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Portugal registered 79 more deaths from covid-19 and 6,049 new cases of infection on Tuesday, according to the epidemiological bulletin of the General Directorate of Health (DGS) this Wednesday. Thus, deaths have increased to 6,830 and the total number of infected has reached 406,051 since the beginning of the pandemic. The number of new infections is the highest since December 5, when the status report reported 6,087 infections detected in the last 24 hours.
This increase in new cases appears just five days after the Christmas season, a period of family reunions and regular gatherings. However, the infectious disease doctor António Silva Graça advises caution when establishing this connection with the festive season, recalling another less visible indicator that may be the basis for this increase in infections.
“We cannot absolutely exclude that there may be a small interference [do Natal]But we must not forget that for almost four days there were almost no tests and that the availability of health professionals to carry out the notification is not the same. So it is likely that it is only the accumulation of cases while they are diagnosed and that there is not a certain relationship, for now, with the Christmas period, “explained the infectious diseases specialist in conversation with the PUBLIC.
In fact, according to data collected by Esri Portugal, a company specializing in the development and supply of information systems, only 8,770 samples were collected on Christmas Day, the lowest number since August. As PUBLIC reported, the demand was higher just before Christmas, with 58,686 on December 23. On the 24th, this figure fell to 33,611, a trend that was repeated on December 26 (19,312) and December 27 (17,137).
António Silva Graça predicts that this trend will repeat next weekend, as a consequence of New Year’s Eve, but assures that it will still be necessary to wait a few days before the call to Christmas can be made safely. As for the number of deaths, which is slowly decreasing, the infectious disease specialist shows some concern, saying that the data for this indicator should have started to decline a long time ago. If this high number of new cases is repeated in the coming days, it may be cause for concern.
“I was hoping this death toll would be lower, but from week to week. It has been kept at a slightly higher number than desired. Don’t forget that [este indicador] it is related to the number of new cases and the size of the curve does not show a decrease in new cases. Yes [os números desta quarta-feira se repetirem mais vezes] I think it is a reason to be concerned. THEIR. It will no longer be reflected, but it is a fact that it will reverse this downward trend, which is being very slow and should have occurred, according to my accounts and calculations, two weeks ago ”, concludes the infectious doctor.
During the afternoon of this Wednesday, António Costa corroborated the opinion of António Silva Graça, saying that it will be necessary to wait until the second week of January to assess the impact of Christmas on the evolution of the covid-19 pandemic. “In the second week of January, we may be able to assess the impact of Christmas,” the prime minister said in remarks after a visit to the Amadora-Sintra Hospital, which inaugurated a new intensive care section.
Central region with maximum of new infections
Wednesday’s bulletin indicates that 2,896 people are hospitalized, 34 fewer than the day before, with 487 in intensive care (one more).
There are another 3,222 people recovered, bringing the country’s total recoveries to 331,016. Excluding these cases and deaths, there are 68,205 active cases in Portugal, 2,748 more than the day before.
Lisbon and Vale do Tejo (2097) and the northern region (2390) concentrate most of the cases identified, with around 74% of notifications on Tuesday. They also account for the highest number of deaths: around 71%, with 31 in the north and 25 in Lisbon and the Tagus valley.
This Wednesday, the Central region had a new daily maximum of registered infections, with 1063. It is the first time that it exceeds a thousand cases in 24 hours, the previous record value being 964 detected on November 27. 12 deaths were also reported. The Algarve also had a daily peak of new cases, at 220, one more than the previous record of 219 cases identified on November 16.
The overall case fatality rate is now 1.69% and increases to 10.3% for patients 70 years and older. It is in this age group where the highest proportion of deaths from covid-19 is found, with 6,017 out of 6,049 (88%).
The North now adds 3,157 deaths in 207,376 cases of infection, both national highs, followed by Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, with 2,377 deaths and 130,938 cases, and the Center, with 980 deaths and 46,306 accumulated infections.
The report reports another nine deaths in the Alentejo and two in the Algarve. Alentejo now accounts for a total of 211 deaths and 10,599 cases (201 more) and the Algarve 71 deaths and 7479 infections (220 more).
Azores and Madeira totaled 47 and 31 new cases, respectively, and there is no record of additional deaths on Tuesday. Since March, Madeira has had 12 deaths from covid-19 and 1,557 cases; the Azores are responsible for 22 deaths and 1,796 infections.
