International COVID-19 Megathread

[Mike88]

Portugal: Police controlling who's on the road but there are some people who don't want to be controlled:
https://twitter.com/olhaoquete2igo/status/1353009184690860038

PS: That car crashed a few kilometres from that place.

[Mike88]

All major European countries now see declining 7-day running case numbers.

Except for Portugal, Spain and France.

In Portugal, the situation is dramatic.

It now has the world’s highest 7-day running death rate too (the UK has fallen from 1st to 2nd).

Yeah, the situation here is very, very bad. Today's numbers are 11,721 new cases, but deaths continue to break record after record, 275 new deaths.

[Mike88]

Portugal: The government admits they could ask for international help and are considering sending some patients to other countries.

Also, the government changed the vaccine program to include government official at all levels, from national to local and they will start being vaccinated next week. However, there's already controversy as some Health workers organizations, like the nurses, refused that government officials should be vaccinated before all the staff in the NHS is vaccinated.

[Mike88]

Germany is already sending medical experts to Portugal because of the out of control outbreak of Covid-19:

https://twitter.com/Reuters/status/1354619015633776645

[Mike88]

Portugal update: The Spain-Portugal border will be closed. New cases and new deaths reached another record: 16,432 new cases and 303 new deaths. Hospitalizations, however, drooped from 6,603 to 6,565.

[Mike88]

https://twitter.com/juliaineurope/status/1355177039616212992

I don't know if anyone has noticed this already, but the classified parts of the #AstraZeneca agreement can be read from Acrobat Reader bookmarks

[Mike88]

It looks like new cases per day *in the entire world* may be consistently falling for the first time since the start of the pandemic?

Italy is doing... not so bad on the COVID statistics front. But of course our government has just collapsed because, hey, this is Italy, and I'm mostly following that thing instead.

Yeah, it seems that the 7-day moving average, at least, is at November 2020 levels. However, the number of new deaths worldwide continues to grow by a lot.

[Mike88]

Seriously, the priorities in my country are just mind boggling:

https://twitter.com/cmjornal/status/1355517545642663936

Society - Pastry workers next to INEM Porto were considered a priority and vaccinated ...

The North INEM delegation included the owners and employees of a pastry shop in Porto in the group of professionals that was vaccinated in the first phase of the vaccination plan.

The entire staff of the establishment, located next door to INEM Porto, has already received two doses of the vaccine. The CM questioned INEM but did not receive an answer.
(...)

[Mike88]

The North INEM delegation included the owners and employees of a pastry shop in Porto in the group of professionals that was vaccinated in the first phase of the vaccination plan.

The entire staff of the establishment, located next door to INEM Porto, has already received two doses of the vaccine. The CM questioned INEM but did not receive an answer.
(...)

It seems that the head of INEM medical services in the North has resigned.

[Mike88]

Austria takes care of Portuguese intensive care patients

On the weekend, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) offered help to Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, whose country was recently hit particularly hard by the rampant corona virus. As the Federal Chancellery announced on Sunday, Austria will take over the care and treatment of Portuguese intensive care patients. The details will be clarified with the Portuguese Ministry of Health.

"The corona pandemic poses massive challenges for all European countries. It is a requirement of European solidarity to help quickly and unbureaucratically in order to save human lives. Austria has already taken in intensive care patients from France, Italy and Montenegro in the pandemic and is now going to do so also accept intensive care patients from Portugal ", stated Kurz. How many patients will be brought to Austria from Portugal is currently being clarified with the Portuguese Ministry of Health.

The situation in Portugal had recently worsened massively. In just one day, 12,435 new infections and 293 deaths were recorded in the country of ten million people. According to the authorities, only seven intensive care beds were available across the country.

Weird. No one is reporting this in Portugal*. Maybe the government will announce it later today. So far, there are already patients being sent to Madeira island, and Germany is also expected to receive Portuguese patients.

Still, thank you Austria!

* P.S.: Update, the media is starting to report the story here.

