COVID-19 | Weekly Update

Friday, May 14th | COVID-19 Daily Update

CURRENT OUTLOOK

Portugal did not register any deaths today. However, it counted 450 new cases of COVID-19, according to data provided by the Portuguese General Directorate of Health (DGS). 

According to today’s epidemiological bulletin, there are currently 841,379 confirmed cases and 16,999 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. 

Regarding recovered patients, 324 more were recorded, which makes the number grow to 802,285.

 

PANDEMIC IN PORTUGAL 

Portugal has now entered the phase of massive vaccination with more than 100,000 daily inoculations, and the vaccination centres have increased the number of hours and days of operation.

Nevertheless, the president of the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medical Doctors, Nuno Jacinto, leaves a warning: “We are solving one problem by creating another” because general practitioners are being diverted from the health centres to vaccination centres.

On the other hand, the group of experts who drew up the deconfinement plan has already submitted a proposal to the Government with the new rules to be applied as soon as all citizens over the age of 60 are vaccinated. 

In this proposal, scenarios are already outlined in which those who have already been vaccinated can be released from the mandatory use of a face mask.

More than 700 people reported 24 results of self-tests positive to the new coronavirus or inconclusive since April 5, according to data released yesterday by the Shared Services of the Ministry of Health.

Also on Thursday, it was learned that the municipalities of Arganil and Lamego will go back to more restrictive measures in the deconfinement process, within the scope of the pandemic, while three other municipalities and one of the parishes of Odemira are advancing, as announced by the government today.

At the same time, the mothers of adults with disabilities who promoted an open letter for the priority vaccination of these citizens against COVID-19 warn that the process is delayed and that the strategy has been erratic in the definition of criteria for this population.

 

PANDEMIC IN EUROPE AND THE WORLD

The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday asked for the multiplication of clinical trials of vaccines and other drugs against SARS-CoV-2. “It is essential to maintain and further promote platforms for large clinical trials around the world”, sustained the director-general of the organization, Tedros Ghebreyesus. 

The European Union has made available 1 million euros of funding in humanitarian aid to reinforce the fight against COVID-19, given the significant increase in the number of cases of the pandemic in East-Timor.

The Government of New Zealand, one of the countries that best managed the pandemic, has committed to sending 1.2 million vaccines against COVID-19 to several countries in the Pacific islands. This is a response to the “ongoing commitment to support Pacific neighbours through the growing challenges that the pandemic is facing in the region,” said Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta.

The seven-day accumulated incidence in Germany fell below 100 new contagions caused by the new coronavirus for every 100,000 inhabitants for the first time in almost two months, with 80,293 new cases in a week. Health authorities also reported 11,336 new contagions in the last 24 hours and 190 deaths.

Regarding the COVID-19 numbers in the last 24 hours, India recorded 4,000 deaths and 343,144 new infections. 

The USA, on the other hand, recorded 818 deaths and 37,319 infected. In addition, approximately 154.6 million people (46.6% of the population) have already received at least one dose of the vaccine against COVID-19.

MEDICAL PROGRESS

The Brazilian National Health Surveillance Agency approved the testing of the Indian vaccine against COVID-19 Covaxin in volunteers in Brazil. The request for the study, phase three, was made by the company Precis Farmacêutica, a partner in Brazil of the laboratory Bharat Biotech International Limited, manufacturer of the vaccine. The research foresees the application of two doses, 28 days apart, and is also being conducted in India, with another 26,300 volunteers, for a total of 30,800 people in the global analysis.

 

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Fitch is expected to comment today on the rating of the Portuguese debt, having already signalled at the end of April that it foresees maintaining the stable outlook of the rating. It should be noted that on April 29th, the same financial rating agency predicted for Portugal a “stable” outlook for the “BBB” rating in the second quarter of this year.

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, declared yesterday he is convinced that the budgets for 2022 and 2023 will pass sustaining that, because of the application of European funds, it is “even more fundamental” for the legislature to come to an end. 

The ISEG Confidence Index reveals that the evolution of Portuguese economic activity in the short term assumed the value of 31.5% in April 2021. This value corresponded to a relevant increase in the level of confidence in comparison to the previous month, in that the index value was 30.3. 

Regarding remote work, it will remain mandatory in mainland Portugal, at least until the end of May. The decision, already communicated to the social partners (Unions and Trade Associations), was confirmed yesterday by the Minister of State and the Presidency, Mariana Vieira da Silva, after the Ministers’ Council.

At the same time, business invoicing in Portugal from card payments reached levels close to the pre-pandemic period in the first week of May, Redunicre announced today. Meanwhile, the restaurant sector reached a growth of 92% in the first weekend of May.

 

FINANCIAL MARKETS

The Portuguese stock exchange was trading on positive ground this morning, with the PSI-20 rising 0.93% to 5,160.83 points.  

Among the main European counterparts, the German DAX advanced 0.48%, the British FTSE 100 gained 0.71%, the French CAC 40 increased 0.80% and the Spanish IBEX 35 added 1%.