Marta Temido admits that Portugal can “exceed the records of infected” due to Ómicron | Covid-19
The Minister of Health, Marta Temido, said this Wednesday that Portugal can “beat the record of infected people” due to the high transmissibility of the Ómicron variant. According to yesterday’s epidemiological bulletin, 8937 more cases of covid-19 infection were recorded, the highest number since February. Although the impact of this new variant on the severity of the disease is not yet known, the minister warns that the country “is on the way to a complex situation”.
“We are with a lot of uncertainty and ignorance. The transferability that the experts pointed out is being confirmed. What we need now is to know the effect that a new variant has on the disease and there is no way to escape immunity”, said Marta Temido in an interview with RTP 1, adding that “there is still no data on infection due to the sequence of hospitalized patients”. This means that it is still not possible to determine among the hospitalized who is infected by the new variant, which by the end of this year will be the dominant one in Portugal.
“It’s inconsistent to admit that we can be wearing a mask at a nightclub”
On the most recent set and anti-covid measures presented by the Government, which determined the closing of discotheques and discoveries and the anticipation of the containment period, an executive ministry that “despite our being further behind the United Kingdom and Denmark [no que toca à evolução da nova variante], this variant appropriates itself very quickly ”and in this context of uncertainty the “Government had to take measures”.
Asked about the fact that it was decided to close the clubs, allowing parties to be held in hotels or restaurants, Marta Temido admits that “the decision may sound contradictory”, requesting, however, that the population “focus more on contacts from the that in the contradictions between measures. “It is inconsistent to admit that we can be wearing a mask in a disco. If this measure were announced, how would people be making fun of it”, added Governaste.
Faced with the possibility of aggravation of containment measures, such as resuming the mandatory use of masks in the street, similar to what already happens in Spain, Marta Temido recalls that Portugal was one of the countries that, despite having a high vaccination rate, adjusted measures of containment. “We have to balance individual effort. There is a more dangerous virus than covid-19. It’s the lack of adherence virus”, he said, recalling that there are three important assumptions to face this new phase of the pandemic: “ vaccinate, test and manage contacts ”.
Portugal is in a “difficult context with means included”
Regarding the NHS’s capacity to respond to the new increase in cases, the Ministries of Medical Health said that “all the contracts that were made are thought of”, pointed out to 400 beds that were contracted with the private sector and the reinforcement that was planned in the teams tracking.
Not that it can be a period of greater pressure on hospital emergencies, Marta Temido urges the population to, whenever possible, use the NHS 24 before going to the emergency room. Also on Wednesday, but in a statement to TVI, a ministry confirmed that it was activated “the mechanism to allow more explored available on line and with the possibility of issuing prescription tests” of screening to covid-19.
The SNS 24 line surpassed this Wednesday morning to 40 thousand calls.
There will be booster vaccinations before the New Year
PÚBLICO reported that around 2,053,573 Portuguese aged 50 or over have yet to be vaccinated with a booster dose. Portugal is even at a level below the European average. Data known after the Government announced that the vaccination centers will stop for a few days until the New Year. About the interruption, the minister explained that, in addition to saving the effort of health professionals accomplished in the process, “these are days when people tend to stay more at home or hang out with their family.”
In addition, on break days, there will be a reinforcement in the vaccination process. ”We have resources that must be managed with great rationality and human resources are the most precious resource. In the vaccination course, the decision was to make two interruptions”, he said.