Here we follow all developments on the spread of SARS-CoV-2 on an international scale.
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15h05 – Pandemia triggered the sale of oximeters in pharmacies
They are devices that measure the levels of oxygen in the blood, a valuable aid in people with respiratory diseases or who have been infected by the new coronavirus.
Experts warn of the importance of knowing how to use and interpret information from these devices.
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14h58 – António Costa thanks Madeira for its support
The Head of Government thanked the support through Twitter. On the social network, the Prime Minister spoke about two of the transferred patients who were at the Dr. Nélio Mendonça Hospital for a month.
The last sick people returned to the continent with discharge #COVID19 transferred to #Madeira, where they spent a month at Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça. Thanks to @GovernoMadeira and all the efforts of the health professionals who accompanied them during the recovery process.
– António Costa (@antoniocostapm) February 28, 2021
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14h03 – 41 more dead and 718 confirmed cases in Portugal in the last 24 hours
In the last 24 hours, Portugal counted 718 new cases and 41 deaths. The number of new infections is the lowest in almost six months.
According to the latest bulletin from the Directorate-General for Health, the country has recorded a total of 16,317 deaths and 804,562 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.
There were also records of over 1,664 recovered cases, out of a total of 718,977 recovered since the beginning of the pandemic.
As for the number of hospitalizations, there was a decrease of 15 hospitalizations, eight of which were in intensive care. At the moment, 2,165 people with Covid-19 remain hospitalized, of which 484 are in intensive care.
The Lisbon and Tagus Valley region led the number of new infections in a prominent way over the past few weeks. Today the figures are close to those in the North, but the number of deaths remains very high in relation to the rest of the country.
The North region recorded 229 new cases and five deaths in the last 24 hours, while the Center region recorded 97 cases and five deaths. In Lisbon and the Tagus Valley there were 257 new cases and 26 deaths.
In the Alentejo region there were over 50 cases and three deaths and in the Algarve there were 32 cases and two deaths. In the islands, Madeira accounted for 35 new cases and the Azores another 18 confirmed cases.
13h53 – Security forces reinforce presence on the streets
On a weekend that seems to be early spring, the sea tours register some movement. The restrictions imposed by the state of emergency remain and security forces have reinforced their presence on the streets. RTP followed two operations in Cascais and Sintra.
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13h32 – Goals of the PR. One of the objectives outlined has already been achieved–
The President of the Republic pointed out three goals to suspect. One of them, the number of infections, has already been affected. The second target, that of hospitalizations below 1,250, should be reached in mid-March.
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13h28 – António Costa thanks FPF for the support provided at Casa dos Atletas
On Twitter, the Prime Minister confirmed that the last patient Covid-19 left the Casa dos Atletas yesterday. The space served as a support structure for the SNS in recent weeks. In the message posted on social networks, António Costa thanked the Portuguese Football Federation.
Yesterday the last patient left #Covid19 of the Casa dos Atletas that the Portuguese Football Federation transformed with the @saude_pt support structure and where dozens of users passed. I renew my thanks to the FPF for this example and service to the country. pic.twitter.com/lUghJDZbGT
– António Costa (@antoniocostapm) February 28, 2021
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12:14 pm – Over 2.5 million dead worldwide
The new coronavirus pandemic killed at least 2,526,075 people worldwide. More than 113,758,510 cases of infection have been officially diagnosed since the beginning of the pandemic, of which at least 69,695,100 have been cured.
On Saturday, 8,713 more deaths and 395,666 new cases were recorded worldwide, according to official accounts collected by the agency France Presse.
11:55 am – Czech Republic may use Russian vaccine without EU endorsement
Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Sunday that the country could use the Sputnik V vaccine even if it is not approved by the European Medicines Agency.
In early February, the head of government had guaranteed that he would await a decision by the European regulator.
11:50 am – Iran exceeds 60,000 deaths from Covid-19
It is the country most affected by the pandemic in the Middle East. On Sunday, the Iranian Ministry of Health announced that the country has crossed the 60,000 dead barrier since Covid-19 arrived in the country. In the last 24 hours, 93 people died and 8,010 new cases were reported.
11:30 am – Hungarian PM received Sinopharm vaccine
11h13 – President of the European Parliament calls for faster vaccination
European Parliament President David Sassoli said on Sunday that EU countries should achieve the EU’s goal of immunizing 70 percent of the population by the end of the summer.
