Here we follow all developments on the spread of SARS-CoV-2 on an international scale.
11h51 – Doctors ‘Union challenges health professionals’ “inequalities” award
It was regulated on Saturday, in the Council of Ministers, the awarding of prizes to health professionals who were in the front line in the first phase of fighting the pandemic during the first wave, excluding those who are now working with Covid-19 patients. The unions criticize the decision, arguing that if it is not attributed to everyone, it will create greater inequalities.
In an interview with RTP, the president of the Independent Doctors Union stated that the award of this prize “creates inequalities because, in the first place, it does not include all the people who, in fact, contributed to this fight”.
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11:20 am – Russia announces 95% effectiveness of Sputnik V vaccine
Russia today announced that its Sputnik V vaccine against covid-19, developed by the National Center for Epidemiology and Microbiology Gamaleya in Moscow, is 95% effective, according to preliminary results.
In a statement, the Research Center said that the results were obtained from volunteers, 42 days after the injection of the first dose.
Pfizer and BioNTech recently announced that their vaccine is 95% effective in preventing covid-19, according to the results of their clinical trial.–
10:55 am – German states agree special rules for Christmas and New Year
The German federal states have agreed special rules for Christmas and New Year, namely meetings with up to ten people from different houses, with children under 14 excluded from this calculation, according to local media.
The agreement was adopted late on Monday by the leaders of the 16 federal states (Länder).
Regional leaders will meet on Wednesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to present their proposals on possible additional measures to achieve a reduction in infections by SARS-CoV-2.
See complete information on here.
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10:30 am – Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca: what differences are there between these three vaccines against Covid-19?
In just over ten months, researchers from around the world were able to develop potential vaccines against Covid-19. There are more than a dozen projects in the last phase of clinical trials and three experimental vaccines that have already proven effective and are now awaiting approval. Each was created by different technologies, but they are also distinguished by price, efficiency, storage and even their effectiveness.
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10:10 am – Africa with 273 more dead and 11,000 infected in the last 24 hours
Africa recorded 273 deaths due to covid-19 in the last 24 hours, increasing the total number of fatalities from the new coronavirus to 49,975, which has already infected 2,080,923 people on the continent, according to official data.
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9h55 – STEAM warns that the crisis in Culture is reaching an irreversible limit
Week after week, the culture sector has been forced to adjust schedules according to the new restrictions of the state of emergency.
The Union of Workers in Shows, Audiovisual and Musicians says that the situation is getting worse. And that the many scheduled performances had to be canceled and are pushing many artists into poverty.
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9h25 – PE approves 37.5 ME for Portugal to face pandemic
The European Parliament (EP) approved today, in plenary session, a package of 37.5 million euros, mobilized through the European Solidarity Fund (EUSF), for Portugal “to face the health emergency of covid-19”.
The funds were approved with 682 votes in favor, eight against and two abstentions, in EP plenary session.
In addition to Portugal, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, Croatia and Hungary also resorted to the EUSF for the same reasons, with the EP today approving all requests, allocating a total of 132.7 million euros to the seven countries. –
9h10 – Portugal should reach death peak in December, says ECDC
Projections by ECDC (European Center for Disease Control) indicate that Portugal should reach the peak of new cases of covid-19 by the end of November, but that the peak of deaths should happen in December, with a daily number that you can keep it high until Christmas.
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Unlike other countries, whose reality exceeded ECDC’s projections in number of cases and deaths, such as in Spain and Italy (cases) or Holland (deaths), Portugal was, according to this document, always below the estimated values by the European center.
9h08 – Countries that remove measures for Christmas will increase hospitalizations in January
The European Center for Disease Control estimates that if countries that in October and November took new measures to control the pandemic lifted them on December 21, hospital admissions would increase in the first week of January.
In a document in which it estimates the evolution of the pandemic until December 25, taking into account the measures taken in the meantime by European countries, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) says that if countries take measures to allow family reunions at Christmas this would overburden hospitals early in 2021.
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If these measures were suspended, for example, on December 7, “the increase in hospitalizations could begin to occur before December 24,” says the ECDC.
