COVID-19 | Daily Update
June 9, 2020
Wednesday, June 9th | COVID-19 Daily Update
CURRENT OUTLOOK
The number of people infected by COVID-19 in Portugal rose to 35,306 (+1.21%), an additional 421 in the last 24 hours, according to the daily epidemiological report released by the Portuguese General Directorate of Health (DGS).
It is the biggest increase in the number of cases since May 8th.
The data reveal the occurrence of seven deaths from yesterday to today, bringing the total to 1,492 fatalities from the new coronavirus in the country (+0.47%).
Another 183 people joined the number of recovered from the disease in Portugal, which are now 21,339 (+0.87%).
PANDEMIC IN PORTUGAL
In a week with two bank holidays, good weather invites to stroll and the Secretary of State for Health said that the authorities will preserve people’s mobility. However, he defended that there must be civic sense and responsibility.
The Ricardo Jorge Institute warns that since May 14th that the contagion rate in Portugal has remained “above or very close to 1”, a higher value than the registered in some countries that have adopted less stringent containment measures.
The Portuguese Association of Hospital Administrators says that little by little, hospitals are resuming normal activity. But a study by the University of Birmingham reveals that it must take a year to recover the thousands of postponed surgeries in Portugal.
The possible increase in demand for intensive care was one of the reasons that led the Economic and Social Stabilization Program to include a 26 million euro item to invest in strengthening the intensive care response in Portugal.
PANDEMIC IN EUROPE AND THE WORLD
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned yesterday that the pandemic is getting worse in the world despite progress in Europe, indicating that there are over seven million people infected.
The chief technical officer responsible for the response to COVID-19 assumed that the transmission of the disease by patients without symptoms such as fever or cough appears to be “rare”.
In an interview, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed fears that the division between countries, the lack of respect for international guidelines, and the lack of support for world organizations will make it difficult to fight the pandemic.
In the past 24 hours, the US has recorded 450 deaths from COVID-19, the lowest number in the country in two months.
Brazil has been involved in a controversy with the change in the counting methodology, but the Supreme Federal Court has already determined that the Ministry of Health must resume the disclosure of the accumulated data.
The African Union’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention already accounts for 5,334 fatalities and 195,875 infected by the new coronavirus on the continent.
A study by the Imperial College reveals that containment measures taken in 11 European countries prevented 3.1 million deaths and controlled the pandemic.
A Harvard University research deep-dived at symptom research on the internet and hypothesized that the new coronavirus appeared and spread in China before the outbreak was declared.
MEDICAL PROGRESS
The European Medicines Agency received yesterday an application for authorization and conditional entry into the EU market of antiviral Remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19.
Here, the president of the Portuguese Society of Allergology and Clinical Immunology publishes data showing that allergic inflammation can act as a protective barrier against the new coronavirus.
The drug acalabrutinib, from AstraZeneca, showed positive signs in the treatment of hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
A study released in medRxiv reveals that people’s response to COVID-19 may be in DNA and that different blood types can lead to disparate reactions.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
More than half of the Portuguese today have a worse financial situation than they did six months ago, due to the measures adopted by the Government to stop the epidemic of the new coronavirus.
However, the Government is already working to invert this trend and will today approve the Supplementary Budget in the Ministers Council, against the economic shock caused by the pandemic.
Rui Rio has reiterated that the PSD (Social-Democratic Party, opposition) will not be an obstacle to its approval.
The Ministry of Modernization of the State and Public Administration announced that three years from now it wants to have at least 17 thousand civil servants in remote work permanently.
Eurostat data shows that the Portuguese economy contracted 2.3% in the first quarter, the same as the German economy, and in line with the Eurozone average, but it was the seventh country with the biggest drop in GDP growth among EU countries.
The Bank of France estimates that the French economy will drop by about 10% this year.
In Germany, many economists predict that the pandemic could cause the economy in the second quarter to experience the biggest drop since the end of the Second World War.
FINANCIAL MARKETS
The Portuguese Stock Index PSI-20 started today’s session gaining 0.35%, but by mid-morning it had already reversed the trend and was losing 1.35% to 4,535.91 points, in line with the main European counterparts.
At this time, European stock exchanges continued to trade between a 0.61% decline in Paris, 0.81% in London, 1.08% in Frankfurt, and 1.62% in Madrid. The Milan Stock Exchange was still down 2%.
