The Government recognized this Monday, December 8, that the next few weeks will be demanding in the response to the flu, with the peak of flu activity expected for the end of the year, but guarantees that the National Health Service is ready to face the increase in cases. “I can assure you that our institutions are prepared and articulated (…) to provide the best possible response to the Portuguese, from prevention to treatment”, stated the Minister of Health, Ana Paula Martins, at a press conference in Lisbon that also brought together the director-general of Health, Rita Sá Machado, and the executive director of the SNS, Álvaro Santos Almeida.
The minister explained that the flu season started about a month earlier than usual and that Portugal follows the trend of other European countries. “We have seen increasing flu activity in recent weeks, with a visible impact on health units”, he said, stressing that the impact “will be more intense in the coming weeks”. “We know that the next eight weeks will be particularly demanding,” he warned. So far, almost 2.3 million people have been vaccinated in Portugal.
The alert comes after the country registered around 700 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last week. Ana Paula Martins recognized the growing pressure on the ground: “The flu will have a greater impact this year”, she noted, recalling the “shortage of professionals” and pointing out the extension of the opening hours of clinical care centers and services.
The Government will also reactivate a daily flu monitoring task force, similar to the one created last year. “An increase in demand for emergency services is expected, which, in fact, has already begun to be noticed”, highlighted the Minister of Health.
According to Ana Paula Martins, the reinforcement of resources is also progressing: INEM will use ambulances from civil protection and the Portuguese Red Cross. Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa has made available 27 social beds and 112 support beds and is preparing another 50 for emergency situations.
Despite the difficulties, the minister assured that the system is mobilized. “The institutions are prepared and articulated to provide the best possible response,” he said, remembering that, in times of greater demand, hospitals can suspend non-urgent surgeries to concentrate resources on emergencies.
Masks and respiratory etiquette
On the part of the Directorate-General for Health, Director-General Rita Sá Machado reinforced the need for basic care to stop contagion. “The curve of infected people is rising, but it is not yet an epidemic”, he stated. In view of the increase in cases, he asked those who present symptoms to be responsible, highlighting the importance of using masks in the context of illness: “It is important to focus not only on the use of a mask, but on respiratory etiquette. Whenever you have respiratory symptoms and go to healthcare, you should wear a mask.”
The person responsible also recalled other essential measures that we must not forget, recalling advice that was often repeated during the Covid-19 pandemic: “Wash your hands, cough and sneeze into your elbow and air out spaces.”