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Portugal is currently the European Union (EU) country with the lowest incidence rate of covid-19, according to the most recent data published this Thursday, March 18 by the European Center for Disease Control (ECDC) .
In the last 14 days, Portugal registered an incidence of 93 cases of infection by the new coronavirus per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the weekly ECDC report. In second place in the list of countries with the lowest numbers in the EU (considering only the 27 Member States) is Ireland, with 144 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and third is Spain, with 147.
On the other hand, the Czech Republic continues to be the country in the European Union with the highest incidence of covid-19, with 1,518 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. They are followed by Estonia (1464), Hungary (934), Malta (693) and Cyprus (557).
As for Europe, Portugal ranks ninth on the list of countries with the lowest incidence rate. The European average now stands at 283 infections per 100,000 inhabitants, which corresponds to an increase compared to last week.
The list of countries and territories in the world with the most cases per 100 inhabitants is headed by Wallis and Futuna (1574), a South Pacific island administered by France, the Czech Republic (1518), Estonia (1464) and the Dutch Caribbean (1369). ).
Algarve with less incidence than the rest of the country
The color map published by the ECDC on the incidence of covid-19 in the European Union shows that Portugal remains at a light orange level, which corresponds to an incidence rate between 60 and 119.9 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. In turn, the Algarve region is represented in yellow-brown, which means that it has a lower incidence rate than the rest of the country.
In a note accompanying the map, ECDC clarifies that this color representation is based on “data recorded once a week” and was prepared on March 16.
ECDC data by region also reveals that the Lisbon Metropolitan Area now has a 14-day incidence of 103 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Centro (with 76), Alentejo (62), North (61) and the Algarve (49). The Autonomous Region of Madeira currently represents 664 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and the Azores 49.
Last week, Portugal was the third country in the European Union with the fewest COVID-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, with a 14-day incidence of 126 cases of infection per 100,000 inhabitants.
Fifteen days ago it occupied the fifth position in the list of European Union countries with the lowest incidence of the disease, having even appeared, more than a month ago, in the first place of the table occupying the worst position in Europe, with a notification 14-day rate of new cases per one hundred thousand inhabitants out of 1,190.
Portugal among the ten EU countries with the fewest deaths
Portugal is also currently the eighth country in the European Union with the least deaths from covid-19, accounting for 33 deaths caused by the disease per million inhabitants in the last 14 days. Last week, Portugal was ranked 16th on this list, with 59.
Globally, the first on the list with the most deaths per million inhabitants in the last 14 days is the Czech Republic, with 272, followed by Slovakia (245), Hungary (207), Montenegro (203) and Bulgaria (157) , all in Europe. The European average of deaths per million inhabitants was 51.
According to data published by the ECDC, the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Portugal has been reduced to less than half in 14 days. On March 1, 2,167 patients were hospitalized and this number dropped to 976 on March 14.
In two weeks, the occupancy of intensive care units also fell by almost half. On March 1, there were 469 Covid-19 patients in intensive care in Portugal, a number that dropped to 242 on March 14.
Covid-19 testing continues to decline
In recent weeks, the rate of covid-19 tests in Portugal has been decreasing, a phenomenon that specialists associate with confinement and the reduction of social contacts. The country currently registers an average of 1,534 tests performed per 100,000 inhabitants, according to ECDC data. Last week, Portugal counted 1,666 tests carried out for every 100,000 inhabitants. During the same period, the positivity rate for COVID-19 tests decreased from 3.2% to 2.6%.
Portugal remains the eighth country in the European Union with the fewest tests carried out in the last week. At the top of the list of those who took the test the most is Cyprus, with 35,947 tests per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by Denmark (27,816), Austria (20,559), Luxembourg (10,173) and Slovenia (9,816).
In total terms, Italy continues to be the European Union country with the highest number of projections, with a total of 2,280,459 in the tenth week of the year. France, Austria, Denmark and Germany complete the list of the five countries with the best ranking in this indicator.
