SocietyCivil Protection

The Municipal Executive approved unanimously, this morning, the donation of 45 ventilators to the city hospitals, with 20 units delivered to Santo António Hospital and 25 units to the São João Hospital.

The testing programme to all elderly living in retirement homes and respective caretakers did not stop for the weekend. These past two days almost 700 people were tested, including elderly and caretakers, adding to 1400 people already tested for Covid-19.

Chief executives of São João and Santo António Hospitals, and the president of the Northern Regional Medical Association have visited the Mission Hospital Porto. on 3rd April, set up by Porto City Hall at the SuperBock Arena - Pavilhão Rosa Mota.

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.

Due to the current covid-19 pandemic, Porto City Hall will not hold the traditional São João celebrations, in which millions of people take part, as it poses a potential risk to public health.

Several entities in the city are now joining efforts to expand and enhance the city's responses on social challenges, such as Mercadona that supplies the solidarity canteen at the Temporary Reception Shelter Joaquim Urbano.

The municipal company Águas do Porto lab has carried out 940 tests of the drinking water in the city, since the contingency plan was put in place and the "safe water" index was 99.85%.

The first ten out of the 50 ventilators that Porto City Hall purchased in the city of Shenzhen to the hospitals of Santo António and São João are to be deployed from Hong Kong and delivered to Porto these next days.

Porto is the first city to deploy Covid-19 testing to the elderly from nursing homes as this response is strengthened by 5000 tests offered to Porto City Hall by Fosun Foundation and Gestifute.

In Porto, Super Bock Arena - Pavilhão Rosa Mota venue will be turned in a hospital with beds for 300 patients, and 27 wards to help cope with the pressure that would overwhelm the health system in the city.