Portugal, France, Italy and Greece Keep Registering High Infection Rates, ECDC Shows
According to the newly updated maps that have been published today, on April 21, Portugal, France, Italy, and Greece keep on registering high infection rates, AtoZSerwisPlus.pt reports.
Since the 14-day notification rate per 100,000 inhabitants weighted by vaccines uptake in these remains high, all of the countries mentioned above are currently coloured dark red.
The World Health Organization (WHO) shows that Portugal has reported 60,083 new infection cases in the last seven days. During the same period, France registered 624,536 new infection cases, Italy registered 353,193 new infection cases, and Greece registered 56,361 new infection cases.
It is believed that due to such figures, these countries have decided to keep their entry restrictions in place.
All travellers, regardless of their country of origin, are currently required to hold valid COVID-19 proof when reaching Portugal, France, Italy, and Greece.
The four above-mentioned countries apply the same validity period on vaccination, recovery, and test certificates. They accept vaccination certificates as long as the document proves that the holder completed primary vaccination in the last nine months or received a booster shot.
On the other hand, recovery certificates are accepted upon entry into one of these countries only if the document indicates the holder recovered from the virus in the last six months.
As for the COVID-19 tests, they generally accept PCR tests taken within 72 hours before arrival and rapid antigen tests taken within 48 hours before arrival.
>> Travelling to Europe in April: Current Entry Rules & Other Restrictions Explained
The data provided by ECDC shows that a total of 891,278,234 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in EU/EEA countries until now. The same further reveals that 72.6 per cent of the EU/EEA population has completed primary vaccination, and another 53.1 per cent has received an additional vaccine dose.
Previously, ECDC and EMA concluded that it is too early to consider using a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose. The two agencies agreed that a fourth dose could be given to persons over the age of 80. However, it has been emphasised that the fourth dose does not need to be administered to those who do not have any serious health implications.
It has been noted that the re-vaccination campaign could start in autumn. Still, the authorities of each country will be able to choose the best timing for additional doses.
