The outbreak in Mora, detected about a week ago, has more than 300 people “potentially involved”, most of them already tested, which is why, in the words of Graça Freitas, “complex”. So far, 40 cases have been identified. “Both the origin and the transmission chains of the outbreak are still under investigation”, guaranteed the director-general of Health at the usual press conference this Monday.
Guaranteed that “it is premature to be making statements about origin and subsequent chains”, a second outbreak began in Montemor-o-novo, in the parish of Ciborro, possibly related to the situation in Mora, which already has 24 cases of infection. According to Graça Freitas, both outbreaks seem to be related, but “only when the investigations are over can we reconstitute what are called the transmission chains”. The director-general of Health clarified that 225 tests have already been carried out “in this second focus possibly related to the first”.
Still on outbreaks, but this time further north, the Director-General of Health gave the example of the municipality of Vila do Conde and stressed that these “are of family and social origin”, which is why she warned families by ensuring that distractions in family life can lead to contagion. Regarding the measures in the North region, he also explained that the region had a crisis office from the beginning. “You have all this accumulated experience, we believe that you will control these most recent outbreaks.”
After the Minister of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security, Ana Mendes Godinho, admits that she had not read the report on the Reguengos de Monsaraz home made by the Portuguese Medical Association, and questioned about the matter, Lacerda Sales said that the Ministry of Health analyzes “all documents and reports that come to you”. “I read all the reports and documents, of course I did. We are currently analyzing it ”, he reiterated.
Assuring that he is not going to comment on a matter under investigation by the Public Ministry, the Secretary of State clarified that the documents are always welcome to “determine responsibilities” and to “help to improve” the performance in the Government that, in the case of the elderly, are most vulnerable ranges. “It is necessary to mobilize the entire civil society around this issue.” Lacerda Sales recalled that in Alentejo alone, 261 structures for the elderly were visited in 283.
Graça Freitas was also asked about the subject: “We have an obligation to read the reports that come to us and, therefore, this is part of our obligations, to read the reports and obviously learn from them and make comments and additions about them”.
According to the Secretary of State, the situation in the homes continues to be carefully monitored. Lacerda Sales spoke about stability, and then presented the most recent figures: “Today we have 70 residential structures for the elderly with cases of infection, minus 3% in the total universe; there are 542 users and 207 positive employees. ”
“We are perfectly aware that there has been a decrease in assistance activity,” said Lacerda Sales, taking into account the delays in surgeries reported this Monday – in May 2020, 242 thousand patients were registered on the waiting list for surgeries, being that for 43% the “maximum guaranteed response time” (or TMRG) had already been exceeded, that is, in May more than 100 thousand patients were waiting for surgery after the deadline – and almost 45 thousand had been waiting for over a year.
The Secretary of State chose to remember that the country was “on a very favorable path”, taking into account the waiting lists, which was interrupted following the pandemic, and recalled the program contracts signed with hospitals in late July whose commitment it goes through “broader assistance activity, with longer hours”. Between January 1 and July 31, more than 143,000 surgery vouchers were issued, 15% more than in the previous year. “We are doing everything we can to resume this assistance activity.”
Lacerda Sales took stock of the situation with regard to the Stayaway Covid application, stating that it is “in the pilot phase with both operating systems” and that “security application tests are beginning today, which according to the National Cybersecurity Center will have a duration of about two weeks, ”he said. “The Shared Services of the Ministry of Health is working to ensure that the SNS 24 has all the information necessary to provide answers regarding the application, as well as to guarantee its referral in case of need.”
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