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Portugal’s top health official said on Thursday that 500 deaths more than would normally be expected were recorded in the country between Sunday and Tuesday, during what was a major heatwave.
However, she stressed the need to ascertain the causes of these deaths, taking great care when analysing the data.
“We must be cautious in analysing the data and the impact of mortality, and cautious in comparing ourselves with other countries that use different methodologies,” said Graça Freitas, the director-general of health, Graça Freitas, at a news conference on the operational response and measures adopted by various institutions in the heatwave of recent days, at the National Civil Protection Authority (ANPC) headquarters in Lisbon.
Regarding the impact on mortality on 5, 6 and 7 August, when a heat wave was recorded, Freitas said that “there was a daily variation altogether of more than 500 registered deaths”.
This, she stressed, is a “very crude analysis” using the probability of death in given fortnights in the year. Crude because “often there are peaks”, with people who were already unwell and who died during a heat wave.
“Obviously, in the weeks that follow, mortality falls,” she said, explaining that in Portugal, the impact of all causes on general mortality is counted.
In the 21st century there have been three instances of extreme-temperature phenomena: in 2003, in 2013 and this year, Freitas said. Due to variation in the dates that they happen, it is not always possible “to compare exactly the same period of the calendar, because temperatures do not always follow the calendar.”
For this reason, she explained, “we use a method of taking averages, starting in May, of daily mortality and that is our first indicator: how many people are dying in relation to each one of the days.”
Freitas also stressed that healthcare responses are now very different from the 20th century, because the systems and ability to mobilise resources, to work in networked fashion, and to activate complementary services “is much greater.”
In terms of demand for healthcare from SNS (national health service) units in recent days, she said, from Saturday the surge was more noticeable.
“The SNS 24 contact centre has seen a moderate increase that, at this time, is … around a thousand calls more a day,” she said. The ambulance service INEM also saw “a moderate increase, which then became more intense, [reaching] five thousand contacts more than usual.”
According to Freitas, accident and emergency services on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday dealt with 7,000 more episodes than usual.
“A good indicator is that there has been no increase in hospital admissions,” she stressed, meaning that many patients “have been treated and hydrated without the need for hospitalisation.”
Already in health centres demand is back in line with the season, Freitas stressed, at an event that was also attended by officials from the meteorological institute, IPMA, the ANPC and the prime minister, António Costa.
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