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According to the ECDC risk assessment, updated and presented this Thursday, the states currently presenting the highest risk are Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Romania and Spain.
The ECDC notes that cases of novel coronavirus infection have risen steadily across the European Union since August, showing that “the measures taken were not always sufficient to reduce or control exposure”, warning that “It is therefore essential that Member States take all necessary measures at the first signs of new outbreaks.”
According to the Center, Non-pharmaceutical interventions such as physical distance, hygiene and the use of masks have been insufficient to reduce or control exposure to the coronavirus..
Still, the agency’s director, Andrea Ammon, noted that, “Until a safe and effective vaccine is available, these measures remain the main public health tool to control and manage outbreaks” of covid-19.
The ECDC divided the Member States into three groups: those with a “stable trend and low risk”, those with a “worrying trend but moderate risk” and those showing “a worrying trend and high risk”.
Portugal is in the subgroup with a worrying trend, but with a risk considered moderate, which includes the countries where rates are reported [de infeção] high and increasing due to high rates of testing performed, and transmission is reported primarily in young individuals, with a low proportion of severe cases and low rates of death notification.
“This represents a moderate overall risk of COVID-19 for the general population and for the provision of health care. However, it should be noted that if there is a high volume of transmission over several weeks, the protection of vulnerable individuals is a challenge. , and since the impact of the disease in these groups is very high, the risk for this population is still very high. ”
This subgroup includes Austria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom.
“Today’s new risk assessment clearly shows us that we cannot let our guard down. With some Member States registering a higher number of cases than during the peak in March, it is perfectly clear that this crisis has not been left behind us.”said the European Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides, in a joint press conference with the director of the ECDC.
The Commissioner warned that Europe is now facing “a turning point, and everyone has to act decisively and use the tools at their disposal”.
“This means that all Member States must be prepared to put control measures in place immediately and at the right time, just at the first sign of possible new outbreaks. This could be our last chance to avoid a recurrence last spring. “, he warned.
In Portugal, 1,928 people died from 70,465 confirmed cases of infection, according to the most recent bulletin from the Directorate General of Health.
c / The day after tomorrow
