Omicron, boosters and jabs for kids // How Portugal is holding up to latest Covid-19 wave
Portuguese news in English on Sunday, December 12, 2021.
By the numbers
Case numbers are still surging but they’re not spiralling out of control with an exponential increase. Deaths, too, are clearly on the increase but we’re still faring much better than this time last year, when we were averaging 78 deaths a day, as opposed to 17. It’s a similar story in hospitals, where there are 964 Covid-19 patients and 143 in intensive care as opposed to 3093 in hospital last year and 503 in ICU. The caveat is that it usually takes weeks for people to get infected, require hospitalisation and die and that we don’t know exactly what the Omicron variant will bring.
Children as young as five to be vaccinated
Children under 12 can be vaccinated against Covid-19 from the weekend of December 18 and 19, Lusa reports. Like other parts of the vaccine rollout, it will start with the 11- and 10-year-olds and get progressively younger, finishing with five-year-olds on the weekend of January 22 and 23. The online booking portal should be open from Monday.
Omicron and boosters
Early analysis from the UK shows the Pfizer vaccine is less effective against stopping symptomatic infections caused by the Omicron variant but a booster lifts protection up to 75%, the BBC reports, in English. Scientists behind the study, which is yet to be peer reviewed, said they expected a two-dose vaccination would still offer good protection against severe Covid-19 requiring hospitalisation. There’s still no word on any plan to roll out booster shots to all adults in Portugal. Almost all of the roughly 40 Omicron cases in the US are only mildly ill, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and about 75% are vaccinated, the Associated Press reports. But that’s a really small number of people and it does take time for severe disease to develop.
How Portugal is holding up to latest Covid-19 wave
The spread of the coronavirus is slowing in Portugal but it’s important to reduce it even further before Christmas, an expert has told Público. Cases were still increasing but the rate of increase had slowed as people’s perception of risk increased and more restrictions were brought in, government adviser Dr Raquel Duarte said on Monday. She said it was important to reach the peak of new cases as quickly as possible to give the health system capacity to respond to an eventual increase in cases after Christmas. On Wednesday, the country’s intensive care units were at 56% capacity, 6% up on last week, Público reports. President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, says he doesn’t expect much to change between now and Christmas, saying that we’re on the path to weakening the pandemic, Público reports. The isolation period for people suspected of being infected by the Omicron variant has been increased to 14 days, up from 10, as a temporary measure until more is known, Lusa reports.
Portuguese fugitive arrested after months on the run
Portugal’s highest profile fugitive has been arrested after fleeing to South Africa. Former banker João Rendeiro was detained on Saturday in a five-star hotel in Durban after several months on the run, Diário de Notícias reports. The whereabouts of the former Banco Privado Português (Portuguese Private Bank) boss had been the subject of much speculation since he disappeared in mid-September from the UK, where had been allowed to travel despite having three multi-year prison sentences hanging over his head, in September. Rendeiro later publicly announced he had no intention of returning to Portugal. Rendeiro has been convicted of 16 crimes related to the 2010 collapse of BPP, which triggered tax fraud, forgery and money laundering investigations, Reuters reports, in English. He will now face a South African court to deal with the question of extradition, there being only a cooperation agreement, not an extradition treaty, between the countries.
If you find this newsletter useful, please help out if you can.
In brief
Brazilian-Austrian living in Portugal since 2009 accuses Lisbon hospital of discrimation based on nationality. Claims when he complained of lower-back pain, doctors called police to search his stools for drugs, none of which were found.
Where people used to park, now they drink beers:What does the future hold for Portugal’s pandemic-inspired terraces? Some local council exemptions are due to end and there’s lots of discussion about how to balance business, walkability and more (Público)
Third SEF inspector sentenced to nine years for killing of Ukrainian citizen in Lisbon airport SEF facility. Had previously been sentenced to seven years for grievous bodily harm, while his two colleagues received nine. (Diário de Notícias)
On a lighter note
It’s that time of year when the world looks to Portugal, specifically to a little beach with a big lighthouse and even bigger waves in the centre of Portugal. Winter’s big swells have kicked off the waiting period for one of the scariest (I think) competitions in the world, the Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge, which could begin as early as tomorrow, depending on conditions. Even before the competition begins, there have already been some massive waves ridden and some terrifying close calls too. You can see more information about the competition on the World Surf League website.
Please keep sharing on Facebook, in real life or anywhere else you see people a bit confused by the latest news.
Então e a mortalidade geral? Baixou, manteve-se ou aumentou?