COVID-19 | Weekly Update
August 7, 2020
Friday, August 7th | COVID-19 Daily Update
CURRENT OUTLOOK
There are 290 new cases of people infected by COVID-19 in Portugal in the last 24 hours, according to the DGS epidemiological report; confirmed cases are now 52,351.
Since yesterday, DGS registered three more deaths, adding to a total of 1,746 fatalities in the country.
In the same period, 247 people recovered from the disease, increasing the total number to 38,087.
PANDEMIC IN PORTUGAL
The evolution of the pandemic announced yesterday showed the highest number of new cases and fatalities in recent days, according to the DGS bulletin.
The nursing home of Reguengos de Monsaraz, where an outbreak of COVID-19 killed 18 people, did not comply with DGS guidelines. The conclusion is of the Portuguese Medical Association, which holds the administration responsible. In Torres Vedras, the number of people infected at the nursing home Nossa Senhora da Luz increased yesterday to 72.
DGS admits that Australia may serve as a reference for what to expect in the winter, and local or regional confinements are not put aside for when autumn comes. Manuel Carmo Gomes, one of DGS’s consultants, confirms that the opening of schools in September may exacerbate the problem.
PANDEMIC IN EUROPE AND THE WORLD
The World Health Organization (WHO) criticized the “nationalism of vaccines” for COVID-19, saying that any country will have economic and health benefits if the rest of the world recovers from the pandemic.
The multiplication of new outbreaks of COVID-19 is causing alarm in Spain, where the highest number of cases occurred since the lifting of the confinement – 1,772. The situation is considered “uncontrolled” in the region of Aragon.
Brazil registered 1,237 deaths related to the disease in the last 24 hours, and it may surpass the 100 thousand victims until tomorrow. Despite the numbers, Jair Bolsonaro said he is “with a clear conscience” about his role in the fight against the pandemic.
In Mexico, the number of deaths has already exceeded 50 thousand.
In the USA, at a time when more than 158 thousand deaths and more than 4.8 million cases are counted, Los Angeles advances with a radical measure to end the organization of home parties: cut off the water and the energy supply of houses.
Today, India has surpassed two million cases since the beginning of the pandemic, according to official data from the Ministry of Health. In the last 24 hours, the country recorded 62,585 new infections, in addition to 886 deaths.
Months later, those who may have been some of the first COVID-19 patients in Wuhan continue to suffer from lung problems. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the director of the Intensive Care Unit at Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, which raises concerns about the long-term consequences of the disease. Additionally, in some cases, the loss of smell “may be permanent”, indicates a study carried out by the Hospital das Clínicas of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo.
MEDICAL PROGRESS
Some researchers indicate that perhaps immunity based on mechanisms other than antibodies could stop the epidemic.
According to a recent study, it is very likely that many people are immunized without being detected in serology. On the other hand, another study, published in “Cell”, indicates that the most severe cases of COVID-19 may not result in a more robust reaction of the immune system.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
Companies with a break in sales of 40% or more can now ask Social Security for the new extraordinary support for the gradual resumption of activity, a measure that follows the simplified layoff and which went into effect yesterday. Workers who have been on layoff for more than 30 consecutive days, but without completing a calendar month, will also receive the stabilization complement, the government clarified yesterday, indicating that the law will change accordingly. This happens after the MDS study showing that almost half of the companies have reduced their activity and a fifth closed or stopped altogether.
On the other hand, data released yesterday by INE refers that, in the quarter ended in June, the regular component of gross monthly remuneration and basic remuneration increased by 2.6% and 3.0%, respectively, although the layoff penalized salaries. The consultant EY estimates that, if there is a second wave of the pandemic in Portugal, the unemployment rate in the country could reach 17.6% at the end of the year.
In the light of COVID-19, the Portuguese government granted a moratorium on direct loans granted to Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe. The information was released today in a joint statement from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Finance.
The pandemic is leading to a multiplication of dismissals of journalists and accelerating the end of the printed press, despite the increased interest in information in times of health crisis. An analysis by the New York Times reveals that 36,000 workers in the area have already been laid off in the United States alone.
FINANCIAL MARKETS
The national stock exchange was this morning in decline for the second consecutive session, with the PSI-20 sliding 0.24%, in line with the negative trend of European counterparts. Yesterday, exchanges on the other side of the Atlantic closed higher, and the star of the session was the technological Nasdaq Composite, which achieved a new closing record and, in intraday trading, a new high ever.
