Report Wednesday 8th December 2021
Introduction
Good morning – A reminder to everyone that there are a number of weather warnings in place for today. Of particular note are the orange level rough sea warnings with peak waves that could reach a maximum of 12 meters according to the IPMA. The National Maritime Authority has issued specific safety advice, in particular: advice against walks along the coastal areas close to the sea, “especially along the cliffs and cliff areas on the coastal fronts affected by the breaking waves”, and recommends the reinforcement of boat moorings. Please follow these warnings and advice, if it affects you.
These sorts of warnings, which also include snow warnings for six districts currently in place, are not unusual for this time of the year, but intensity can vary considerably. It is therefore important to monitor the daily weather warnings and general weather conditions. Details can be found on the IPMA website and the various precautions for heavy rain and snow can be found on our website here: https://www.safecommunitiesportugal.com/find-information/environment-and-weather/storms-and-flooding/
On Monday we published the DGS Covid-19 figures together with the weekly averages which our colleague John Cobby produces from the DGS figures. This week we compared the main figures with the same week in 2020. In terms of deaths, hospital admissions and those in ICU, the figures are over 70% lower than for the same period last year.
The daily average of new cases are just 13% lower than a year ago, but with the number of tests at present is three times higher – in fact at an all-time high. The number of tests this week, up to 5th December 2021, is around 683,000 compared to just 220,000 for the same week last year. Last Friday the INSA reported a positivity test rate of 3.9%, and for the same week last year just over 12%.
This shows the value of vaccinations one year on since Margaret Keenan in the UK became the first person in the world to be vaccinated on 8th December 2020. In Portugal the first person it receive the vaccination was Doctor António Sarmento on 27thDecember administered by nurse Isabel Ribeiro
Portugal went from seventh to eighth lowest country in the European Union (EU) this week for new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection per million inhabitants in seven days, according to the website Our World in Data statistic.
This week the country rose from 286 new daily cases to 338 per million inhabitants, still far from the EU average, which rose from 576 to 595 new daily cases per million inhabitants.
With regard to daily deaths per million inhabitants, Portugal remains the eighth country in the EU with the fewest deaths attributed to covid-19, with an average of 1.69 in the last seven days, higher than the 1.35 registered in the week last.
On Monday the Algarve Regional Health Authority, Ana Cristina Guerreiro, Regional Health Delegate for the Algarve, outlined the current situation, which she considers “worrying”. The incidence rate is 761 cases for 14 days per 100,000 inhabitants, nearly double the national rate with Portimão, Lagoa, Monchique, Loulé and Faro the most affected municipalities. The main age group affected is the 30-39 age group, followed closely by children from zero to nine which in the last 15 days “has grown a lot”.
We are now seeing the cancellation of some Christmas events by municipalities such as in Portimão announced by the municipality yesterday. Without being unduly pessimistic we expect there will be more. Please be particularly careful at gatherings – wearing a facemask, social distancing and following good hygiene practices can reduce the risk considerably.
On a different topic, yesterday the decree-law extending for another year the transitional regime of recognition and exchange of driving licenses issued by the United Kingdom was published in the Diary of the Republic. This was first announced on 19th November following the Council of Ministers meeting stating that they regime would be extended until 31st November 2022. The decree-law published in Diário da República guarantees the recognition of driving licenses for British citizens residing in Portugal under the same terms as the titles issued by a Member State of the European Union. Details on the exchange process were published yesterday on Brits in Portugal Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/BritsInPortugal
On the lead up to Christmas there will be various scams around and we will be covering these over the next two weeks on our Facebook site. Remember as far as shopping is concerned if an offer seems too good to be true it normally is.
Please have a Safe Day.
Headlines
Covid-19 vaccines are effective against Omicron, says WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) today revealed that vaccines are effective against the new Omicron variant of covid-19, detected in South Africa, in protecting those infected from serious illness.
“No there is no reason to doubt” that current vaccines protect Omicron-infected patients against severe forms of covid-19, said WHO Public Health Emergency Response Officer Michael Ryan today in an interview with France-Presse.
We have very effective vaccines that have proved potent against all strains so far, in terms of disease severity and hospitalization, and there’s no reason to believe that’s not the case” with Omicron, said Michael Ryan, noting that he’s in the studies started on a variant detected only on 24 November and which has since been registered in around 40 countries.
