COVID-19 | Daily Update
June 26, 2020
Friday, June 26th | COVID-19 Daily Update
CURRENT OUTLOOK
The Portuguese General Directorate of Health (DGS) announced today, at the daily press conference, the registration of six more deaths and 451 new infections of COVID-19 in Portugal, meaning that the daily number of confirmed infections is consistently increasing.
The epidemiological report shows that deaths rose from 1,549 to 1,555 while the number of infected people increased from 40,415 to 40,866.
The number of people recovered increased from 26,382 to 26,633, 251 more than yesterday.
PANDEMIC IN PORTUGAL
Regarding the actions against COVID-19, Portugal will be working at various speeds from the 1st of July, divided between the state of alertness, calamity, and contingency. The division depends on the evolution of contagions observed in the various regions.
So far 19 parishes have returned to the civic duty of confinement, but it is no longer mandatory as in the state of emergency.
According to an analysis by the University of Oxford, Portugal registered the 12th highest percentage growth last week in an analysis carried out in 45 countries, in a ranking led by the Dominican Republic, Chile, and Germany.
The Lisbon Metropolitan Area managed to reach an agreement with the various private operators of public transports to reinforce the number of buses from July 1st up to 90% of what existed in the period before COVID-19, to allow a larger distance between users.
Health centers in the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region, where the highest number of COVID-19 cases are registered, are only responding to acute illness situations, warns the Independent Doctors Union.
PANDEMIC IN EUROPE AND THE WORLD
The death of children associated with COVID-19 is very rare and occurs in less than 1% of cases, as the disease is usually moderate in that age group, according to a European investigation in which 82 health facilities participated.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said yesterday that he predicted that a vaccine for COVID-19 would be available “within a year” or less, noting that an “advanced stage” trial already exists.
US officials estimated yesterday that the total number of people infected with the new coronavirus in the United States could reach 20 million people, meaning that the vast majority of the population remains at risk of getting infected.
The United States has registered an additional 618 deaths from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, reaching 122,550 deaths since the start of the pandemic, according to a report by Johns Hopkins University.
China diagnosed 13 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, including 11 in Beijing, it was announced today by Chinese authorities. All cases in Beijing are local contagions.
Brazil recorded 1,141 deaths yesterday and the head of state, Jair Bolsonaro, in a broadcast on his Facebook profile, paid tribute to the victims of the pandemic.
Mexico exceeded 200,000 confirmed cases and 25,000 deaths, after registering 6,104 infections and 736 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Germany, on the other hand, registers close to 500 new cases and the contagion rate falls again.
MEDICAL PROGRESS
The volunteers participating in the trial for the vaccine against COVID-19 to be developed by the American laboratory Moderna, had fainting and headaches. The same happened with the vaccine in progress in Russia. The researchers say that conclusions should not be drawn until the end of the tests.
The European Medicines Agency recommends using Remdesivir as a treatment. The use of the drug is indicated for adults and adolescents from 12 years old with pneumonia and who need and receive oxygen.
In April, the first signs appeared that COVID-19 would affect not only the lungs and intestines but also the brain. But scientists now point out that the virus invades the brain and reproduces symptoms in other parts of the body – and not the other way around.
After Oxford University, Imperial College started clinical trials of the COVID-19 vaccine on 300 volunteers.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
There are fewer and fewer parents who resort to support from Social Security to stay at home with their children. In May, there were only 95,000. The school year ends today for the majority of the students and there are still many uncertainties about how the next year will be.
Christine Lagarde recalls that the second wave of COVID-19 may trigger a new economic imbalance in the Eurozone.
The OECD considers that the pandemic is putting development aid at risk. In a study published today, the organization estimates that aid to the poorest countries could fall by 700 million euros, considering that “they will not escape the second wave of poverty”. With citizens confined to their homes, the price of oil fell and electricity use increased considerably, as many companies opted to enforce remote work.
FINANCIAL MARKETS
The Portuguese stock exchange opened higher, with the PSI-20 rising 0.33% to 4,388.16 points. The Portuguese stock exchange is thus back on the green for the second consecutive session, although the accumulated result for the week shows losses. Most of the listed companies, 12, go green, with the rest dividing by red and the waterline.
The main European stock exchanges also continued to rise slightly today, benefiting from the positive closing of the market on Wall Street, which welcomed the reduction of the rules announced against financial speculation.