[Mike88]

Austria takes care of Portuguese intensive care patients

On the weekend, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz (ÖVP) offered help to Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa, whose country was recently hit particularly hard by the rampant corona virus. As the Federal Chancellery announced on Sunday, Austria will take over the care and treatment of Portuguese intensive care patients. The details will be clarified with the Portuguese Ministry of Health.

"The corona pandemic poses massive challenges for all European countries. It is a requirement of European solidarity to help quickly and unbureaucratically in order to save human lives. Austria has already taken in intensive care patients from France, Italy and Montenegro in the pandemic and is now going to do so also accept intensive care patients from Portugal ", stated Kurz. How many patients will be brought to Austria from Portugal is currently being clarified with the Portuguese Ministry of Health.

The situation in Portugal had recently worsened massively. In just one day, 12,435 new infections and 293 deaths were recorded in the country of ten million people. According to the authorities, only seven intensive care beds were available across the country.

Weird. No one is reporting this in Portugal*. Maybe the government will announce it later today. So far, there are already patients being sent to Madeira island, and Germany is also expected to receive Portuguese patients.

Still, thank you Austria!

* P.S.: Update, the media is starting to report the story here.

I think this is a good idea, theoretically.

Practically, I don’t know ...

80-year old with heavy Covid should probably not be transported from the Portugal hospital to the airport, then fly 2.000km and then be transported again to a hospital.

Not sure how complicated this is and if the transport is nasty for the 80+ year old or not.

If the transport is easy, Portugal can send over 30 or 50 or so.

There's still no info on how that will play out, how many patients will be sent to Austria or their ages. Like the report says, the Portuguese government will provide the info, but nothing yet. Also, today, the number of new deaths reached, again, more than 300.

[Mike88]

The German medical staff arrives today in Portugal to help in the fight against Covid, but there seems to be a controversy already. According to the media, the German staff will be sent to a private hospital in Lisbon, that is treating patients from public hospitals, rather than to public hospitals. Only private hospitals said they were willing to receive the German medical staff.

[Mike88]

Portugal update: The number of new cases are starting to fall dramatically. Today, 6,916 new cases were reported. However, new deaths are still very high, 258 new deaths, and pressure on hospitals isn't decreasing: 904 cases in ICU's (+41). But, hospitalizations are decreasing, with today 6,412 patients hospitalized, minus 84 compared with yesterday.

Also, Austria is expected to receive 10 Portuguese patients, but a date is yet to be confirmed.

[Mike88]

Portugal update: New cases continue to drop, with today being reported new 2,583 cases. However, new deaths continue at very high values, about 200 per day. Hospitalizations and patients in ICUs are also dropping considerably. We'll see if this trend continues during the week.

Also, the Portugal-Spain border will continue close until March 1st, and the current lockdown will probably only be lifted during mid March or at the end of March.

[Mike88]

Portugal update:

Aximage poll for JN/DN newspaper and TSF radio on the vaccination plan:

Q1: How do you rate the ongoing vaccination plan against Covid-19?

35% Negative
33% Average
31% Positive
  1% Undecided

Q2: How big is your trust in the government's ability to implement the plan in the defined deadlines?

43% Small
28% Big
27% Average
  2% Undecided

Q3: How big is your trust in the NHS's ability to implement the plan in the defined deadlines?

58% Big
23% Average
18% Small
  1% Undecided

Q4: Should politicians have priority in the vaccination plan?

54% No
46% Yes

Q5: Purchase of vaccines: Should the EU purchase:

The Russian vaccine?

39% Yes
34% No
27% Undecided

The Chinese vaccine?

43% No
33% Yes
24% Undecided

Q6: Do you agree with the statement?: "When a Covid-19 vaccine is available, I will take it":

78% Agree (+16)
12% Disagree (-11)
10% Undecided (-5)

Poll conducted between 17 and 20 February 2021. Polled 822 voters. MoE of 3.40%.

