LISBON, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- At some 90 percent, Portugal has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the world and public support remains strong for the government's drive to fully inoculate the population.
Unlike in other European countries, anti-vaccine protests are rare in Portugal and people generally accept, respect and follow the authorities' containment and health safety measures.
Pedro, a supplier of food products for restaurants, told Xinhua that he readily followed the recommendations of the scientists and the health authorities, and that is why he was preparing to take the booster vaccine dose.
However, he complained that the restrictions imposed by the government on the movement of people caused economic losses for the hospitality industry.
Roberta, who owns a restaurant in the city of Viseu, told Xinhua that she was vaccinated but remained skeptical.
She said that while the confinement has heavily penalized certain sectors, other businesses, such as the country's supermarkets and retailers, ended up benefiting from the "state of calamity" decree that has been in force in Portugal since Dec. 1, 2021.
In recent weeks, daily COVID-19 infections have soared to record highs and the sharp increase in hospitalizations continued to put enormous pressure on the country's healthcare system.
Last Sunday, Portugal registered 26,419 new cases, bringing the cumulative total since the start of the pandemic to more than 1.6 million. The day also saw 22 deaths, taking the count to 19,113. Currently, 1,449 patients require hospital treatment, 150 of them in intensive care units (ICUs).
According to health experts consulted by Xinhua, the vast majority of the severe COVID-19 cases and of those in ICUs either have not completed the two-dose vaccination course or have comorbidities.
The number of daily confirmed cases in children aged between five and 11 is also high, the health authorities said. The country has started to vaccinate this age group in recent weeks only.
"All hospitalized children are unvaccinated," said Maria Joao Brito, director of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Unit at Hospital Dona Estefania in Lisbon.
She said that the vaccines are effective at protecting against "severe diseases and complications associated with COVID-19, such as pneumonia, MISC-C (Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome) or the infection of the central nervous system."
According to infectology specialist Jose Pocas, "even those who are vaccinated are not completely protected, but it is better to vaccinate to prevent an exponential increase of cases." ■