A woman wearing a face mask walks on a street in Lisbon, Portugal, Oct. 15, 2020. Portugal registered 2,101 COVID-19 new cases in the last 24 hours, the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic, bringing the total infections to 93,294. Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa declared Wednesday a "state of calamity" in his country due to the "serious evolution" of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Pedro Fiuza/Xinhua)
LISBON, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Portugal registered 2,101 COVID-19 new cases in the last 24 hours, the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic, bringing the total infections to 93,294.
According to the epidemiological bulletin of the Portuguese Directorate-General for Health (DGS), 11 new COVID-19 deaths were reported on the past day, raising the death toll of the country to 2,128.
The Northern region and the Lisbon and Vale do Tejo region, with 1,146 and 733 cases respectively, continued to be the places most affected by COVID-19 in the country.
In addition, 588 people recovered from the disease on the past day, bringing the total to 55,081. There were 36 more people hospitalized in the country, boosting the total to 993, of which 139 were in intensive care units.
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said on Thursday that as for the use of face masks on streets, at the moment "the recommendation makes sense, and if this gets worse, it will make sense to move towards mandatory" requirement.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), face masks should be used as part of a comprehensive strategy of measures to suppress COVID-19 transmission and save lives. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreaks in early 2020, wearing masks in public has been widely accepted in Asian countries like China, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam to limit the spread of COVID-19. Enditem
