Today government officials carried out a visit to the region in order to recognize the work being carried out by the Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC) to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. A protocol was also signed to formalize various actions in the elderly care homes in the region. Despite the current state of Emergency, Manuel Heitor, Minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Ana Mendes Godinho, Minister of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security and Jamila Madeira, Assistant Secretary of State for Health, made a point of visiting the ABC’s labs at the University of the Algarve, in Faro.
The working visit served to present the project “COVID + 70” that started yesterday in Portimão, and which aims to carry out 6000 tests residential structures for the elderly in the Algarve region, an initiative promoted by the Algarve Biomedical Center (ABC ). For that, a protocol was signed between that entity and the Ministry of Labor, Solidarity and Social Security.
“COVID + 70” is already working with the Regional Centre for Social Security of the Algarve and Civil Protection. It aims to be adapted to the reality of the care institutions in the region and also covers home support services. “The elderly are a more vulnerable group and that is why we started working on this project last week. I can say that our target will be all the people in the homes, or day centres, including internal and external staff. This is because it is essential that there is a degree of interruption in the transmission chains, we want minimal, or no transmission”, explained Nuno Marques, doctor and president of the ABC's board of directors.
In addition to the tests, “for each home we will make a personalized action plan, with procedures laid out for preventing infections, and support measures. The homes will be contacted by video call in order to define with them what the current conditions are, in order to make a plan adapted to each one. Almost everyone already has them, but we are reviewing them, and we are going to present suggestions so that they are constantly adapted to the evolution of the situation”, he detailed.
Before the ABC medical team visits each and every care home in the Algarve, to collect samples for analysis for COVID-19, an extensive survey will be carried out in advance to work out the logistics of this large-scale operation. Regarding the tests, “we have a team at work that already has training in the collection of samples. Our target for now, in the next three to four weeks, will be 6000 tests”.
Marques reinforced that the scope of this project "is not just the testing, nor can it be just the testing, because these allow only to identify possible cases of COVID-19". “We will implement isolation measures, that is, we will help homes to find solutions”, for the problems that may arise. “We will also do all the screening and diagnosis. Telephone technical support teams are being created, available 24 hours a day, so that any doubts that the homes of the Algarve may have, are clarified” as quickly as possible, he concluded.
