Portugal Tops Half-Million Covid Boosters, Winter Goal Far Off

Portugal’s health authorities have quietly crossed an important threshold: more than 500 000 residents have now received the latest Covid-19 shot, according to the Directorate-General of Health (DGS). While that figure signals renewed public interest, it still leaves a long road to the government’s winter objective of immunising every person over 60 and anyone with chronic illness before cold weather sets in.

A snapshot of the new campaign

The DGS weekly bulletin released on Tuesday confirms that updated boosters tailored to the Omicron XBB sub-lineage have been administered to 519 417 people since the rollout began in late September. Health centres in Lisbon and Porto metropolitan areas account for nearly half of all injections, reflecting where transmission has remained most intense. The half-million mark arrives three weeks earlier than analysts anticipated, suggesting demand is running slightly ahead of logistical projections.

Why the milestone matters for Portugal’s winter

Virologists at Instituto Ricardo Jorge estimate that a booster coverage of at least 70 % of citizens aged 65+ is necessary to avoid hospital pressure comparable to last January, when wards briefly reached 85 % occupancy. At the moment, only 31 % of that age group has come forward. The Health Ministry set a provisional target of 2 M boosters by mid-December as part of the Plano de Vacinação Outono-Inverno. Crossing the 500 000 threshold in mid-October leaves roughly eight weeks to quadruple the current pace.

Which vaccines are available – and who can get them?

Portugal is relying on two mRNA formulations approved by the European Medicines Agency: Comirnaty Omicron XBB (Pfizer-BioNTech) and Spikevax 2025 (Moderna). Both are designed for broader protection against circulating variants and come in single-dose vials. Following recommendations from the National Vaccination Commission, eligibility now covers everyone 50 or older, adults with risk factors, pregnant women after 14 weeks gestation, and frontline health workers. Authorities decided not to expand to younger cohorts until high-risk groups are fully covered.

Supply looks comfortable, distribution less so

INFARMED’s latest inventory report shows 3.8 M doses in national storage, well above the volume required to meet winter targets. Yet regional health administrations complain of staffing shortages at roughly 60 vaccination hubs, forcing shorter opening hours in interior districts such as Beja and Bragança. The Order of Pharmacists has again offered to dispense shots in community pharmacies — a model successfully used for flu vaccines — but negotiators have not finalised reimbursement terms with the Treasury.

Comparing 2025 to Portugal’s record-breaking 2021 drive

The current operation is decidedly more modest than the dramatic summer of 2021, when Portugal briefly led the world with over 90 % primary-series uptake. Public health experts note that today’s challenge is behavioural rather than logistical: many eligible citizens believe previous infections grant sufficient protection, despite evidence that immunity wanes after six months. Trust may improve once the electronic vaccination certificate automatically updates, an upgrade scheduled for early November, allowing residents to retain travel and workplace compliance without extra paperwork.

What happens next?

The DGS intends to publish provincial-level data every Thursday, a transparency measure requested by parliament’s Covid monitoring committee. If weekly inoculations stay above the current 140 000-dose tempo, Portugal could meet the 2 M goal just after Christmas — two weeks behind plan but still in time to blunt a potential January surge. Health officials are banking on a late-October advertising blitz featuring family physicians and popular television presenters to nudge fence-sitters. For now, the half-million figure acts as both an encouraging sign and a stark reminder: winter is closer than the vaccination curve suggests.