[ad_1]
Portugal breaks a new record for new cases in 24 hours. Another 3,270 infections and 16 deaths were confirmed due to the covid-19 pandemic. According to the Minister of Health, Marta Temido, that “this number of cases will continue to increase in the coming days.”
According to the epidemiological bulletin of the General Directorate of Health (DGS) this Thursday (October 22), in total, since the pandemic began, there have been 109,541 infected, 64,531 recovered (plus 1,293) and 2,245 deaths in the country.
At this time, there are 42765 active patients to be followed by the health authorities, 1,961 more than yesterday.
Most of those infected in the last 24 hours are in the northern region (plus 1954 – 59.8% of the total) and in Lisbon and the Tagus Valley (936 – 28.6%). They are followed by the center (plus 281), Alentejo (56), Algarve (28), Madeira (12) and the Azores (three).
The Minister of Health said, at the end of the Council of Ministers meeting, that this increase in cases “corresponds to what we were predicting”, which is in line with the epidemiological situation “of all the countries of the European Union” and which is expected to worsen in the coming days. “Even an effective vaccine or treatment is safe from getting sick,” recalled Marta Temido.
So far, the maximum number of daily cases reported had been last Friday, October 16, when there were 2,608 infections, followed by this Wednesday (2,535).
The RT indicator (risk of transmission of the virus over time) goes to 1.26 at the national level, according to calculations by the Doutor Ricardo Jorge National Health Institute (INSA), carried out between October 12 and 16. The region where this parameter is highest is Centro (1.38) and where it is lowest in Lisbon and Vale do Tejo (1.17).
Day with more hospitalized
This Thursday 1 365 patients are hospitalized, that is, 93 more than the previous day. This is the highest number of hospitalizations since the pandemic began in the country. Not even at the peak of April, when 1,302 covid patients arrived in hospitals, were there so many hospitalizations.
Already there are now 200 people in intensive care – 13 more than the day before. You have to go back until April 23 to find a greater number of critically ill patients in the hospital. It was 204 at the time.
Today’s DGS bulletin also indicates that health authorities are monitoring 55,809 contacts of infected people (73 less than yesterday).
Most deaths between the north and Lisbon and the Tagus valley
The 16 deaths registered in the last 24 hours are divided between the northern regions (seven more), Lisbon and Vale do Tejo (six), the center (two) and Alentejo (one).
The country’s overall death rate is now 2%, reaching 11.5% in the case of people over 70 years of age, the main fatalities.
The government prohibits movement between municipalities for 5 days
Due to the evolution of the pandemic, from October 30 to November 3, circulation between municipalities will be prohibited, announced the Minister of the Presidency, Mariana Vieira da Silva, after a meeting of the Council of Ministers this Thursday.
New restrictions were also approved for the municipalities of Felgueiras, Lousada and Paços de Ferreira, where the “duty to stay at home” is effective, except to travel to work or school, for example. It is also prohibited, after midnight, events with more than five people in these municipalities.
In the same press conference, Mariana Vieira da Silva declared National mourning on November 2 in honor of all the victims of the covid-19.
The Health Minister reported that the government authorized the DGS “to make the expenditure in 2020 and 2021 related to the purchase of the drug Veklury with the international common name remdesivir”, the drug indicated for adolescents and adults in the treatment of covid. More than one hundred thousand units will be purchased, Marta Temido indicated.
41.5 million cases worldwide
The new coronavirus has infected more than 41.5 million people around the world as of this Thursday and caused 1,137,687 deaths, according to official data updated at 11:15 a.m. Now there are 30.9 million recovered.
In total, the United States of America is the country with the highest concentration of cases (8,585,748) and deaths (227,419). As for the number of accumulated infected in the world, they are followed by India (7,708,947), Brazil (5,300,649) and Russia (1,463,306). Portugal appears in position 44 in this table.
In terms of deaths, after the United States, Brazil is the nation with the most reported deaths (155,459), followed by India (116,681) and Mexico (87,415).
