Porto already tested hundreds of elderly during the only national programme to test nursing homes

Early and widespread testing! This is the path to follow and Porto is pioneer in Portugal. Rui Moreira announced this testing programme on 26th March. 

Testing the elderly and respective caretakers is also possible due to the five thousand PCR test kits made in Shanghai and offered to Porto City Hall by Fosun Foundation and by Gestifute, which were directly delivered this week, by the Municipality of Porto, to the São João Hospital. 

Surplus kits will be used by the Health National system (SNS), according the its needs.

The results of the first testing days (29 and 30 March) are now public, with no positive confirmed cases. The remaining results should be known starting next Wednesday.

Till yesterday, 3rd April, all elderly and caretakers of 15 retirement homes had already been tested.

The lack of swabs in Portugal delayed the programme in the beginning of the week, but this problem has already been solved.

The coming days this testing programme will accelerate and all the remaining retirement homes will be tested.

This municipal progremme also extends to tthe mesaures that need to be in place once the senior citizens ahve been tested and did not reveal postive to covid-19. Thus, they are accommodate in shelter facilities in the region as their previous retirement homes do not have the necessary conditions to operate, such as quarantined caretakers.

These facilities are the Youth Hostel and the Vilar Seminar, where 200 beds were set up to receive these users. In addition, Porto City Hall has a backup programme to permanent support regarding meal supply to all in need.

It should be mentioned that municipal technicians see that retirement homes are well structured and with solid contingency plans in place, which lowers the infection risk and the relocation of elders.

This programme is developed by Porto City Hall, in permanent coordination with two health centres in Porto and the hospital university centres in the city. In the meantime the mission hospital set up in Super Bock Arena is about to be completed and receive the necessary medical material.

This hospital will have 300 available beds and it should be operational y the end of the week. It is meant to receive mild symptoms covid-19 patients who need medical surveillance.

The mission hospital is 5 minutes away the Santo António Hospital, so should any patient need to be relocated to the hospital this will be a swift task.

This mission hospital serves the entire region.