9:00 am – Counties with more cases of Covid are Freixo de Espada à Cinta, Lousada and Guimarães
At the top of the list is Freixo de Espada à Cinta, in the district of Bragança, with 3,729 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants. It follows Lousada, in the district of Porto, with 2,686 cases. The third most affected municipality is Guimarães in the district of Braga, with 2,458 cases.
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The municipalities of Vizela, Paços de Ferreira, Fafe, Penafiel, Felgueiras and Famalicão appear.-
8h25 – Awareness campaign for the use of reusable masks
Use and throw away. This is what many Portuguese people have done with protective masks against the new coronavirus. Part of the population uses disposable masks, which has contributed to the increase in waste production during the pandemic. The Ministry of the Environment launches this Tuesday an awareness campaign to reverse this trend.
Secretary of State Inês dos Santos Costa warns of the estimate made by several scientific articles, which say that, in Portugal, 150 million disposable masks are used every month.
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In the face of these enemy figures for the environment, Secretary of State Inês dos Santos Costa poses a challenge: to opt more and more for reusable masks.
Anyone who has to wear masks to wear and dispose of, must ensure that they are then placed in the common waste container, as these devices are not recyclable.
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8h10 – Those who do not wear a mask in the workplace can be sanctioned
The use of a mask is mandatory in the workplace in this new period of state of emergency. Heard by Antena 1 journalist Sandra Henriques, labor law attorney Sandra Lima da Silveira, stresses that employees can be sanctioned if they do not comply with this rule.
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The enforcement of this law, which requires the use of a mask, is the responsibility of the Authority for Working Conditions.
For the worker the fines can reach 350 euros. In the case of companies, they start at two thousand and can reach 61 thousand euros in fines.
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8:00 am – Australian airline will require vaccination for international passengers
Australian airline Qantas will require passengers on international flights to be previously vaccinated against covid-19, the company’s chief executive said.
This obligation will become “common” in the industry, said Alan Joyce.
The requirement to be vaccinated against covid-19 to travel on the Qantas airline will take effect as soon as a vaccine is available to the public, he said.
7:50 am – South Korea with most cases in social gatherings
South Korean authorities have called on citizens to reduce social interactions to halt the third wave of covid-19, as around 60% of cases originate from family and friends gatherings.
“To break the chain of contagion and prevent the pandemic at the national level, people must reduce contact with other people in daily life,” South Korean Deputy Health Minister Kang Do-tae told a press conference.
Kang Do-tae explained that 60% of the new cases detected originate from family and friends gatherings, which is complicating tasks to prevent the spread of the disease caused by the new SARS CoV-2 coronavirus.
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7:42 am – Negative test five days after arrival in England reduces quarantine
Travelers entering England who are required to comply with quarantine may, in December, shorten this isolation if they have a negative test for the new coronavirus five days after its arrival, the British government announced.
This decision aims to revitalize the travel industry and, in particular, the air transport sector, which suffered a considerable drop in traffic due to restrictions imposed to combat the covid-19 pandemic.
From 15 December, travelers arriving in England by plane, boat or train will be able to end the 15-day quarantine period if they prove that they have tested covid-19 five days after their arrival in the country and that the result it was negative.
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Covid-19. Government defined rules for premium to be paid to health professionals
For now, this prize will only be awarded to those who worked on the first wave of the pandemic. The premium consists of the allocation of 50 percent of the worker’s basic remuneration and will be paid in one lump sum.
It also includes the assignment of a vacation day for each period of 48 hours of overtime and a vacation day for each period of 80 hours of normal work.
Industry unions challenge the criteria and regret that the award is not awarded to all professionals in the first and second places.
Portugal entered a new period of state of emergency at midnight
The main changes are related to holidays. Thus, on December holidays, it will be prohibited to move between municipalities.
In the days leading up to the holidays, November 30 and December 7, there is a tolerance for the public service and there will be no classes.
See here all the planned measures.
The latest epidemiological bulletin points to 74 more dead, for a total of 3,971 fatalities.
There are over 4,044 new cases. It is the lowest number of new cases in the last week.
A further 90 people are hospitalized for a total of 3,241.
In intensive care there are 7 more people, for a total of 498.
A week ago there were fewer 201 patients hospitalized and 72 fewer in Intensive Care.
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