The covid-19 diagnostic center that will start operating next week in Celorico de Basto will allow, in two weeks, to anticipate dozens of tests that were planned for Amarante, according to the local authority.
The Mayor of Celorico de Basto, Joaquim Mota e Silva, explained today to Lusa that in that county in the interior of the Braga district there were enough people who scheduled the exam to fill the capacity of the new diagnostic center over two weeks. activity.
The mayor indicated that the contracted laboratory will be able to carry out around one hundred tests per week.
Joaquim Mota e Silva said that the response was articulated with the National Health Service and arises in the context of an understanding with the neighboring municipalities of Cabeceiras de Basto (Braga) and Mondim de Basto (Vila Real). The three counties, alone, would not have enough population to justify the operation of a diagnostic center, he noted.
The solution found provides that the laboratory technicians will travel, on alternate days, starting on Monday, each of the county seats, in facilities provided by the city councils.
In the case of Celorico de Basto, the tests will be carried out at the school center, with the logistical support of the municipality, including security personnel and a nurse.
Tests can be carried out in that municipality on Monday and Wednesday mornings, from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm, and on Tuesday and Friday afternoons, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, always under advance booking.
The results, after laboratory analysis, are sent directly to the user and to the public health authorities.
For the mayor, in addition to the speed of response, the proximity logic associated with this measure is “very important” for a low-density municipality, recalling that there are parishes in Celorico de Basto that are more than 30 kilometers from Amarante.
On the other hand, he noted the advantage of having equipment with those characteristics in a municipality, such as Celorico de Basto, where there are many elderly people housed in homes that may need to be tested quickly.
According to data from the Directorate-General for Health, the county currently has seven people infected with the new coronavirus, one of whom is receiving hospital treatment.
The new coronavirus, responsible for the covid-19 pandemic, has already infected more than 1.5 million people worldwide, of whom nearly 89,000 died.
In Portugal, according to the balance made today by the Directorate-General for Health, there were 409 deaths, 29 more than the day before (+ 7.6%), and 13,956 cases of confirmed infections, which represents an increase of 815 in compared to Wednesday (+ 6.2%).
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