COVID-19 | Weekly Update
June 11, 2021
Friday, June 11th | COVID-19 Daily Update
CURRENT OUTLOOK
Portugal registered, in 24 hours, one more death and 519 new people infected with COVID-19, according to the epidemiological bulletin of the Portuguese General Directorate of Health (DGS).
Data released today show that the number of deaths has risen to 17,044, while confirmed cases went up to 855,951.
The number of people recovered also increased by 295, to a total of 814,318.
THE PANDEMIC IN PORTUGAL
The Portuguese Government has previously set the country’s next phase of deconfinement for June 14th, but, in the end, the new rules communicated by the Minister of the Presidency, Mariana Vieira da Silva, entered into force today, according to a resolution published in the “Diário da República”.
As of June 7th, only 1,739 citizens had indicated that they had taken a self-test to COVID-19 on the public portal, made available for this purpose since May 20th. According to data provided by the Ministry of Health, of these 1,739 records, 156 had a positive result and 24 were inconclusive. The data also shows that 1,491 indicated having performed a self-test.
Professionals working in health centres demand greater articulation with hospitals and even with private health institutions to relieve primary care from COVID-19 tasks, which continue to hinder the follow-up of other users and to overlook other health conditions, such as chronic diseases.
Meanwhile, Lisbon and Tagus Valley region continues to be the ones with the most cases of COVID-19 in Portugal. According to DGS, there are nine outbreaks in the region. They are related to birthday parties, weddings, and other social events. The increase in cases is already having an impact on hospital admissions. The Curry Cabral Hospital, in Lisbon, is already an example of this. The director of the Infectious Diseases Service, Fernando Maltez, reports an average hospitalization of five people each day.
THE PANDEMIC IN EUROPE AND THE WORLD
The leaders of the richest countries of the G7 group will donate to poor countries 1 billion doses of vaccines against COVID-19 to “end the pandemic” in 2022, announced the British presidency of that group.
The current level of vaccination in Europe is not enough to prevent a new wave of the pandemic, warned the European unit of the World Health Organization (WHO), which urged countries to avoid “the error” that caused the increase in cases in the summer of 2020. The WHO also warned that autumn could bring a new wave of COVID-19 to Europe. One of the culprits is the Indian variant. The WHO stated that there is evidence, albeit early, that this strain can escape the immunity induced by the vaccine, especially after the first dose.
Brazil registered, in 24 hours, 88,092 more positive cases and 2,504 deaths associated with COVID-19, informed the National Council of Brazilian Health Secretaries. However, President Jair Bolsonaro said yesterday that the face mask will no longer be mandatory for citizens who are already vaccinated or for those who have been infected.
In Europe, the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 cases in seven days in Germany is 18.6 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants. Health authorities reported 2,440 new infections and 102 deaths within 24 hours.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
The G7 summit will discuss measures for a “fairer, more sustainable and inclusive economic recovery that responds to the unique challenges” that we are currently living, announced the US presidency. US President Joe Biden and the leaders of the Group of the Seven have agreed to continue their policies in support of the global economy “as long as necessary” to create a “strong and balanced” recovery, according to a White House statement.
The European Central Bank (ECB) is more optimistic about the evolution of the economy in the Eurozone than it was in March. The new projections for 2021 and 2022 have been revised upwards, and now the institution led by Christine Lagarde, in the base scenario, forecasts that the euro economies will grow 4.6% in 2021, against the previous forecast of 4.0%. For next year, the forecast GDP growth is now 4.7%, compared to 4.1% in March.
UK GDP grew 2.3% in April from the previous month, but is 3.7% below the pre-pandemic level, reported the Office for National Statistics. The services sector, considered the main economic pillar of the country, grew 3.4%, while the industrial sector advanced 0.3%, but construction fell 2%.
The US inflation rate in May rose 0.6% compared to April and 5% compared to the same month in 2020, announced the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The US central bank has turned down inflationary pressures in the country due to the extraordinary fiscal stimulus implemented and increased demand as restrictions are lifted by the improving pandemic in the country.
The civil aviation industry has called for an end to all restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on summer travel within the EU, according to a statement by the Airlines For Europe platform. Airlines are also advocating the re-establishment of connections with the US and the UK.
FINANCIAL MARKETS
The Portuguese stock exchange opened on a high today, with the PSI-20 rising 0.13% to 5,111.04 points. Of the 18 listed stocks that make up the main national index, ten were up, four were down and four were unchanged.
The main European stock exchanges opened higher today after the ECB maintained the monetary policy and the release of May inflation in the US, the highest since 2008.
The EuroStoxx 600 advanced 0.24% to 455.65 points, while that the London, Frankfurt, and Paris stock exchanges rose 0.47%, 0.33%, and 0.02%, as well as those in Madrid and Milan which rose 0.54% and 0.02%, respectively.
Global oil demand is recovering at a strong pace in June and is expected to continue to grow in the coming quarters reaching pre-crisis levels at the end of 2022, said the International Energy Agency.