Also, cases continue to drop, as well hospitalizations and ICU's. As of today, there are 72,037 active cases, which compared with exactly a month ago is minus 95,344 cases. Deaths are also drooping and continue well bellow 100 per day.

[Mike88]

Portugal update:

Cases continue to drop and, as of yesterday, only 394 new cases were reported and 34 new deaths. There are currently 68,370 active cases. Hospitalizations seem to have stabilized at around 2,000 but ICU's continue to drop.

Also, 60% of the municipalities are now at the "moderate risk" level, meaning the risk of infection is low (green):
https://twitter.com/cmjornal/status/1366479777612386309

Adding also, the government has extended the time between the 1st and 2nd dose of the vaccine from the previous 21 days to, now, 28 days. The government says this meassure will allow to vaccinate an additional 100,000 people until the end of March.

[Mike88]

Portugal update:

The media is leaking some measures, they say, the government is planning to announce next Thursday, 11 March:

- Shops could start opening on 17 March, but hairdressers will not be authorized to open;
- Students untilthe 6th grade will go back to school in April, while the rest until the 12th grade will only go back in May;
- Restaurants to reopen also only in May;

However, the government announced the purchase of 19 million euros worth of rapid tests for schools and kindergartens.

[Mike88]

Portugal update:

The Prime Minister announced, this evening, the long awaited lockdown end plan. It's a plan that will last almost 2 months, with different parts of the economy opening up in different dates:

15 March:
- Opening of Kindergartens and 1st grade schools;
- Shops by the "the wicket";
- Hairdressers, manicures and similar businesses;
- Bookshops, car shops and real estate;
- Libraries and archives;

5 April:
- Opening of 2nd and 3rd grade schools;
- Handicap social services;
- Museums, palaces, monuments and others;
- Shops up to 200 square meters;

19 April:
- Opening of High-schools and Universities;
- Cinemas, theatres
- All shops and shopping malls;
- Restaurants, bars and cafes until 10pm on weekdays and 1pm on weekends;
- Gyms without group classes and outdoor workouts;
- Weddings and Christenings with 25% capacity;

3 May:
- Opening with restaurants, bars and cafes with no time limits;
- All outdoors activities;
- Gym classes;
- Big outdoors events;
- Weddings and Christenings with 50% capacity;

During the Easter period, it will still be forbidden to travel between municipalities on weekends.

[Mike88]

Portugal: Rapid Covid tests will be up for sale on Pharmacies as of tomorrow:

https://twitter.com/dntwit/status/1370341436604915714

Rapid tests can be purchased at pharmacies starting on Saturday.

Rapid antigen tests for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 will be able to be purchased, as of Saturday, in pharmacies and places of sale of non-prescription drugs, according to an ordinance published this Friday in Diário da República.

Signed by the Minister of Health, Marta Temido, the ordinance establishes "an exceptional and temporary regime for the performance in self-test of rapid antigen tests, intended, by its manufacturers, to be carried out on samples of the internal anterior nasal area".

According to the diploma, the rapid antigen tests covered by the exceptional regime, which lasts six months, can be made available to the units of the health system, for sale in pharmacies and authorized non-prescription drug stores and in other locations to be defined by order of the Ministry of Health.

This approach has also been adopted by other countries, namely Austria and Germany.
(...)

[Mike88]

Portugal has also suspended the Astrazeneca vaccine. This is bad decision in my opinion. Like what President Johnson said, this could, and probably will, undermine the confidence of vaccines but it will create an ever bigger problem because, if I'm not mistaken, the largest purchase of vaccines by the EU was from Astrazeneca. The EU vaccination is a total trainwreck and, in Portugal alone, 173,000 people received the Astrazeneca vaccine and just 2 patients developed blood clots.

Plus, here in Portugal as 1st grade schools opened today, the government announced, just this morning, that all teachers and school staff would be vaccinated next weekend. All of that was now cancelled because of this Astrazeneca decision.

