Supermarkets, short walks and other curfew exceptions // Calls for light symptoms like sore throat to spark testing, isolation
Portuguese news in English on November 11, 2020.
By the numbers
Another 82 covid-19 patients have died in Portugal, the most in a single day. We’ve seen more than 45 deaths almost every day this month but there are a couple of bright spots. Yesterday, the number of active cases (1040 fewer) dropped for just the third time since August and there were nine fewer people in intensive care than the previous day. Unfortunately both of those milestones were overturned today, but we have to take the wins where we can get them at the moment. Perhaps more importantly, mathematical epidemiology expert Óscar Felgueiras says models show the increase in daily case numbers appears to be slowing in the North, Diário de Notícias reports. The central model predicts a stabilisation at about 3000 new cases a day in the region this and next week as hospitals face serious pressure.
Source: DGS
Supermarkets, short walks and other curfew exceptions
I have a few more curfew exceptions to add to what I shared on Sunday. You can go to supermarkets and other shops to buy hygiene products or food for yourself or your pet. You can also take short walks to get some fresh air, by yourself or with people you live with. There’s also more clarity on the other measures enabled by the state of emergency. You can have your temperature checked on the way into work (assuming you can’t work from home), public institutions, places of education, culture, sport and commerce, transport, residential structure, medical establishments and prisons. You can be blocked from entering if you refuse or your temperature is above 38ºC but the measurement can’t be recorded and linked to your identity without your permission. On a similar subject, workers, students and visitors to schools, care homes and prisons can be subjected to a SARS-CoV-2 test. There’s also more detail around which government workers can be roped in to help with contact tracing but it’s unlikely to affect you directly. If you have any more specific queries, the full decree is here on the Electronic Republic Diary but it hasn’t been translated into English yet. The curfew runs from 11pm to 5am on weekdays and from 1pm (yes, that’s 13h) on Saturdays and Sundays, for at least the next two weekends.
Calls for light symptoms like sore throat to spark testing, isolation
A group of researchers from the National School of Public Health have called for health authorities to widen their testing criteria to include all respiratory symptoms, Público reports. Currently, the Directorate-General of Health anyone with a cough, fever, difficulty breathing or a loss of smell or taste to be suspected of having covid-19. But Vasco Peixoto, André Vieira, Pedro Aguiar and Alexandre Abrantes argue light symptoms such as a headache, runny or blocked nose, sore throat and muscle pain should also be taken into account, as happens in some other European countries. That change could be combined with recommendations for short self-isolation periods for those with light symptoms, they argue in the opinion piece published on the NOVA University's Barometro covid-19 site. The researchers, who have been producing regular quick turnaround work throughout the pandemic, say at this point in the pandemic, anyone with respiratory symptoms of any sort should suspect they have covid-19, limit their contacts and be tested. Without the change, more general restrictions could fail to control the pandemic, they warn.
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Simple infographics to better understand the pandemic
I’ve come across some great infographics in the past few weeks but for pretty obvious reasons they don’t translate particularly well to the newsletter. So instead, I’ll share links to three that do a really good job of explaining how the coronavirus spreads and what you can do to protect yourself and others.
The first one, from the New York Times shows how and why masks work. Yes, I know you’ve heard this a million times but this one is super clear and is sure to give you some new information. The timing is good as the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has just updated its advice to acknowledge data suggesting masks help protect the wearer, not just those around them.
The second, from Público shows how an outbreak quickly spread from one sick electrician who spent only one day on a Lisbon hotel renovation project to 45 others, mainly thanks to sharing car rides, mealtimes and not wearing masks. There are also examples of the spread in a factory and a nursing home. You’ll have to use your browser to translate to English.
Source: Público
This one, from El Pais, in English, highlights how much more easily the virus spreads indoors, particularly over longer periods of time.
Source: El Pais
And the last one, a tweet thread from virologist Dr Ian Mackay at the University of Queensland, explains why thinking about the overall risk of everything we do is so important. Outside of completely isolating yourself from society, there’s no one perfect protection measure. They all layer on top of each other to help make you safer.
Source: Ian Mackay and UQ News
In brief
Results suggest Pfizer vaccine is more than 90% effective. The results are preliminary and much is left unknown. (New York Times, in English)
Rapid tests: Nursing homes and school wait for information as businesses consider using them. The state of emergency gives many places the power to require rapid testing but there is no uniform approach. (Público)
Number of Portuguese buying online doubles, putting pressure on express delivery. Businesses are expecting a 30-50% boost in the number of deliveries as Black Friday and Christmas arrive. (Público)
'The Economist' says Portugal will not have a quick recovery, but should avoid banking or sovereign crisis. The Economist Intelligence Unit outlook assumes the European Central Bank keeps interest at 0% until 2025 and warns austerity won’t be an option after the pandemic. (Diário de Notícias)
On a lighter note
Today I bring good news for feet. Reuters reports, in English, that without weddings, nightclubs and other formal occasions, fewer people are buying the expensive, slightly uncomfortable leather shoes those situations demand. So some Portuguese factories have adapted by making the switch to more comfortable footwear. Think spongy soles or casual shoes better suited to that quick walk to the shops or to get a coffee. Of course, all this stems from shrinking orders for shoemakers, which isn’t so great. But comfy shoes are at least one positive, as are companies such as ToWorkFor seeing potential to expand into new areas. “The pandemic opened our horizons,” said the company’s head of marketing, Orlando Andrade.
Please keep sharing on Facebook, in real life and anywhere else you see people a bit confused by the latest news.