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As of 5:00 p.m. yesterday, Portugal had already received 60,450 doses of vaccines against covid-19: of these, 29,970 had been distributed throughout the country and 18,439 had been administered. There were no vaccines to travel at that time, but if they did exist, it would be possible to know the registration number, the route and the exact location of the vehicles that were still in the situation room, a small space enabled on the third floor of the Ministry of Health , on Avenida João Crisóstomo, in Lisbon.
“In the event of unforeseen events, there are several intervention teams prepared to act,” the Secretary of State for Health, Diogo Serras Lopes, clarifies to the PUBLIC during a visit to the operating room that was created to monitor and control the arrival and distribution of vaccines in Portugal. “The management of the vaccination plan is coordinated from here,” he explains. “The operation simulates an octopus that has arms that extend as far as they need to go.”
The PUBLIC was able to see the room yesterday during a press conference by the Minister of Defense, João Gomes Cravinho, on the operations center. “The situation room allows to correct and cross very different data,” said the defense minister after the visit.
As a general rule, the room is open from 8 am to 8 pm (“But there are longer days”, Serras Lopes emphasizes) with representatives of the Ministry of Health, specialists from the Armed Forces, PSP and GNR in the place, distributed by several “Cells” (logistics). , strategic communication, vaccination). There are always about six people working in the room, but the team brings together about three dozen professionals. The Secretary of State sits in the center, in front of the three screens that record the number of doses of vaccines to arrive, the travel of these doses on national soil and the news of the day.
“If there is a problem, we will know. We do not use cameras in the vehicles, but all the cars have a geolocator and all the vehicles are accompanied by security forces, either from PSP or GNR, depending on the area ”, continues Serras Lopes. “Until now, the routes always arrived within the scheduled times. The process went quite well ”, he reflects. “What happened in Évora seems to me a perfectly isolated example.”
Defense Minister João Gomes Cravinho visited the space this Wednesday
Jose Sarmento Matos
Évora was an “isolated event”
Last Monday, a disagreement between the PSP of Évora and the GNR prevented the departure of the van that was distributing the covid-19 vaccine in the south of the country. Although the security of that van was in charge of GNR, the PSP of Évora considered that it was within its jurisdiction. The case is being investigated with the Minister of Internal Administration, Eduardo Cabrita, to determine “the opening of an urgent investigation” by the General Inspection of Internal Administration (IGAI).
“The investigation is in charge of the IGAI”, underlines the Secretary of State for Health. “I think the vaccine only stopped for 20 minutes. Being the notable ‘incident’ means that things are going well, “he says. And he added: “Let’s be clear, more than 100 distribution routes have been successfully completed.”
The opinion is shared by Vice Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo, Deputy for Planning and Coordination of the General Staff of the Armed Forces (EMGFA).
“There are no incidents, there are needs that arise and that need quick solutions,” Henrique Gouveia e Melo, another regular presence in the room, tells PUBLIC. “That’s what we are here for. [As forças armadas] have an organizational culture prepared to work in situations of stress and risk. And this environment is very similar to a military operation due to these factors ”, he explains. “It is necessary to alert and summon people to get vaccinated and work with vaccines that have a limited time to be administered due to the cold they require.”
One of the problems is that the effectiveness of vaccines depends on a “cold chain”: it is necessary to guarantee storage at minus 70 degrees Celsius at the places of delivery and storage (where they can only remain for six months). After that, they can be stored for up to 30 days in coolers until administered.
Despite the positive balance, the Secretary of State for Health warns that the vaccination process will be long. “We anticipate days of intense work in the coming weeks,” acknowledges Serras Lopes, in front of the screens. “Vaccinate the largest number of people in the shortest time possible is an obligation and a clear objective for the Government and for all the ministries involved in the process,” summarizes Serras Lopes. “Until we have a favorable percentage of the population vaccinated in Portugal, it will still take time.”
The situation room, unique in the country, is described as a central element of the process. “It is an example of cooperation between ministries and the importance of having a defined plan,” concludes the Secretary of State for Health.
