COVID-19 | Weekly Update
October 2, 2020
Friday, October 2nd | COVID-19 Daily Update
CURRENT OUTLOOK
Six people died in the last 24 hours in Portugal, with 888 newly infected by the new coronavirus.
According to the Portuguese General Directorate of Health (DGS) epidemiological bulletin, released today, there are now a total of 77,284 confirmed cases in the country, with 1,983 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.
It should also be noted that 422 people recovered from the disease, increasing the total number to 49,359.
PANDEMIC IN PORTUGAL
With the end of September, the data reported by DGS confirm for now an increase in cases at a rate higher than what has happened so far: the number of new infections detected in the country has more than doubled in comparison to August.
The population density and mobility are being the most determining factors for the rapid spread of the disease in the region of Lisbon and the Tagus Valley, sustains the coordinator of the response to the disease in this territory.
A global study on causes of death confirms that COVID-19 has already killed almost 2,000 people in Portugal and will be the ninth leading external cause of death in the country, compared to numbers of deaths from other diseases and causes.
Today, the National Health Convention considered that the Autumn-Winter 2020/21 Plan for responding to the pandemic presented by the Government “falls short of the health needs of the Portuguese”.
The Association of Family Medical Practitioners wants to be heard by the Minister of Health, to discuss the difficulties in health centres.
During an official visit to Spain, the Portuguese President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, considered that “the international community has failed” in managing the pandemic.
PANDEMIC IN EUROPE AND THE WORLD
The United Kingdom, which registered 6,914 more cases of the new coronavirus yesterday, is applying new restrictions in the areas most affected by the pandemic, but the measures are not being well accepted in the cities covered, such as Liverpool.
There is a fear of a further rise in unemployment and also that mental problems will increase due to isolation.
This stalemate also happens in Spain, between the central government and the regional government of Madrid.
Yesterday, Finland surpassed the 10,000 confirmed cases since the beginning of the pandemic, which, according to the authorities, is in the full acceleration phase, for which the Government announced new restrictions and recommended wide use of face masks.
Cornell University researchers concluded, based on an analysis of 38 million articles, that the President of the USA “was probably the biggest transmitter in the ‘infodemia’, an epidemic of disinformation”.
Donald Trump and the U.S. first lady contracted the new coronavirus after a presidential adviser was diagnosed positive yesterday. The President’s doctor says he expects Trump to continue to perform his duties without interruption during his recovery.
The Brazilian Government yesterday issued a provisional measure for the creation of sanitary barriers in indigenous areas to avoid the contagion and the spread of the new coronavirus among the native population. According to the latest epidemiological bulletin, the country recorded 728 deaths and 36,157 cases of the new coronavirus in just 24 hours.
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has requested an “immediate injection” of $ 15 billion into ACT-Accelerator, a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative to buy and distribute vaccines against COVID-19.
MEDICAL PROGRESS
The European Medicines Agency started yesterday the evaluation of the vaccine produced by AstraZeneca against COVID-19. However, even if an effective vaccine is developed in the coming months, life will not return to normal before next spring, concluded a study carried out by researchers at the Royal Society.
High fever, body aches, severe headaches, and tiredness are just some of the symptoms that five volunteers from two of the main vaccine tests against the new coronavirus – from Moderna and Pfizer – said they felt after getting the injections. A study by ophthalmologists at Hospital Clínico San Carlos de Madrid also points out that conjunctivitis may be the first symptom of infection by the disease.
North-American company Koniku is developing robots that can detect COVID-19 infections more quickly than conventional tests. The technology joins neurons with a silicon chip and the result is a “smell detector” capable of identifying odours ranging from explosives to pathogens.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
The Secretary of State for Tourism estimates a 50% to 60% drop in tourist revenue in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after 2019 closed with revenues of 18 billion euros.
In the auto sector, according to ACAP (car dealers association) data, car purchases registered the least sharp drop in September, year on year, since the pandemic was declared.
NOVA IMS and COTEC Portugal have made available, since yesterday, through the “COVID-19 Insights dashboard”, the first monthly unemployment forecasts in Portugal by region and municipality. The national rate is expected to reach 10.2% by the end of the year.
The Regional Government of Madeira yesterday approved the creation of a “supplemental support” to companies in the archipelago, called Garantir +, of two million euros, to assist in the “progressive resumption of activity” in the face of the pandemic crisis.
The International Monetary Fund indicates that this year, debt is expected to rise by 17% of GDP in advanced economies, 12% in emerging economies, and 8% in low-income countries.
According to data released today by Eurostat, the savings rate of households in the Eurozone reached, in the second quarter, the highest value and the lowest investment rate since the beginning of the series, in 1999.
In the US, the recovery of the labour market appears to be stagnating slightly, at a time when more than 11 million people continue to benefit from federal unemployment support.
FINANCIAL MARKETS
The Portuguese stock exchange opened today in a fall, with the PSI-20 stock index devaluing 1.04% to 4,063.57 points, and with all listed in red.
In Europe, the scenario is identical, with all indexes losing more than 1%, after the President of the United States announced that he tested positive for COVID-19.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange fell 0.67% at the closing of the session, with the Nikkei reaching 23,029.90 points.
Brent’s barrel price for December delivery opened today in the London market with a 2.71% drop to less than $ 40. The price of WTI fell 2.89% before the formal opening of the market, to $ 37.5.
