Madeira expects an average of 1,000 cases per day during the week
Today, the Regional Minister of Health, Pedro Ramos, indicated that the number of new cases of COVID-19 virus in Madeira will be an average of 1,000 per day during the week, noting that the forecast is due to the impact of the festivities during the Christmas season.
“We are adding the infected, but we are not adding the sick,” the government official said, noting that the autonomous region has entered a “new phase of the pandemic”, characterized by the Omicron formula, which is more contagious, but with “less impact on health and hospitalization.”
Pedro Ramos was speaking at a press conference in Funchal, where he reviewed the epidemiological situation in the archipelago, where there are records of 4,906 active cases of Covid-19, with 56 patients hospitalized, in a total of 21,588 confirmed since then. the onset of the pandemic.
Madeira also reports 135 deaths linked to the disease.
On the other hand, the Regional Minister of Health announced the launch of a new application, on Monday, to provide users with a document proving that they have completed five days of isolation after contact with a positive case or after a mild or asymptomatic infection.
Pedro Ramos explained that “this document is valid because it is issued by the Regional Health Department. It is valid for all activities in the Autonomous Region of Madeira”, noting that in these cases users do not have to take a PCR test, just a quick antigen test.
“We will not consume resources, we will not spend more money doing a PCR test, when the rapid antigen test is already expressive and valid,” he emphasized.
The Government of Madeira (PSD/CDS-PP) decided on Wednesday (December 29, 2021) to reduce the isolation of those infected with covid-19 virus who did not show symptoms of the disease to five days, and even those who had contact with positive cases, until it ended with the quarantine of dose-vaccinated contacts Third.
Pedro Ramos noted that 2,310 children between the ages of 5 and 11 have already been vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 in the autonomous community, which is equivalent to 15% of the eligible population in this age group (14,715).
Vaccination coverage of the population residing in the archipelago (about 250 000 people) has already reached 88% with a single dose and 87% with a complete regimen.
The government official said that 8,820 first doses have been applied since November 20, 2021, when new restrictions came into effect, imposing, among other things, the obligation to jointly provide a negative rapid test and vaccination certificate for access to most public and private places.
“These numbers make us very happy,” Pedro Ramos stated, noting that since that date more than 1.2 million rapid tests have been conducted in 78 posts.
The health minister said there were records of 40 active cases in health professionals, 41 in the social field and 127 in the education sector, but he ensured the reopening of schools in the autonomous region on Monday.
He stressed, “We have a new variable that shows the world that the epidemic will turn into a pandemic,” noting that this will become clear during the first half of 2022.
Pedro Ramos also said there is no pressure on the capacity of the Regional Health Service, which currently has 150 beds designated for covid-19, of which 15 are in intensive care.
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