Portugal: Omicron mutation could be responsible for 80% of new infections by year’s end

Portugal estimated today that infections with the rapidly spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus double every two days and could reach 80% of all new infections by the end of December.

Omicron’s current prevalence in Portugal is about 20%, Health Minister Marta Temido told a news conference. This percentage may mean that many more people have become ill with Omicron since the most recent official report of 69 confirmed infections.

“It could be 50% on Christmas week and 80% on the last week of the year,” she said.

The country, which has one of the highest vaccination rates against COVID-19, announced 5,800 new infections on Wednesday, the highest daily number since early February, when it had to wage its toughest battle against the virus.

Deaths and hospitalizations, however, remain well below that level.

“We still know very little about this variant. We know it is more contagious than Delta … the estimated time in which infections double is two days.”

Temido did not announce new measures, but said that more needs to be done in order to control the transmission and that the next few days will be decisive in order to understand the impact of the new variant.

For now at least, he said, he needs “more mask use, more vaccinations, more border controls.”

Portugal already requires all passengers arriving by air to show a negative test on arrival.

Distance work will become compulsory and schools will close in the first week of January.

Prime Minister Antonio Costa said yesterday, Thursday, that these restrictions could be extended depending on the spread of Omicron.

Source: AMPE