Vaccine changes for recently infected and immunocompromised // Next reopening target due this month
Portuguese news in English on Friday, September 3, 2021
By the numbers
Case numbers have fallen slightly over the past week but we’re still averaging about 2100. Deaths are also down slightly but the difference is less than one per day (on average) compared to last week. There are six more people in hospital than this time last week but eight fewer in ICU, in other words, much the same. According to Público, 84.84% of the population has had one vaccine dose and 73.87% is fully vaccinated.
Vaccine changes for recently infected and immunocompromised
A few vaccination changes this week will have major effects but only for a limited number of people. Until two days ago, anyone recovered from covid-19 in the past six months couldn’t be vaccinated but that’s been shortened to three months, Público reports. The change, at a time when the vaccination rate is slowing, should open vaccination centre doors to another 300,000 people. That includes the casa aberta option, which doesn’t require an appointment and has been broadened to allow anyone to be vaccinated anywhere in the country, once they’ve taken a digital ticket. Portugal is now the second-most vaccinated country in the world, behind only the United Arab Emirates, although there are concerns about a lower uptake among kids so far, Público reports. While roughly 80% of 16- and 17-year-olds have already had their first jab, that figure drops with age to about 64% of 12-year-olds.
While Portugal is waiting for advice from the European Medicines Agency on the need for widespread booster shots, health authorities here are now recommending a third dose for the immunocompromised be administered at least three months after the second dose, Diário de Notícias reports. A European Centres for Disease Control director this week told Lusa that while there haven’t been specific studies, approximations comparing the death rate between the current COVID-19 surge and previous waves suggest vaccines have saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
Next reopening target due in second half of September
On top of the obvious benefits of many fewer people getting sick and dying, all those jabs mean one other thing: more freedom. Portugal’s vaccine chief, Admiral Heniqe Gouveia e Melo now expects us to hit that next reopening target of 85% of the population fully vaccinated by the second half of this month, Expresso reports. That figure brings the proper return of bars and nightclubs, the end of capacity limits in most cases and other benefits. But, we’re not there yet, and the director of the National School of Public Health, Carla Nunes, tells Lusa, we should expect case numbers to jump again when kids return to school. She says kids under 12, who can’t yet be vaccinated are “a risk” for transmission but shouldn’t lead to many serious illnesses. While Díario de Notícias reports the requirement to wear a mask outside when social distancing isn’t possible appears set to end on September 12 (not a guarantee, the Assembly of the Republic still might renew the law), Professor Nunes says inside we need to keep wearing masks, keeping our distance, opening windows and washing our hands.
Brothers accused of being part of Islamic State
Two brothers have been arrested in the greater Lisbon area on suspicion of belonging to the Islamic State terrorist organisation, Público reports. The men, 32 and 34, are not suspected of committing any crime in Portugal, only in their homeland of Iraq. That country’s authorities are said to have helped Portugal’s national counterterrorism unit, investigate the men since they arrived in Portugal under a European Union relocation program in 2017. The Immigration and Borders Service (SEF), had refused an application for asylum from one of the brothers in 2019, saying he represented a threat to national security, Diário de Notícias reported. Both men remain in custody.
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In brief
Portugal drops vaccination demand for UK visitors. Several changes to entry requirements to Portugal were made at the start of this month, notably letting in tourists from the US and Brazil, which you can check at Visit Portugal. (The Independent)
Portugal's National Guard (GNR) ran its new €8.5 million mega boat aground at Carcavelos beach. A former high-ranking officer in the Navy, which had complained about the purchase due to its own underfunding and the GNR stepping on its turf, stopped just short of saying “we told you so”. (Diário de Notícias)
European Court of Justice slaps Portugal over massive taxes on used car imports. The taxes, which fail to properly take into account devaluation, were found to violate the EU’s principle of free circulation of goods. (Público)
Europe’s invisible divides: How covid-19 is polarising European politics. An interesting report from the European Council on Foreign Relations.
On a lighter note
Until now, I had failed to realise how big of a deal Lisbon’s Feira de Livros (book fair) is. Yes, there are a ridiculous amount of books, sales and author events but my partner (and newsletter sub-editor) Daniela Sunde-Brown tells me it’s also a fun vibe with music, food trucks and craft beer. Plus, there are actually lots of bilingual, and even English-language editions available, depending on the publisher. It’s on in Parque Eduardo VII until September 12 and goes until 10pm on weeknights and midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. More info here.
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