According to the DGS weekly epidemiological bulletin, compared to the previous week, there were 12,898 fewer cases of infection, with a reduction of 28 deaths in the comparison between the two periods.

As for hospital occupancy in mainland Portugal due to covid-19, the DGS started to release data on hospitalizations for the Monday before the report was published on Fridays.

Based on this criterion, the bulletin indicates that, last Monday, 1,029 people were hospitalised, 111 less than on the same day of the previous week, with 49 patients in intensive care units, minus eight.

According to the DGS bulletin, the seven-day incidence was, on Monday, at 349 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, having registered a 26% decrease compared to the previous week, and the transmissibility index (Rt) of the coronavirus dropped to 0.81.

By region, Lisbon and Vale do Tejo recorded 15,292 cases between 12 and 18 July, 5,869 less than in the previous period, and 44 deaths, 15 less.

The Central region accounted for 4,956 cases (minus 2,216) and 22 deaths (plus five) and the North totalled 8,418 cases of infection (minus 2,801) and 16 deaths (minus eight).

In the Alentejo, 1,746 positive cases were recorded (529 less) and 13 deaths (five more) and in the Algarve there were 2,597 infections by SARS-CoV-2 (844 less) and seven deaths (8 less).

As for the autonomous regions, the Azores had 1,736 new infections between 12 and 18 July (341 less) and two deaths (the same number as the previous week), while Madeira recorded 1,200 cases in those seven days (298 less) and three deaths (minus seven), according to DGS data.

According to the report, the age group between 40 and 49 years old was the one with the highest number of cases within seven days (5,872), followed by people between 50 and 59 years old (5,637), while children up to at age 9 they were the group with the fewest infections (1,472) this week.