Nurses have been angered by the queue jumping for vaccines. Reuters
Nurses have been angered by the queue jumping for vaccines. Reuters
Nurses have been angered by the queue jumping for vaccines. Reuters
Nurses have been angered by the queue jumping for vaccines. Reuters

Priest’s vaccination exposes tension and queue jumping in Portugal


Simon Rushton
  • English
  • Arabic

The vaccination of a priest and his mother highlighted tensions in Portugal as controversies are exposed over coronavirus vaccine distribution.

The head of Portugal's vaccination task force, Francisco Ramos, was forced to quit after he became aware of queue-jumping irregularities at a hospital where he was chief executive.

Another weak link in its pandemic response was revealed when a German military plane landed with doctors and nurses on board to staff a hospital in Lisbon.

At its current rate of vaccination of just over 10,000 doses a day on average, Portugal will not reach its target of 70 per cent of vaccinated adults until 2023.

The goal was to reach that milestone in late summer this year by inoculating about 50,000 people a day.

A Portuguese army officer enters the German Air Force aircraft transporting a team of military medical personnel to Lisbon. AFP
A Portuguese army officer enters the German Air Force aircraft transporting a team of military medical personnel to Lisbon. AFP

Parish priest Joao Paulo Sarabando Marques admitted receiving a vaccine, but said he believed he was eligible because of the religious assistance he provides at two care homes.

Nurses denounced the vaccination, which happened before essential staff and firefighters had been placed on the priority list.

Regional health officials are investigating how the “the parish priest, family members of the nurses who administered the vaccine and other employees of the institution [who do not deal directly with coronavirus infections] will have received doses".

The new head of the country’s vaccination task force, Rear Admiral Henrique Gouveia e Melo, said he had a long list of tasks ahead.

He said he intended to tighten controls on who received the vaccine after the reports of queue jumping.

His predecessor, Mr Ramos, stepped down because of irregularities in selecting which health workers should be vaccinated at the Red Cross Hospital where he was chief executive.

The German military plane also carried ventilators and hospital beds to set up a unit of eight intensive care beds in the private Hospital da Luz, Lisbon, which was equipped but lacked staff to operate it.

Portuguese officials said they received fewer vaccines than promised from manufacturers and EU authorisation of more vaccines would help to accelerate the programme.

The European Centre for Disease Control, an EU agency, said in weekly data published on Thursday that Portugal received almost 387,000 vaccine doses.

A surge in January made Portugal the world’s worst-hit country by size of population, Johns Hopkins University data shows, and the vaccine programme brought hope during an extended lockdown.

Tearful appearance

Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday. 

Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow. 

She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.

A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HyveGeo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abdulaziz%20bin%20Redha%2C%20Dr%20Samsurin%20Welch%2C%20Eva%20Morales%20and%20Dr%20Harjit%20Singh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECambridge%20and%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESustainability%20%26amp%3B%20Environment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%20plus%20undisclosed%20grant%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVenture%20capital%20and%20government%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Youth YouTuber Programme

The programme will be presented over two weeks and will cover the following topics:

- Learning, scripting, storytelling and basic shots

- Master on-camera presence and advanced script writing

- Beating the algorithm and reaching your core audience

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
While you're here
India squad

Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, K.L. Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur.

ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

UAE%20set%20for%20Scotland%20series
%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20will%20host%20Scotland%20for%20a%20three-match%20T20I%20series%20at%20the%20Dubai%20International%20Stadium%20next%20month.%3Cbr%3EThe%20two%20sides%20will%20start%20their%20Cricket%20World%20Cup%20League%202%20campaigns%20with%20a%20tri-series%20also%20involving%20Canada%2C%20starting%20on%20January%2029.%3Cbr%3EThat%20series%20will%20be%20followed%20by%20a%20bilateral%20T20%20series%20on%20March%2011%2C%2013%20and%2014.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

SPECS

Nissan 370z Nismo

Engine: 3.7-litre V6

Transmission: seven-speed automatic

Power: 363hp

Torque: 560Nm

Price: Dh184,500

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'My Son'

Director: Christian Carion

Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis

Rating: 2/5

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.