The Algarve is able to "advance at the pace of other regions" in the process of deconfinement, defended this Monday, April 12, at a press conference, the regional Health delegate. Ana Cristina Guerreiro considers that, even in cases of Portimão and Albufeira, which still have high incidence rates of Covid-19 contagion, the situation is evolving favorably and "there is still time" for these municipalities to fall below the threshold of 120 new cases per 100 inhabitants.
Portimão continues to be the county with the worst epidemiological situation, with an incidence rate, at 14 days, of 362 cases/100 thousand inhabitants, as a result of “a large number of cases related to construction”.
However, according to Ana Cristina Guerreiro, the municipality of Portimo "is evolving towards a decrease and tending to improve its position". This despite the fact that in "two, three days there could be a turning back".
Still in relation to deconfinement, Ana Cristina Guerreiro said that the Algarve made a “correct deconfinement, similar to other regions”.
"The region is inviting to walk on the street, we can have enjoyed more and better of the terraces at this stage, but what is answered in the epidemiological surveys is that the transmission takes place within the home, with whole families positive," he explained.
As for the municipalities with the most worrying data, in addition to Portimão, Albufeira (incidence of 241 cases per 100 thousand inhabitants) and Lagoa (132) received the “warning” from António Costa regarding the lack of confinement. That is, if they keep values above 120, they do not advance to the next phase.
The Algarve, as disclosed in the last monitoring report of the red lines, continues with the R(t), the highest transmissibility index at national level, standing at 1,05.
Despite this, “the number has been decreasing, which suggests a slowdown in the increase in the incidence in the region”, said Ana Cristina Guerreiro.
What continues to prevail is the strong 'UK variant influence'. «At national level, the number of new cases associated with this variant is 82,9% and, in the Algarve, it is 94%. This may explain some of the situations in the region», according to the regional health delegate.
Paulo Morgado, president of the Algarve Regional Health Administration (ARS), also stressed, in this press conference, that «after a phase in which the R(t) was the highest in the country, it is now decreasing and bringing us closer to the national average”.
“However, the incidence is still above the national one, but there is a tendency to decrease. We are facing a situation in which the high prevalence of the English variant is the main reason that explains the epidemiological situation», he added.
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