Good news for cheaper, easier to transport vaccine candidate // The latest on Portugal’s vaccination plan
Portuguese news in English on November 25, 2020.
By the numbers
First, the good news. There were fewer than 4000 cases (3919 to be exact) confirmed yesterday, for the first time since November 10. Unfortunately, the 14-day average is still a bit higher than it was this time last week and hospital wards and ICUs are still really stretched. In better news, the number of people being hospitalised has been falling slightly over the past few days. There are actually fewer people in hospital today than yesterday, which hasn’t happened very often since summer.
Source: DGS
Good news for cheaper, easier to transport vaccine candidate
There’s more good vaccine news so I’m going to update you on that and talk a little about what we know so far about plans to vaccinate people in Portugal. You may have seen the results of a preliminary analysis of the vaccine under development by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford showed it was about 70% effective, as The Guardian reported, in English. That brings us to three promising vaccine results in the past few weeks (plus one each from China and Russia that there are some more questions over). If you’ve been keeping track, you’ll know the Oxford results aren’t as promising as those from Pfizer and Moderna, which both appeared to show about 95% effectiveness. But, there’s more to it than that. As the New York Times points out, the AstraZeneca job is many times cheaper than the others and can be stored in the fridge instead of super-chilled at -40oC. This would make it much easier to distribute, particularly in poorer countries. (Several outlets reported last week that the Moderna vaccine could also withstand much warmer temperatures but I’m not seeing that anymore in the latest batch of reports). Secondly, the AstraZeneca results show something a bit odd: 90% effectiveness with one and a half doses but only 62% effectiveness with two full doses, as The Guardian reports. There are some complicated theories for why that might be the case but it’s also important to note it’s just early data. None of these vaccines have been approved or are guaranteed to be approved.
Latest on Portugal’s vaccination plan
In Portugal, as everywhere, authorities are still working out how to get everyone vaccinated, a process Director-General of Health Graça Freitas says has been underway for months, Público reports. The Armed Forces, Civil Protection and national airline TAP are all involved in the process and Health Minister Marta Temido has promised the country will be ready to distribute the shots soon after they’re approved by the European Centre for Disease Control. She said Portugal was ready to buy 16 million doses of three different vaccines (more will be needed because the three I’ve mentioned above all require two injections). Ms Freitas said the vaccines would be sent to pharmacies from central points but some of the details would depend on the makeup of the vaccine. A government taskforce is investigating everything from who will be vaccinated first and where they will be vaccinated through to how to prevent shortages and communicate with the public. One epidemiologist said it was difficult to say how far along the process was given the three main companies’ results had only been published through press releases, not peer-reviewed studies. The plan should be released in December, with some talk of the first (probably very limited) vaccines being administered in January.
Majority-immigrant suburb complains of more aggressive policing
Residents of an outer Lisbon neighbourhood where eight police officers were convicted of kidnapping and beating six youths have accused police of taking a much more aggressive approach to the area in recent weeks, Diário de Notícias reports. Jakilson Pereira, a local cultural association member in Cova da Moura, said previously officers took an educational approach to pandemic regulations, without visible weapons. But recently they came into the majority Cape Verdean immigrant neighbourhood more aggressively, wielding weapons and with faces covered. He believed it was related to a possible Court of Appeal decision today in relation to the eight officers who were convicted of using excessive violence against the six Black youths. Prosecutors initially alleged the crimes were motivated by racism but those charges were later dropped and only one of the officers was sentenced to jail, Reuters reported in English last year. Mr Pereira said the change could only be interpreted as an attempt to influence public opinion to accept a “favorable decision” for the officers. The Public Safety Police (PSP) said there was no different procedure in action in Cova da Moura. You can read about the more vibrant side of the bairro from Reuters in English.
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In brief
'Test to release' scheme will cut England travel quarantine to five days (The Guardian, in English)
European countries believed Germany would always have spare ICU beds for them. Now they're almost full as coronavirus infection numbers hit an all-time record Friday, with nearly 24,000 new daily cases recorded. (CNN, in English)
Portuguese restaurants are ramping up their fight for more government assistance. “Taking away the weekend was the same as killing us.” (Público)
National domestic violence network has sheltered 625 victims in the second wave. Anonymous and confidential help is available free by calling 800 202 148.
Trial of alleged Luanda Leaks hacker Rui Pinto suspended. A judge’s family member tested positive to covid-19.
Number of Brits registered in Portugal soars 111% since Brexit referendum
On a lighter note
So… now there’s a stick-figure potato called Miss Tata whose job it is to promote Portuguese potatoes to the world. I know what you’re thinking, “finally, what took them so long?” The new brand is described as versatile, dynamic, colourful and cheerful and has the job of selling the best Portuguese “earth apples” (yes, I know that’s French/Austrian German, sorry) to France, Spain, Holland, the United Arab Emirates, Slovenia, Angola and even Germany. The project cost about €353,000, mostly from the European Regional Development Fund, Dinheiro Vivo reports.
Source: Miss Tata
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