LISBON, Dec. 17 (Reuters) – The Portuguese government estimates that infections with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 will double every other day and could account for 80% of the cases in the country by the end of the month, said on Friday. Minister of Health Marta Temido.
The current prevalence of Omicron in Portugal is around 20%, Maria Temido said at a press conference.
This rate would mean that many more people have contracted the variant of the virus than the latest official tally of 69 confirmed cases of contamination shows.
The rate “could be 50% during Christmas week and 80% during the last week of the year”, added the Portuguese minister.
The country, which has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world, reported 5,800 new infections on Wednesday, the largest daily rise since early February. However, the number of deaths and hospitalizations remains much lower compared to the levels observed during this period.
Maria Temido did not announce any new measures but said more needs to be done to control the contagion and that the next few days will be decisive for understanding the impact of this new variant.
In Portugal, the wearing of a mask has become compulsory again in closed spaces and travelers, even vaccinated, have the obligation to present a negative test to enter the country.
Prime Minister Antonio Costa said on Thursday those restrictions could be extended as Omicron spreads. (Report Patrícia Vicente Rua; French version Elena Vardon)
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