The press conference to take stock of covid-19 started with the reading of the last 24 hours newsletter by the Assistant Secretary of State and Health, Jamila Madeira. The general director of Health, Graça Freitas, was also present.
- After reading the numbers, the conference started with the minister to assess that the “trend of increasing new daily cases, not being exclusive to the country, deserves a concern”. Jamila Madeira stressed that “battle against the pandemic is long” and “has several phases”.
- Infarmed meetings will resume on September 7.
- In August, according to Jamila Madeira, the rate of positive cases recorded was the lowest since the beginning of the pandemic: 2.8%, of the total tests carried out.
- “Almost half a million” downloads have already been made of the application Stayaway Covid, according to Jamila Madeira, who again underlined the “usefulness of joining” the tool.
- The Ministry of Health managed to guarantee the “anticipation of the supply of the first 100 thousand doses” of vaccines against influenza, which will allow for “better planning by the Directorate-General for Health in its attribution. In total, they were acquired about 2 million vaccines which represents the “biggest purchase ever of our country against the flu”.
- One of the questions asked by journalists had to do with the prophylactic isolation of institutionalized children. On this topic, Graça Freitas indicated that “I could not say the exact time”, but that the guidance regarding the action of confirmed or suspected cases in these situations will be known “very soon”. “Due to the start of classes, the community where these children go to is a community open to the outside. Therefore, the children will be exempted from making any kind of quarantine – they will not enter and leave the institution like anyone else”, he declared the Director-General of Health.
- Urged to comment Portugal would join the rapid tests, the Assistant Secretary of State for Health and Health, Jamila Madeira, stressed that until now the level of demand from national authorities in this regard has been high. “What we do know is that there was a diversification in the type of tests throughout the entire pandemic. At this moment, pressure and technological developments have been promoting other types of offers”, he said, but what will happen is that Health authorities will always check whether safety criteria are met or not.
- Asked if the new school orientation, coming out soon, will change the practice and conduct of PE in schools, the director-general of health stressed that the document is “expressly an indication” of certain situations, such as identifying suspected, confirmed cases or outbreaks. “Physical activity is recommended, it is strongly recommended, but all that schools are able to guarantee with distance is recommended,” concluded Graça Freitas.
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