#15,863
A week ago, in FIOCRUZ Special Bulletin: Brazil's Worsening Pandemic Situation, we looked at a report indicating that 19 Federation Units have occupancy rates for ICU beds above 80%. A day later, in Brazil: FIOCRUZ - Surveillance Report Of COVID Variants of Concern Across 8 States, we saw just how pervasive COVID variants (P.1, B.1.1.7 & B.1.351) had become across 3 specific regions of Brazil.
In 6 of 8 states where this RT-PCR test has been used, the incidence (among those tested) involving one of these emerging variants was over 50%.
Brazil's current recent rise in cases is all the more concerning because it has also occurred in previously hard hit regions, where it was believed that herd immunity had been nearly achieved (see The Lancet: Resurgence of COVID-19 in Manaus, Brazil, Despite High Seroprevalence).
While the resurgent COVID crisis in Brazil isn't necessarily a harbinger of what is to come in the rest of the world, it does illustrate how quickly COVID variants can take control of a region, and reminds us of the importance of continued vigilance.
The following press release summarizes the (considerable) epidemiological details presented in this week's FIOCRUZ bulletin (BOLETIM COVID_2021-SEMANAS_08-09 - PDF 9 pages - Language Portuguese).
I've only posted the (translated) summary,. Follow this link to download the full report.
Brazil presents worst scenario since the beginning of the pandemic
03/12/2021
By: Regina Castro (CCS / Fiocruz)
This Thursday, March 11, a year since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the Covid-19 epidemic represented a global pandemic, the new Covid-19 Observatory Bulletin Fiocruz highlights that Brazil is among countries with the worst indicators. The country totals 11,122,429 cases and 268,370 deaths, which corresponds to 9.5% and 10.3% of the global total, respectively, although the Brazilian population corresponds to less than 3% of the world population.
In a context in which Brazil faces the worst scenario since the beginning of the pandemic, the researchers at the Covid-19 Fiocruz Observatory, responsible for the Bulletin , note that Brazil has never achieved a significant reduction in its transmission curve. On the contrary: as reported by the press and alerted by Fiocruz, the records of new cases and deaths have been surpassed daily, accompanied by a situation of collapse of health systems in most states and municipalities.
According to data from the InfoGripe system , presented in this Bulletin , the incidence levels of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) are at very high levels in all units of the Federation, with an increasing trend in all states in the South and Southeast regions. Among the records with positive results for respiratory viruses, 96.7% of cases and 99.1% of deaths are due to the new coronavirus.
Also the occupancy rates of ICU Covid-19 for adults in the Unified Health System (SUS) remain very critical. According to the Bulletin, the rates obtained on March 8, 2021 show evolution of the indicator since July 17, 2020, pointing to a worsening trend both in the states and the Federal District, as well as in the capitals. In the last week, only Pará showed an improvement to leave the critical alert zone and return to the intermediate alert zone. Seventeen states and the Federal District maintained rates equal to or greater than 80%, and two more states joined them, resulting in a total of 20 federative units in the critical alert zone, of which 13 with rates greater than 90%. Six states that remained in the intermediate alert zone (≥ 60.0% and <80.0%) showed an increase in the indicator.
In view of the current situation, the researchers defend as the main measure of control and reduction of transmission and the number of cases by Covid-19, as well as for the reduction of the continuous growth of daily deaths, the adoption of “Suppression or Blocking Measures”, incorporating stricter measures to restrict circulation and non-essential activities. Added to these measures is the use of masks on a large social scale.
“The combination of high percentages of wearing masks with measures of physical and social distance has resulted in greater control of transmission. If government regulations on the use of masks are important, they are insufficient on their own, and campaigns should be carried out on the importance of use and how to use them, in addition to the free distribution of masks on a large scale ”, say the researchers.
Impacts on the female population
The Bulletin draws attention even though in March, when International Women's Day is celebrated, women do not have much to celebrate. According to the analysis, the pandemic has impacted men and women differently and its effects are not restricted only to those directly related to Covid-19.
The researchers also point out that the figures recently released by the Rio de Janeiro Public Security Institute (ISP) show that the occurrences of violence against women have increased. According to the Institute, daily, more than 250 women were victims of violence during the period of social isolation in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Data provided by the Federal Nursing Council, as exemplified in the Bulletin , show that, until March 9, 2021, 49,117 cases of Covid-19 were registered in nursing professionals - 85.25% of which were women; and 648 deaths, of which 66.98% were women.
“It is necessary to recognize that women suffer dramatically from the consequences of this pandemic. As they occupy most of the jobs in the health sector, they are also more severely affected by the disease ”, highlight the researchers.
