Covid-19: Portugal enters the mitigation phase

Portugal has officially entered the mitigation phase, announced this Monday the Directorate General of Health (DGS). This is not a day on which the country has 331 confirmed cases of coronavirus.

“In view of the public health emergency at an international level, declared by the World Health Organization (WHO), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus (…) and the classification by the WHO of the OVID-19 disease as a pandemic (…), it is necessary to adopt procedures which, in a responsible manner and in proportion to the evolution of the phases of propagation of this pandemic, safeguard the maintenance of public health, in defence of the potential and proven risks, according to high scientific and social criteria, and respect for the fundamental rights of citizens,” refers the DGS document.

This Monday, according to data revealed in the daily update of the epidemiological bulletin, the number of infected has increased to 331. The authorities have already warned that they expect a significant increase in the number of confirmed cases, as more testing will allow new cases to be discovered that, until now, were not known.

Of the total confirmed cases 142 are in Lisboa e Vale do Tejo region, 138 in Porto, 31 in Centro and 13 in Algarve. There is also one confirmed case in the Azores and five were “exported” abroad. Most cases are in the 40-49 age group, 139 are in hospital and 18 are in intensive care units. There is no record of any fatal victims.