The committee of health experts that advises the government of Rio de Janeiro will meet, this Wednesday (1st), for the first time soon after the identification of two cases of Brazilians with the Ômicron variant in the country. Among the topics discussed is the New Year’s Eve party, which can bring together millions of people in the city of Rio de Janeiro, especially on the three stages designed for Copacabana beach. The meeting is virtual and is scheduled for 11 am.
The advance of the variant identified in southern Africa has caused a change in the posture of political authorities around the world. In an interview with CNN soon after confirming the sequencing of the lineage in a couple from the city of São Paulo, the state health secretary, Alexandre Chieppe, conditioned the authorization for the party to the behavior of Ômicron.
“The New Year it depends on what Ômicron is. We don’t know yet. If Ômicron proves more aggressive than Delta, which is here, and if Ômicron proves more resistant to the vaccine than Delta itself, then we have a problem ahead,” he said.
Although the party is held by the city of Rio de Janeiro, the state government can veto the event. The prerogative that the most restrictive measure supersedes the others was defined by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) and was already valid in practice in the state capital, when the city hall authorized the waiver of masks in gyms, but the state rule made the item remains mandatory.
One of Chieppe’s ideas, in case the technical advisory groups of the city’s city hall and the state government disagree, is to hold a joint meeting. For him, the arrival of the variant in the state is inevitable. He advocates daily follow-up of cases.
This Monday, the committee of experts that advises the city of Rio de Janeiro decided that there is no reason not to authorize the celebration of the revolution. However, the governor Cláudio Castro (PL), had said even before the arrival of the variant, that the first 15 days of December would be used to assess the scenario for the realization of New Year’s Eve.
“She is going to enter Rio de Janeiro. I have no doubts. It is impossible for her not to enter Rio de Janeiro at some point. How will get anywhere in the world. What remains for us to know is which variant this is in terms of aggressiveness, transmission and risk of progression to severe forms [da doença] and if there is any type of resistance, that is, if the vaccine we use is less effective in relation to this variant. This is what will answer and define the changes in behavior in relation to anything else”, said the secretary of state.
A variant first identified in southern Africa, Ômicron has more mutations than all other variants identified so far, including a specific mutation in the Spike protein – which binds the virus to human cells – the site most frequently used to make production of vaccines.
“Any change of scenario, eventually we will have to review everything. I have no doubt about that. We have to evaluate it day after day. Planning for New Year’s Eve has to start now. Now, if it is actually going to happen, whether maintaining a current scenario or maintaining a future scenario based on the current scenario, yes, it will happen. Any other change we have to review”, said Chieppe.
Reference: CNN Brasil
