On Tuesday, July 7, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said that the fourth wave of the coronavirus pandemic has begun in Portugal. He noted that in the country “Delta” the strain was the cause of almost 90% of new cases of the disease.
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The incidence jumped after Portugal opened to EU and UK visitors in mid-May and is now back to levels last seen in February when the lockdown was in effect.
Most businesses have now reopened and the beaches are full as the summer tourist season begins.
Although only 38% of the population has been vaccinated to date, new cases are reported mainly among unvaccinated young people, and daily mortality rates remain at single digits, well below the February figures.
The National Institutes of Health reported that 89.1% of infections are currently attributable to the Delta strain, with a sharp increase in incidence in the north of the country and in the Atlantic islands of Madeira and the Azores.
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