According to data published on the Social Security website, the number of beneficiaries processing sickness benefits in January reached the highest value ever, taking into account available data (since January 2010).

"Due to the evolution of the pandemic, there was a monthly increase of 330,563 beneficiaries (+181.0%), in the year-on-year comparison, an increase of 329,301 beneficiaries (+179.1%)", can be read in the summary prepared by the Strategy and Planning Office (GEP) of the Ministry of Labour, Solidarity and Social Security.

The overall number of benefits includes sickness benefit, occupational disease subsidy, tuberculosis subsidy, provisional sickness subsidy, sick leave and the subsidy for prophylactic isolation (of oneself) due to the coronavirus.

The vast majority of casualties processed in January were related to Covid-19 which, as Lusa advanced at the end of January, had covered 187,000 beneficiaries, while subsidies for prophylactic isolation reached almost 170,000 people.

The age group between 50 and 59 years old comprised the largest proportion of individuals (29.5%), followed by the group of individuals aged between 40 and 49 years old, which represented 25.8% of the total analysed.

The average amount of the subsidy paid was €352.50 per month.