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The general director of Health, Graça Freitas, was excited this afternoon with the provisional results of Phase 3 of the clinical trials of the vaccine for covid-19 developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. “If it turns out that its effectiveness is around 90%, it will be one of the best vaccines we will have,” he said at a press conference.
Graça Freitas recalled that the Pfizer vaccine is one that Portugal plans to acquire, together with the European Union, stating how many doses it will be entitled to. “Portugal is in the European mechanisms for the acquisition of various types of vaccines, of various brands, and this is one of those that our country plans to acquire,” he said.
Pfizer announced that its vaccine will be more than 90% effective. The general director recalled that, even the vaccines that are currently used for other diseases, not all have this efficacy.
The latest epidemiological bulletin published by the General Directorate of Health points to a record number of 63 more deaths from covid-19 in Portugal in the last 24 hours, as well as 4096 more cases of infection.
Graça Freitas recalled that meals are a “critical moment for contagion”, when it is known that the increase in the number of infections occurs in the family environment. “It is very good to live with our families, but mealtime is one of the riskiest,” he said.
At this point, estimates indicate that “between 68% and 70% of cases occur through family or social life,” he said. “It is a moment of great relaxation, of great proximity and obviously, we are not wearing a mask and, therefore, it is a critical moment for contagion,” he stressed.
When it comes to testing, the CEO asks people to be disciplined. “” Evidence is requested and advised when necessary. Portugal tests a lot and tests from the beginning. People should not take the initiative to ask for tests, “he said at a press conference, indicating that” it is not recommended to do tests for anything without a prescription. “