O new Covid-19 screening center created next to Portimão Arena, in this city, will open «in principle next Friday», he revealed to the Sul Informação mayor Isilda Gomes.
The center, which was to be operated by the Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC), similar to what is already in operation at the Algarve Stadium, will be put into operation by the Aqualab laboratory, an accredited company.
This Wednesday, the 1st, during the visit that two ministers – Ana Mendes Godinho, of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security, and Manuel Heitor, of Science, Technology and Higher Education – and a secretary of State – Jamila Madeira, Deputy and of health - made to the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Medicine of the University of Algarve, in Faro, o Sul Informação he wanted to know the reason for the delay in opening the structure, whose tents have been set up for a week, at the expense of the Municipality of Portimão.
Jamila Madeira only replied that, «given the conditions for this equipment to be useful in a public health logic, it makes perfect sense for it to work».
And then when does it open? And why isn't it already working?, wanted to know our newspaper. Paulo Morgado, president of the Regional Health Administration, replied that “there is no date to open, but it will be soon. This has to be articulated with the agreed laboratory».
As for the fact that this collection center, after all, is no longer under the authority of the ABC, Paulo Morgado explained that this body, which is the result of a consortium between the University Hospital Center of Algarve and the University of Algarve, “it directed all its capacity towards the Covid-19 screening project in nursing homes”.
In Portimão, beyond the center drive-thru at Portimão Arena (where people who are suspected cases of the disease are tested without even leaving their vehicle), there is also a second screening center, operated by another company with a contract, linked to the same group as Aqualab.
In either case, people can only go to these places if they are prescribed a Covid-19 test by the ADC-Comunidade, which operates at the Portimão Health Center, or by the SNS 24. Pre-booking of tests is mandatory.
On the 26th of March, the Algarve Regional Health Administration opened three Areas Dedicated to Covid-19 (ADC-Community), in the Health Centers of Portimão, Olhão and Tavira. They are intended "only to assist users with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection, by teams consisting of a doctor, nurse, operational assistant, administrative and cleaning team", explained the ARS.
On the same day, it was determined the creation of a network of 13 Covid-19 Collection Points, distributed throughout the Algarve and which will serve to carry out the prescribed tests in the ADC-Community/Health Centers and through the SNS24. Two of these posts are located in Portimão.
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