The DGS bulletin also reveals that 1,583 patients are hospitalised (125 fewer than on Thursday), the lowest figure since October 25, the day on which 1,574 people were hospitalised.

In intensive care Portugal today has 383 patients (16 less than on Thursday), the lowest figure since November 12, the day that 383 people were also in these units.

The data also indicate that 1,606 people were reported as recovered, bringing the total number of recovered to 728,659 since the beginning of the pandemic in Portugal, in March 2020.

For 33 consecutive days, the number of recovered patients exceeds that of new infections.

Active cases in Portugal continue to register a decrease, with 63,260 today, minus 685.

Since March 2020, Portugal has recorded 16,486 deaths associated with covid-19 and 808,405 cases of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

Health authorities have 28,881 contacts under surveillance, 2,160 fewer than in the previous day, with the downward trend since January 30.

According to the latest data from the Directorate-General for Health, Portugal currently has 972,183 people vaccinated: 692,960 with the first dose and 279,223 with the second dose.

Of the 28 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours, 17 occurred in Lisbon and Vale do Tejo, five in the North region, three in the Centre region and three in the Alentejo.

In the region of Lisbon and the Tagus Valley, 436 new infections were reported, accounting for 306,265 cases and 6,917 deaths so far.

According to the bulletin, the region of Lisbon and Vale do Tejo today has 45.9% of cases registered in the last 24 hours and 60.7% of deaths, standing out from the rest of the country.

The North region today has 192 new SARS-CoV-2 infections and since the beginning of the pandemic it has already registered 327,160 cases of infection and 5,244 deaths.

In the Centre region, there were 118 more cases, with a total of 115,404 infections and 2,935 deaths.

In the Alentejo, 36 more cases were reported, totalling 28,573 infections and 957 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in Portugal.

The Algarve region has today reported nine new cases, totalling 20,189 infections and 344 deaths.

Madeira registered 163 new cases. This autonomous region accounts for 7,023 infections and 61 deaths due to covid-19.

The Autonomous Region of the Azores has not registered any cases in the last 24 hours, accounting for 3,791 infections since the beginning of the pandemic and 28 deaths.

Today's report reflects a decline in the total number of cases in the Azores region explained by the "need to correct two duplicate cases, the transfer of six cases to other regions of occurrence, and the notification of three new cases in the Azores region in the day under review ".

Cases confirmed at national level are distributed across all age groups, with the highest number of infections between 20 and 59 years of age.

Of the total number of fatalities, 8,625 were men and 7,861 women.

The largest number of deaths continues to be concentrated in the elderly over 80 years old, followed by the age group between 70 and 79 years old.

Of the total deaths, 10,917 were people over 80 years old, 3,471 aged between 70 and 79 years old and 1,458 were between 60 and 69 years old.