On Wednesday, Porto City Council will honor around 100 citizens, entities and companies that have made a major contribution to the fight against covid-19, including the former coordinator of the vaccination plan, Admiral Gouveia e Melo.
Speaking to the Lusa news agency, the mayor, independent Rui Moreira, revealed that the list of honorees, in addition to Admiral Gouveia e Melo, includes the infectious disease specialist at the São João University Hospital Center in Porto, António Sarmento, the first person to be vaccinated against covid-19 in Portugal, on December 28, 2020, and the doctor António Araújo, who, at the time of the pandemic, was president of the Northern Regional Section of the Portuguese Medical Association.
Alexis Tam, who was the link between Porto and Shenzen (China) in the import of ventilators from that country for the São João hospital, will also be honored, he said.
“And then there were a number of people, probably less well known, and companies that contributed to that effort that was made at the time to buy masks and alcohol-gel, for example,” said the mayor.
Rui Moreira explained that the Ricardo Jorge Merit Award, which was approved by the municipal executive about two years ago, includes citizens and companies from all over the country who, within their means, have contributed to the fight against the covid-19 pandemic.
Although its creation was approved two years ago, the independent explained that the municipality only decided to award it now because it wanted to wait for the pandemic to calm down.
The date chosen for the tribute, which will take place at Casa da Música and will be attended by the Minister of Health, Manuel Pizarro, is symbolic as it falls on the third anniversary of the first administration of the covid-19 vaccine in Portugal, he said.
The name of the prize, Ricardo Jorge, is a tribute to a “great doctor” from the city of Porto who fought a plague, he said.
The recipients of the Ricardo Jorge Merit Award will receive a piece of design by Eduardo Aires, the designer responsible for the graphic identity of the Municipality of Porto, concluded Rui Moreira.
