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Repeating several times the idea that it is necessary to contain the growth of new cases in the country, to “flatten the curve” and control the pandemic, Graça Freitas asked for patience, a spirit of sacrifice and an additional effort to comply with the restrictive norms and measures . as it drew attention, it is “our behaviors that stop the epidemic wave.”
Appealing not only individual responsibility, but that of those responsible for each sector to create the conditions for compliance with regulations and respect for measures, The Director General of Health recalled that exactly eight months ago the first case appeared in Portugal.
“We are all learning with each passing day and we are all tired, but we cannot lower our guard, no matter how tired we are, because that depends on our protection and that of others”he said, explaining once again that the virus is not transmitted it just depends on us to spread.
“The virus passes from person to person and, if nothing is done, new contagion curves will appear in the population. We are in an upward phase and we have to remember that we need to flatten the curve, which will only happen when we have fewer new cases, fewer hospitalizations, fewer deaths and fewer contacts to see. “
To flatten the curve, which will ease the pressure on the National Health Service and allow you to catch your breath until there is a vaccine or effective treatments, there is only one strategy: prevention.
Reduce the number of contacts
In addition to the rules repeated until exhaustion: keep your physical distance, wear a mask, wash and disinfect your hands frequently, respect respiratory etiquette, avoid as much as possible putting your hands to the face, especially the mouth and the nose, and ventilate closed spaces -, Graça Freitas highlighted the importance at this stage of “reducing the number of contacts between people. This is the great measure.”
In this sense, he clarified the concept of “bubble”, basically constituted by the people with whom we live. The rest of the family, friends and colleagues from work and school are not part of the bubble and in relation to these we must observe the distance and the prevention measures that we would apply with a stranger.
“We are all public health agents”, he highlighted after listing the main general guidelines for the fight against the pandemic in Portugal by the DGS: prevent, test, monitor patients, track, isolate and humanize the action of health authorities.
In response to journalists’ questions, Graça Freitas clarified that data on the 14-day incidence rate per municipality will be released very soon, which will allow populations to perceive the growth of the pandemic in their region.
further The reason why open-air markets and fairs are closed while shopping centers, closed spaces, remain open, which is causing some controversy, explained the health official: it is linked to the greater ability by the latter to control compliance with sanitary measures and standards.
Meanwhile, it was known this afternoon, the Government has regressed in this measure and allows markets and fairs as long as the municipalities authorize it.
Maintain care and rules “without lowering your guard”
Regarding the teams reflected in the workplace, Graça Freitas highlighted the importance of the measure, when there are conditions to implement it, but he also drew attention to the importance of people maintaining care and rules, for example during lunch and coffee breaks, when the use of the mask is not possible. “These are times when it’s even more important not to let your guard down.”
Regarding the need to aggravate the measures in schools or even move to distance education, Graça Freitas eliminated this scenario and assured that schools, especially in basic and preschool education, are where transmission is most controlled. Measures in schools have yielded good results and are necessary and appropriate, with only the need to improve communication between school authorities and health authorities, he clarified.
Regarding the age of those admitted to intensive care units, Graça Freitas stated that Most of them are between 50 and more than 80 years old, although there are cases of younger people with serious illnesses who need admission to the ICU.
On when the peak of this second wave will be reached, Graça Freitas said that it is impossible to predict, given the lack of history of this disease, which is new. “Hopefully it will be done quickly, but we have to be aware that we are running an endless marathon and we don’t know when it will end. We will have more waves, more curves, more peaks. This turns out to be a mountain range.”
To try to avoid this, the Director General of Health took advantage of a question about an All Terrain Race, in Portalegre, scheduled for November 7, to reiterate that “our responsibility in the near future is to flatten the curve, it is to be able to face the months more cold with less virus circulation, fewer hospitalized patients, patients, hospitalized in intensive care and deceased, therefore, we are sorry, because there are events that deserve all the support, but we are in an exceptional period that requires measures. The next few weeks will be weeks of significant restrictions [nomeadamente nos eventos com público] so we can flatten the curve, “he explained
