Covid-19 incidence rate at ‘historical high’ – health authority

  • Lusa
  • 5 January 2022

The specialist Pedro Pinto Leite stated this Wednesday that the incidence of Covid-19 in Portugal has risen to an all-time high. However, admissions to Intensive Care Units maintain "a stable trend".

The incidence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has risen to an all-time high, although intensive care is at around 60% of the alert level.

Admissions to Intensive Care Units maintain “a stable trend” and mortality has reduced, also maintaining “a stable trend”, to a value below the linear determined by the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention ECDC, of 20 deaths at 14 days per 100,000 inhabitants, Pedro Pinto Leite, of the Directorate General of Health, said today at the Infarmed meeting in Lisbon.

According to the specialist, the total number of hospitalisations was 1,167 beds, which corresponds to 28% more than the same period of the previous year, showing an upward trend.

However, the number of beds in Intensive Care Units remained close to 140, 150 beds with a stable trend and corresponding to 58% compared to the alert level determined in the Red Line (255 beds), he said at the meeting that brings together experts and politicians to assess the epidemiological situation in the country.