Covid-19 Statistics from yesterday
Confirmed: 1.172.420 (+ 3417 / + 0.29 %)
Admitted: 936 (-12 /-1.27 %)
Admitted to ICU: 133 (-2 /-1.48 %)
Deaths: 18.572 (+ 21 / + 0.11 %)
Recovered: 1.093.264 (+ 4969 / + 0.46 %)
Active cases: 60,584 (-1573 /-2.53%)
Trends
The number of new cases back over 3 thousand and just above last week’s daily average.
A large number of recoveries – nearly 5 thousand in one day
A welcome decrease in both those in hospital as well as in ICUA welcome decrease in active cases
Overall the figures are fluctuating a great deal on a daily basis
As mentioned yesterday testing levels at present are very high
Health
European Medicines Agency approves drug to treat severe cases of covid-19
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved this Monday the drug RoActemra, already used in inflammatory diseases, to treat severe cases of covid-19 in adults.
“The EMA Committee for Human Medicines (CHMP) has recommended extending the indication of RoActemra (tocilizumab) to include the treatment of adults with covid-19 who are receiving systemic corticosteroid treatment and need supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation,” said the European regulator in a statement.
Following this EMA recommendation, it is now up to the European Commission to issue the final decision on the use of this drug for covid-19 in Member States.
Marketed by Roche Registration GmbH, RoActemra is already approved in the European Union for the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
According to the European regulator, the CHMP evaluated data from a main study involving 4,116 adults hospitalized with severe covid-19 who required oxygen or mechanical ventilation and with elevated levels of C-reactive protein in the blood (indicating inflammation).
The study data showed that treatment with RoActemra, an immunomodulator that alters the activity of the immune system and whose active substance is the monoclonal antibody tocilizumab, reduced the risk of death, as well as the length of hospital stay of patients infected with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
Covid-19: University of Coimbra assesses emotional reactions of health professionals
Coimbra, 07 Dec 2021 – A team of researchers from the University of Coimbra is participating in an international study that aims to better understand the emotional experiences of health professionals who are or have been treating patients with Covid-19.
In order to reach as many health professionals as possible in these conditions in Portugal, the team of researchers from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of the University of Coimbra (FPCEUC) is looking for volunteers who wish to participate in the research.
According to the coordinator of this team, Marcela Matos, there is growing evidence that health professionals at the front line in the fight against covid-19 have experienced adverse emotional reactions, which may be associated with an increase in the levels of anxiety symptoms, depression, trauma and ‘burnout’.
“This study aims to expand understanding of the multifaceted nature of the emotional experience of frontline health professionals in caring for covid-19 patients,” he explained.
The researcher at the Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive-Behavioural Intervention (CINEICC) at FPCEUC added that these professionals have been faced with “prolonged physical and emotional exhaustion and intense sadness, associated with the specificity of this tragic and unprecedented situation that is the pandemic of covid-19, which thus reveals itself as a unique experience, which differs from other forms of personal trauma”.
In his opinion, understanding the emotional experiences of these health professionals “will help to design specific strategies to promote mental health and well-being, in order to try to help them deal with the situation and alleviate some of the difficulties experienced”
Vaccines for children arrive in Portugal on December 13, but the decision of the Technical Commission on Vaccination is still pending
The first 300,000 anti-covid-19 vaccines for children aged 5 to 11, from the BioNTech/Pfizer pharmaceutical consortium, arrive in Portugal on December 13, today announced the Assistant Secretary of State for Health.
“About 300,000 vaccines will arrive on December 13th and then, during the month of January, another 400,000 vaccines will arrive, which, for this population, will be enough”, said António Lacerda Sales in Constância (Santarém), noting that “”is a different vaccination because it is per single dose, 10 micrograms, about a third of the dose of an adult”.
A total of 700,000 vaccines ensure the national needs “to vaccinate all children from 5 to 11 years old”, in an inoculation process that is in the preparation stage and awaits the approval of the Technical Vaccination Commission, noted the government official, on the side lines the opening ceremony of the Montalvo health extension, in the municipality of Constância.
“We are currently awaiting the decision of the Technical Vaccination Commission, which we hope will be a favorable decision, for the vaccination of children up to 11 years of age. What is incumbent on us, as Government, is to have all the planning and all the logistics (…) to be prepared to vaccinate and that is what we are doing”.
