COVID-19 | Daily Update

Wednesday, April 11th | COVID-19 Daily Update

CURRENT OUTLOOK

According to the Portuguese General Directorate of Health (DGS), the epidemiological situation in Portugal has evolved in the last 24 hours to 15.987 confirmed infected, 515 more than yesterday (growth rate of 3.3%, one of the lowest since the beginning of the outbreak in Portugal).

There are now 470 deaths in the country due to the new coronavirus, 35 more than yesterday (growth rate of 8%).

There are 1175 people hospitalized, 233 of which in intensive care units.

The number of recovered cases is now of 266.

 

PANDEMIC IN PORTUGAL

António Costa gave an interview to LUSA (Portuguese news agency) in which he revealed that “it is very important to start preparing now for the future and the post-crisis”, but guaranteed that there will be no more austerity due to the aid from the European Stability Mechanism. The Prime Minister stated that in the next school year there will be universal access to the Internet and computer equipment for students in basic and secondary education. And he criticized once again the Netherlands, stating that “perhaps one cannot respond to a challenge of this nature with 19 member states, because there is at least one country in the Eurozone that resists understanding that sharing a common currency implies share a common effort”.

The Portuguese President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, is preparing to send to the Government next Wednesday the text to renew the state of emergency, which should be extended until May 1st, but without the restrictions that are in force until next Monday and that was introduced to prevent the Portuguese from taking advantage of the Easter season to move around.

Several mayors are outraged by the Ministry of Health’s decision that allegedly prevents local health delegates from giving mayors daily information on the evolution of the pandemic in each of the municipalities.

The Portuguese Armed Forces are not surprised by the response of 7.800 civilians to the invitation to be volunteers. 60 of them have already been called, mostly from the health area and for hospital support.

 

PANDEMIC IN EUROPE AND THE WORLD

The pandemic caused by the new coronavirus has already killed around 103.000 people worldwide and infected more than 1.700.770 in 193 countries and territories, according to a balance released by French news agency France-Presse. 

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control mentions, in a report of April 8th, that the use of masks in the community should be considered as a complementary measure in the fight against the pandemic, especially in closed spaces. 

Spain has registered 510 deaths in the last 24 hours due to the new coronavirus, the lowest number since March 23rd and the Government will advise the use of a face mask for those travelling on public transports starting next Monday. 

In Germany, the Robert Koch Institute reported that cases rose 4.133 in just one day to a total of 117.658 and the number of people cured increased by 3.300 to a total of 57.400.

According to the latest count by Johns Hopkins University, there are already 500.399 infected with the new coronavirus in the United States, making it the country with the most confirmed cases.

China and Venezuela will expand bilateral cooperation to prevent the pandemic, after a conversation between the presidents of both countries, in a move already been criticized by the U.S. head of state, Donald Trump.

Google and Apple announced a partnership to develop software that allows digital tracking of people who have been close to others infected with the new coronavirus.

 

MEDICAL PROGRESS

The international scientific community converges in one position: countries should carry out serological tests on those who have been in contact with the virus, which determines what percentage of people in a given state are most protected from the virus.

The Portuguese director-general of Health, Graça Freitas, assumes that the BCG vaccine may have a “protective effect” in the population against the new coronavirus, however, she doubts the scientific validity of the study that indicates it.

Another study at a field hospital in Wuhan reveals that the new coronavirus can contaminate both surfaces and air near contaminated patients, within a four-meter radius, but it was not possible to conclude whether the amount of virus present in a sneeze or a sick person’s breath can infect someone at that distance. The main way of spreading the new coronavirus is the relatively large droplets produced when coughing or sneezing.

 

ECONOMIC IMPACT

The European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, congratulated the Eurogroup and its leader, Mário Centeno, on the “crucial” agreement reached, and guarantee that the European executive board “will respond” to the creation of the recovery fund.

The Entrepreneurial Confederation of Portugal, on the other hand, considers that the conclusions of the Eurogroup “fall short of the scale of the problem” and urged the Portuguese Government to “take concrete measures” and “continue to demand greater involvement” from the EU in responding to the consequences of the pandemic.

The Portuguese private health sector is preparing to charge the NHS for the cost of hospitalization, tests, and examinations performed on each patient with the new coronavirus.

The pandemic has led governments to adopt extraordinary measures that continue to increase and which, according to International Monetary Fund director-general Kristalina Georgieva, already amount to 7.3 billion euros.

The IMF approved a loan to Tunisia of US$ 750 million to support the economy in the face of the pandemic.

 

FINANCIAL MARKETS

The week was shorter but very positive for the stock exchanges, which continue to move away from the lows set in March, with investors confident that the pandemic will begin to slow down and that stimulus from governments and central banks will allow a less serious recession.

Wall Street stood out in gains among major stock exchanges, with the S&P500 achieving a double-digit gain, the strongest in 46 years.

The Portuguese stock index PSI-20 rose for the third consecutive week, advancing more than 5% in four sessions, which allowed to reduce losses this year to less than 20%.