[Mike88]

Portugal: 200 people called to be vaccinated at the same hour in Carnaxide, Lisbon, creating long lines that lasted for hours.

https://twitter.com/pacos_em/status/1374740647245144068

Vaccination against covid-19 caused great confusion at a post in Carnaxide. Where about 200 people were called at the same time.

The vaccination against covid-19 this Tuesday generated great confusion in a post in Carnaxide. Long lines were formed, with hundreds of elderly people outside the sports hall Carlos Queiroz waiting for hours, in the sun and standing.

The confusion continued throughout the morning and employees of the Oeiras City Council, responsible for logistics, ended up distributing water and chairs to the elderly.

The mayor of Oeiras, Isaltino Morais, speaking to SIC on the spot, explained that it was a computer error that mobilized dozens of people who were going to receive the vaccination at the same time.

The executive director of the Grouping of Health Centers Lisboa Ocidental and Oeiras, Rafic Ali Nordin, guaranteed that this situation "will not happen again" on Thursday.

In order to minimize the problem, the vaccination process started to happen manually and more vaccination stations were opened.

[Mike88]

This weekend and the next one, more than 80,000 teachers and school staff to be vaccinated:

https://twitter.com/RTPNoticias/status/1375821158298181632

Throughout the country there are schools or pavilions adapted to the vaccination process.

In total, about 78,700 teachers and staff from pre-school, first cycle and also from the so-called "Full-Time School", which reopened last week, covering the sectors between Saturday and Sunday, are included in this first phase. public and private.

On Wednesday, teachers and non-teachers started receiving the call, via SMS, to receive the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and had a day to answer whether or not they want to be vaccinated. If they have not done so or refuse this vaccine, they lose priority in vaccination.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Education ensured that they would not lose their place if, for any reason, they had not been contacted, advising them to notify the direction of the respective educational establishment, so that the school sends the information to the regional service directorate , "in order to draw up a list and frame the situation (s) in a future vaccination phase".

The vaccination process will take place in three ways: in municipalities where the group of professionals to be vaccinated is less than 250 people, it will be in health centers, in those where vaccination is expected between 250 and 500 people, the process will be carried out in schools and in locations with more than 500 people, the choice fell to Covid Vaccination Centers.

On the first day, the vaccination of teachers will be accompanied by the Prime Minister, António Costa, who will be accompanied by the Minister of Education, Tiago Brandão Rodrigues, at 10:30 in Odivelas.
(...)
After this first phase, the vaccination process for education professionals will continue progressively during the month of April, following the process of lockdown end.

According to the planning of the task-force, professionals from the 2nd and 3rd cycles of basic education and secondary education begin to be vaccinated on the weekend of April 10 and 11, and the process can be prolonged. for more weekends if need be.

In total, the task force plans to vaccinate about 280,000 teachers and non-teaching staff from day care centers to secondary education.

On March 10, the Directorate-General for Health included in the priority groups of phase 1 for the vaccine against covid-19 teachers and non-teaching staff, from the public and private sectors.
(...)

In some vaccination centers, occasional problems of organization or even of registration capacity were registered. The secretary-general of Fenprof was in one of these vaccination posts, in Coimbra. Mário Nogueira applauded the Government's measure, but criticized the delay with which it is being implemented.

[Mike88]

First day of reopening of bars and restaurant terraces in Portugal:

https://twitter.com/tvi24pt/status/1379138125151285253

Covid-19: full terraces on the first day of reopening

[Mike88]

https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1379367965745950720
https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1379417650305118213

And the saga goes on, and on, and on...

[Mike88]

In Portugal, a study found that the AstraZeneca vaccine isn't having much adverse reactions, and in fact it's the Pfizer vaccine that is having more adverse reactions:

1,914,460 vaccines administered; Pfizer - 2.1 reactions reported per thousand doses doses given; AstraZeneca - 1.4 reactions reported per thousand doses doses given; Moderna - 1.2 reactions reported per thousand doses doses given.