Lacerda Sales also highlighted the numbers related to vaccination against covid-19 in Portugal, having underlined the administration of more than 1.5 million booster doses and more than two million of the flu vaccine so far, in a country where “85% of the population has the complete vaccination schedule”.
Other News
Marcelo enacts a government diploma creating the National Anti-Corruption Mechanism
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa gave the green light to the diploma that establishes the general regime for the prevention of corruption and creates the National Anti-Corruption Mechanism, hoping that it will be an “independent, impartial and effective entity”
The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, promulgated this Monday the Government diploma that establishes the general regime for the prevention of corruption and creates the National Anti-Corruption Mechanism, hoping that it will be an “independent, impartial and effective entity”.
The announcement is made on the website of the Presidency of the Republic on the Internet, where Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa says he hopes that the National Anti-Corruption Mechanism “constitutes a truly independent, impartial and effective entity, which does not reduce the scope of intervention of the Court of Auditors and other components authorities of justice”.
In June, the Government approved the decree-law creating the National Anti-Corruption Mechanism, “an independent administrative entity, with powers of initiative, control and sanction and with attributions in terms of collecting and processing information and organizing programs of activities between entities public and private entities in the fight against corruption”, according to the Ministry of Justice website.
The same decree-law establishes the general regime for the prevention of corruption, “which obliges private companies, public companies and services integrated in the direct and indirect administration of the State, with 50 or more workers, to adopt risk prevention programs, codes of conduct, reporting channels and appropriate training programs to prevent corruption and related offences”
Campaign “Zero Alcohol level at the steering wheel”
The Road Safety Campaign “Zero alcohol level at the wheel” included in the 2021 National Plan will take place from December 7th to 13th and aims to alert drivers to the risks of driving under the influence of alcohol.
In Portugal it is prohibited to drive with:
– a blood alcohol level equal to or greater than 0.5 g/l – drivers with a valid driving license for more than 3 years
– a blood alcohol level equal to or greater than 0.2 g/l – new drivers (during the first 3 years of validity of the driving license), drivers of an emergency or urgent service vehicle, of public transport, of children’s transport vehicles, of taxis, of buses or trucks or of transport of dangerous goods and young people (16 years of age).
We remind you that driving under the influence of alcohol is a risk to your safety and that of others:
– With a blood alcohol rate of 0.5 g/l, the risk of suffering a serious or fatal accident doubles;
– Accidents resulting from driving under the influence of alcohol are particularly serious
Reinforcement of Civil Protection Resources for Serra da Estrella
Seia, Guarda, 06 Dec 2021 (Lusa) – The National Civil Protection Authority announced today a reinforcement of around 30% of the workforce in the Serra da Estrela region for the festive seasons to come.
“In this festive season, we have increased our staff by about 30% to provide greater support” to tourists in Serra da Estrela, said the commander of the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC).
André Fernandes specified to journalists, on the day the Serra da Estrela National Operations Plan was presented, which started today, the reinforcement that will go “until Easter” and which has “a greater capacity for mobilization”.
“There are around 80 vehicles that are prepared for prevention in the Serra [da Estrela], with 4×4 capacity, and around 40 are operating in this joint device integrated by different entities”, said the commander.
The device includes elements from the fire brigades in the Serra da Estrela region, from the municipal services of the Municipal Councils of Seia, Gouveia, Covilhã and Manteigas, as well as the special civil protection force and the special aid unit of the GNR.
Units that also integrate elements of the National Institute of Medical Emergency (INEM), the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF) and the Infrastructure of Portugal (IP).
“This is what we want, an integrated and coordinated device and, for that, we have not only a dedicated device during the week and then during periods, whether during festive seasons, holidays and weekends, or eventually when there is a larger influx of tourists to the mountains”, he added.
André Fernandes added that, for this purpose, it has “two permanent bases of the Special Civil Protection forces that guarantee this effort dedicated to the mountains”, in Valezim (Seia) and Unhais da Serra (Covilhã).
“There are 40 operational that, depending on the periods, whether they are daytime, night-time, or if there is a need for reinforcement, they are in a state of readiness and move forward if that is the need”, he stressed.
Portugal has the best gender diversity index in the technology sector in Europe, according to a study
According to the Atomico study, women and ethnic minorities experience greater difficulty in attracting investment, compared to white men. Portugal has the lowest proportion of all-male teams that received funding this year (75%)
Portugal has the best gender diversity index in the technology sector in Europe, “with the lowest proportion of all-male teams that received funding” in 2021, according to a study released by Atomico on Tuesday.
