Calls for more restrictions with Omicron to dominate // National Guard officers accused of abusing immigrants
Portuguese news in English on Saturday, December 18, 2021.
By the numbers
The situation is again worse than it was last week but better than it was last year. We’re actually seeing more infections than this time last year (14-day average of 4,131 vs 3,885) but less than a quarter the number of deaths and less than a third the number of Covid-19 patients in hospital and ICU. Having said that, the number of people in ICU has doubled in just one month and is close to approaching a “red line” defined by health authorities, Diário de Notícias and Lusa report. About 80% of people over 80 and 73% of people in their 70s have received a booster shot, Público reports.
Omicron to dominate
Health Minister Marta Temido said this week one in five new cases stemmed from the new variant, a figure expected to hit 50% by Christmas and 90% by the new year, Público reports. Baltazar Nunes, an epidemiologist with the Dr Ricardo Jorge National Health Institute, said it was still too early to estimate the new variant’s potential impact on hospitalisations and deaths.
Restrictions and warnings
Our current restrictions are set to be extended beyond January 9 but some experts are calling for stronger measures in the face of the new variant, rising infections and increasing hospitalisations, Diário de Notícias reports. University of Lisbon science faculty Professor Carlos Antunes said leaders should learn lessons from the pandemic so far. “We have to be proactive and not reactive, as we’ve always been,” he said, calling for more testing, increased contact tracing, mandatory working from home and indoor occupancy limits. Director-General of Health Graça Freitas told Lusa it was important to find a difficult balance between completely open and completely locked down.
How to celebrate more safely
When it comes to actual gatherings, the experts recommend taking some key protection measures on top of vaccinations: Open windows and doors for air flow, get tested before the event and wear a mask whenever possible, Público reports. They also recommend putting off non-essential gatherings, such as parties between friends and work colleagues. These measures are even more important, they stress, in light of Omicron seeming to be more transmissible and able to infect vaccinated people more easily.
Is Omicron “milder”?
I’ve said it a few times but there’s still a lot we don’t know about the new variant. The CDC last week said most United States Omicron cases were mild, appearing to reinforce scattered reports out of South Africa. But Imperial College London this week said there was no evidence the variant caused less severe disease than Delta, the Financial Times reports, in English. Nature has a good look at everything we know so far, in English, which again stresses it’s too early for us to be certain about a lot of the data.
Booster shot
The online vaccine portal has opened for anyone aged 60 and over — or 50 and over vaccinated with Janssen — to get a booster. The Health Minister expects to open it up to everyone in their 50s early next year and is evaluating the ECDC’s November recommendation (statement in English) to consider boosting everyone over 40 as a priority.
National Guard officers accused of abusing immigrants
Seven National Guard officers have been accused of abusing immigrants, showing “manifest hatred” for their targets, motivated by their nationalities, Público reports. CNN Portugal published images of some of the alleged crimes on Thursday, including a man being forced to suck on a breath-testing device filled with pepper spray. The charges, including against two guards previously convicted of beating south-east Asian immigrants, come after a lengthy investigation allegedly uncovered video footage on some guards’ phones. The allegations include physical abuse, false stop operations and behaviour continued over time in Odemira, an agricultural centre. One officer, the alleged leader of the acts, faces four charges of abuse of power, six of inflicting bodily harm and one of kidnapping. In one incident, he and another officer allegedly detained an immigrant without filing a report, before insulted the immigrant with comments such as “kill yourself”, punched him in the head and pulled a shotgun in his face. Prosecutors said they had no doubt the acts were motivated by the south-east Asian victims’ nationalities. Of the seven guards charged, two were already serving suspended sentences. Rights groups and politicians such as the President and Prime Minister condemned the alleged crimes, Reuters reports, in English.
In brief
Portuguese former fugitive João Rendeiro kept in prison in South Africa. The extradition process starts on January 10. The foreign prison time is expected to count towards his sentence in Portugal. (Público)
Russian multimillionaire and Chelsea owner becomes Portuguese citizen. Roman Abramovich went through a process that grants Portuguese or Spanish citizenship to descendants of the Sephardi Jews, who were expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in the late 15th century.
Former economy minister kept in home prison with ankle bracelet. Manuel Pinho was detained as part of the long-running investigation into alleged corruption at energy supplier EDP. (Diário de Notícias)
Census 2021: Portugal has 217,000 fewer people, 40% more foreigners than 10 years ago. The census counted 10,344,802 residents, 555,299 of whom are foreign nationals. (Diário de Notícias/Lusa)
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On a lighter note
If you’re looking to get out of the city soon (assuming you live in one), why not head to one of the world’s “best tourism villages”. In fact, you have two such options without even leaving Portugal, Público reports. Castelo Rodrigo, in Guarda, and Cumeado, in Reguengos de Monsaraz (and part of the Dark Sky Alqueva stargazing reserve), were both named on the World Tourism Organisation’s inaugural list. The villages were lauded for promoting sustainable tourism in an award designed to show tourism can be a positive force for rural development.
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