‘We won’t have a normal summer’, vaccine chief says // PM wants lockdown extended
Portuguese news in English on Wednesday, February 10, 2021.
By the numbers
Well it’s been three really promising days in a row for new cases with 3508 on Sunday, 2505 on Monday and 2583 yesterday. That’s a massive reduction from the string of days in the low-to-mid teens from about the middle of January. Monday was also the first day with fewer than 200 covid-19 deaths since January 19, which is obviously a good thing but also highlights just how devastating this third wave has been and continues to be. The pressure is slowly coming off hospitals but, with the exception of a few worse days last week, ICUs are as full as they’ve ever been.
‘We won’t have a normal summer’, vaccine chief says
Portugal’s new vaccine taskforce head says 100,000–150,000 people can be vaccinated a day once shortages are overcome but we’re not on track to have a “normal summer”, Lusa reports. Vice-Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo said that number could double on weekends but was only likely to jump to 80,000 or so in the second quarter of the year, up from about 22,000 currently. The slow arrival of vaccines into the country means the first phase of vaccinations will likely continue until April but Admiral Gouveia e Melo says the country is still on track to vaccinate 70% of the population by the end of August and everyone by the end of the year, Público reports. He said almost 300,000 people had received one vaccine dose and a little more than 100,000 were fully vaccinated. The Directorate-General for Health has stated its position on the AstraZeneca vaccine approved throughout Europe: it should only be used on those over 65 when no other vaccines are available. The decision is not based on any ill effects but a lack of data about effectiveness in that age group.
PM wants lockdown extended
The Prime Minister says the lockdown is working and wants to see it extended in the face of the severity of the pandemic still underway, Lusa reports. Confinement was having an effect both on the number of cases and the pressure on the National Health System (SNS), António Costa said, after meeting with scientists at Infarmed, the National Authority of Medicines and Health Products to discuss the pandemic. Diário de Notícias reports that the government has been careful not to give any signs of relief or create expectations as it prepares this week to renew the state of emergency and maintain current restrictions until the end of February. Lusa quotes Health Minister Marta Temido saying they should last until the middle of March, aiming for a reduction of covid-19 patients in ICU to below 200 (currently more than 800) and fewer than 60 cases per 100,000 people over 14 days (currently more than 1000).
Push for free rapid tests to help reopening
A prominent epidemiologist argues free or easily accessible rapid coronavirus tests should be a key plank of a reopening strategy built on mass testing, Público reports. Professor Manuel Carmo Gomes says the public should be incentivised to use the antigen tests, which are less reliable but much cheaper and faster. That leads to the secondary problem of contact tracing, which the Health Minister said was the real bottleneck, not testing capacity. The epidemiologist’s response is simple: “I ask: what’s cheaper? Invest in this properly or stay locked down for weeks?” Professor Carmo Gomes argues the test positivity rate (currently a concerning 15% — essentially the higher that number is the more likely lots of cases aren’t being detected) should be taken into account when reopening. Both the Prime Minister and Health Minister have thrown their support behind a major investment in mass testing.
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In brief
China scores a public relations win after WHO mission to Wuhan. Global health agency experts endorsed critical parts of Beijing’s narrative, even some parts independent scientists question.
Maskless man who refused to return home sentenced. He was sentenced to six months in jail, substituted for 180 hours of community service. (Público)
Israel shows vaccines work, but have limits. Even with a quarter of the population fully vaccinated and a lockdown only just lifting, there are still more than 6000 cases a day.
Chef Vitor Sobral estimates cost of maintaining 80 employees at €600,000–€700,000. He warns of massive problems for the industry if announced financial aid doesn’t arrive soon.
On a lighter note
It turns out a lot of people want to get on a Zoom call with the GOAT. No, I’m not talking about Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Tom Brady, Serena Williams or even Australian off-spinner (it’s a complicated cricket thing that’s probably not worth googling) Nathan Lyon. These are actual goats like Lola, Lulu and Sebastien of Cronkshaw Fold Farm. Dot McCarthy told BBC News she was (I’m so sorry) half kidding when she suggested charging £5 for a goat to butt in on a Zoom call but it had paid off to the tune of £50,000.
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