In a note that gives an account of the main conclusions of the study, the venture capital fund said that “European technologies are becoming world powers and Portugal is following the growth trend”, with two unicorns (companies valued at more than a thousand million dollars), out of a total of 321 in Europe.
“Portugal stands out as the European country with the best index of gender diversity in the technology sector, with the lowest proportion of all-male teams that received funding this year (75%)”, according to the same statement.
Still with regard to funding, “Portugal stands out with 54% of respondents considering funding as a special challenge for European technology in the next 12 months”, compared to 20% of Italians and 29% of Spaniards who “agree fundraising is still a challenge,” according to the statement.
“Europe is on the verge of reaching a new record of annual investment in the technology industry, with a value of 88 billion euros” in 2021, indicated Atomico, in the study “State of European Technology 2021”.
The report provides “an in-depth analysis of the technology industry landscape in 45 countries across Europe”, highlighting some key trends and providing a diagnosis.
Remember that all these changes came into effect last night and remain in place over the Christmas period. The Situation of Calamity allows government to introduce further measure or change current ones if it is considered necessary. An example of this being that the President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa promulgated on Monday the decree that empowers the Government to establish the use of masks in the street without the authorization of the Assembly of the Republic – should it consider the need to do so.
Regarding the flu, data from the DGS indicate that 1,913,731 people have been vaccinated, 42,148 of whom received the vaccine in the last 24 hours.
“As part of the measures to combat the Covid-19 disease pandemic applied to land borders, which will remain open, the Government determined the following restrictions to be in force from 00.00 hrs on December 1, 2021:
ANA Aeroportos, Regional Health Administration of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo (ARSLVT), PSP and SEF explained, this Tuesday, the rules for the entry of passengers into mainland territory, highlighting the obligation to present a test in addition to the digital certificate.
The new variant, Omicron, has already led to changes in testing methodology in Portugal. Until now, the rule was to test an infected persons high-risk contacts on the 5th and 10th day, but the new variant has already caused this to be changed. Testing the contacts of an infected person will be carried out on the first day of diagnosis. It was like that in the players and staff of Belenenses SAD, where yesterday the first positive cases to Omicron were diagnosed in Portugal (13 in total). And so will all contacts infected with this new variant.
João Gomes Cravinho spoke at the opening of the 3rd edition of the Defence seminar, at the National Defence Institute (IDN), in Lisbon, where he also stated that this close cooperation is essential «to develop adequate collective response mechanisms against new methodologies of our adversaries”.
However, we are nowhere near the situation in many other European countries and there are no indications of liniment lockdowns (as some have suggested), but we can expect the government to adopt measures to try and contain the situation at the Council of Ministers meeting tomorrow. The Prime Minister, António Costa, yesterday refused to anticipate new measures to contain the covid-19 pandemic, sending a possible announcement to Thursday, when the Council of Ministers meets as well as consulting the parties.
This development has increased opportunities for scammers, through the use of false websites often closely replicating well know companies and brands. It is very important at this time of year in particular to research carefully before deciding what to buy and in particular, whom to buy it from. Check websites closely – does it look genuine? – avoid clicking on links from companies or persons you have never heard of; pay by secure means and do not pay for items using public Wi-Fi, are some of the tips to ensure you are not a victim of crime.
Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said that “the entire European Union” is faced with “a worryingly growing number of cases” and stressed that “I would like to start by sending a very clear message about the role of vaccines, because the evidence is clear”.
An item that drew my attention yesterday was concerning the forecasting of earthquakes. Unlike the sky, the Earth’s interior is not transparent. And that’s why a seismologist like Fernando Carrilho faces very different challenges from colleagues from other departments at the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA), who can relate the previous day’s forecasts to the clouds they see on the horizon. “There are earthquakes originating from depths of 10, 20, and 100 kms or more… and the existing technologies do not allow us to know what is happening in these places”, according to the head of the Geophysics Division at IPMA.
Second-generation vaccines that already allow blocking the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 should arrive within the next year.
A cancer that “was rare”, is becoming “more frequent” and has registered a “30% increase” in the last decade.
Flying to Milan, London or Berlin on TAP no longer entitles you to a sandwich or a pastel de nata and a drink in economy class. For more than a year, the Portuguese air carrier stopped offering light meals, snacks or snacks and drinks free of charge in economy class on medium-haul trips.