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The demands of scale and speed to address COVID-19 required a very different approach. Gouveia e Melo did away with Portugal’s initial efforts to piggyback on established vaccination strategies, such as those used annually for flu shots in usually small, public health centers. “This uniform…was symbolic for people to comprehend the need to roll up our sleeves and fight this virus,” he says. He said he wanted to send a message that it was a call to arms. He is unapologetic about couching the vaccine rollout as a battle and has worn combat fatigues ever since taking over the effort. Gouveia e Melo also captained a frigate, led Euromarfor, the European Union’s Maritime Force, and has logged the most hours at sea of any serving Portuguese naval officer. He was a submarine commander, and at one point was in charge of two of the vessels at the same time - returning to base with one, eating a meal on shore and then taking another out to sea. His 42-year military career helps explain how he handled the pressure. “I felt like I had the eyes of 10 million people on me,” Gouveia e Melo said, referring to Portugal’s population. And jockeying for shots was threatening to undermine public trust in the rollout.

Promised vaccine deliveries weren’t arriving. In an interview with The Associated Press, he admitted that replacing a political appointee who quit after only three months was “intimidating.”Īt the time, Portugal was in the worst phase of the pandemic, when it was among the hardest-hit countries with public hospitals near collapse. His straight-talking style endeared him to many who worried they might not get vaccinated in time. Gouveia e Melo set the tone of the rollout with his no-nonsense approach and emphasis on discipline. “They’re organized, have a good logistics set-up … and are usually very focused on the mission.” “People in the military are used to working under stress in uncertain environments,” he said at his office in a NATO building near Lisbon that commands a view of the Atlantic. It turned out to be an inspired choice: Although Gouveia e Melo’s team works hand-in-hand with health authorities, police and town councils, the military’s expertise has proven invaluable. Military involvement in rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine is not uncommon elsewhere, but Portugal has given it the leading role. But the 60-year-old officer also is quick to insist he is just “the tip of the iceberg” in the operation and that many others share the credit. Previously unheralded outside the military, Gouveia e Melo is now a household name in Portugal, having made a point of going on television regularly to answer public concerns about the vaccination program.Įasily recognizable even behind a face mask due to his blue eyes, close-cropped salt-and-pepper hair and 1.93-meter (6-foot-3-inch) height, he’s often greeted in the street by people wanting to thank him. Such a move would be a welcome development for many countries still in the grip of the highly infectious delta variant and lagging in their own vaccination rollouts.

1, though the wearing of face masks will still be mandatory on public transit, in hospitals and care homes, and in shopping malls.

The government announced Thursday that it would scrap most of its remaining COVID-19 restrictions starting Oct. As of Wednesday, 84% of the total population was fully vaccinated, the highest globally, according to Our World in Data.Īlong with the rising number of shots, the COVID-19 infection rate and hospitalizations from the virus have dropped to their lowest levels in nearly 18 months. Now, the county could be just days away from hitting its target. With his team from the three branches of the armed forces, the naval officer took charge of the vaccine rollout in February - perhaps the moment of greatest tension in Portugal over the pandemic. OEIRAS, Portugal (AP) - As Portugal closes in on its goal of fully vaccinating 85% of the population against COVID-19 in nine months, other countries in Europe and beyond want to know how it was accomplished.Ī lot of the credit is going to Rear Adm.