“National plans must accelerate. The EU aims to vaccinate 70% of Europeans by the end of the summer, which means 225 million citizens. So far, 10% have been vaccinated, which is equivalent to 25 million”, stated in statements to the Italian newspaper The messenger.
This effort must be made despite delays in supply. The official points out that pharmaceutical companies “Pharmaceutical companies must be severely penalized if they violated contracts or committed fraud”.
10:05 am – Germany with 7,890 more cases and 157 deaths
A week ago, there were 214 fewer contagions and a total of 145 deaths, according to official figures.
The weekly incidence remained at 63.8 contagions per 100.00 inhabitants.
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9:20 am – Repatriation flight from Brazil. Around 300 Portuguese and Portuguese descendants returning
This morning RTP was at Humberto Delgado Airport to monitor the arrival of these passengers in Portugal.
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8:45 am – Repatriation flight from São Paulo has already landed in Lisbon
The repatriation flight that left São Paulo on Saturday with around 300 passengers on board has already landed in Lisbon.
It is the first humanitarian flight organized by the Portuguese government, after the cancellation of air connections between the two countries.
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On January 27, the Government had suspended flights to and from Brazil due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
8:39 am – Mexico with 783 more dead
Mexico has recorded 783 deaths from Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, now accumulating 185,257 deaths since the start of the pandemic, Mexican officials said on Saturday.
7,512 contagions were also detected, bringing the total to 2,084,128 cases since the beginning of the pandemic.
8h16 – Argentina protests against “VIP vaccination”
The scheme allowed the vaccination of ministers, deputies and several politicians allied to the Government, in a clear run over priority vaccination lists.
The scheme involved three thousand vaccines that the Ministry of Health kept secret for a parallel vaccination.
People were taken on official transport to the hospital chosen by the Government or were treated at home for a VIP vaccination, or even at the Ministry of Health itself.
The minister was dismissed, but the population demands the dismissal of all those involved.
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8:00 am – State of play
This repatriation flight arrives in Lisbon this morning, which left São Paulo yesterday with around 300 passengers on board.
It is the first humanitarian flight organized by the Portuguese government, after the cancellation of air connections between the two countries.
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Almost 900 doses administered in Portugal
A total of 837,887 vaccines against covid-19 have been administered in Portugal since December 27, when the first dose was given, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday.
In a statement of the balance of the vaccination process, the Ministry of Health states that, of the 837,887 vaccines administered, 574,062 correspond to the first doses and 263,825 to the second doses.
According to the Ministry under the supervision of Marta Temido, Portugal received 1,034,970 doses of vaccines, with 27,300 doses being delivered to each of the autonomous regions.
The Ministry of Health says that, according to data reported by the various entities, 199,804 doses were administered to 111,505 health professionals, 88,299 of whom have already received the second dose.
Of the priority groups defined for the first phase of the process, 200,822 vaccines were administered to people from Residential Structures for the Elderly (ERPI) and from the National Integrated Continuing Care Network (RNCCI), of which 129,519 already had the second dose.
Numbers go down
According to the latest bulletin from the Directorate-General for Health, Portugal registered 33 more deaths and 1,071 new cases. In total, the country has recorded 803,844 confirmed cases and 16,276 deaths since the pandemic began.
There is also a record of more than 2,820 recovered. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 717,313 patients have been reported as recovered.
In terms of hospitalizations, there were 224 fewer hospitalized patients and 30 less hospitalized in intensive care. At this time, 2,180 people are hospitalized, 492 of whom are in intensive care.
As for the geographic distribution of the new cases, Lisbon and Vale do Tejo accounted for 536 new cases and 19 deaths, the North region had another 267 confirmed cases and four deaths and the Center region another 140 cases and five deaths.
To the south, the Alentejo accounted for 28 more cases and three deaths and the Algarve has another 23 new cases and two deaths. In the islands, Madeira recorded 73 more cases and the Azores recorded four new cases.
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USA approves single-dose Johnson & Johnson
The American drug regulator on Saturday approved Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine, the third authorized in the United States.
The vaccine in question is a single dose and joins those of Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna, both administered in two doses.
The US regulator has approved the emergency use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for people aged 18 and over.
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