In two months of the use of self-tests against Covid-19 in Brazil, a survey by the Brazilian Association of Pharmacy and Drugstore Networks (Abrafarma), released exclusively to CNN shows that 88% of the tests were negative between March and April.
According to the survey, about 32,000 Brazilians took the self-test during the period analyzed.
The Abrafarma survey shows that Rio de Janeiro is the state with the highest rate of negative tests, with 89%, followed by Santa Catarina (86%) and Bahia (83%). The fourth place is occupied by São Paulo (81%).
Three states have the number below 80%: Minas Gerais (75%), Rio Grande do Sul (70%) and Paraná (65%).
According to José Eduardo Levi, virologist and researcher at the Institute of Tropical Medicine at USP, the indexes follow a pattern of dissemination of the Ômicron variant.
“The places where the wave intensity was strongest is where there should be more negative cases now. As the wave was recent, no one gets infected twice in a short period of time, so we see that the number of cases can be small. This is what we saw in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Santa Catarina, for example”, declared
Self-test market grows in Brazil
According to the executive president of the Brazilian Chamber of Laboratory Diagnosis (CBDL), Carlos Eduardo Gouvêa, 115 self-test registration processes were submitted for approval by Anvisa.
At the moment, he says that 25 products can already be marketed, 33 processes have been rejected and 53 are in progress.
Gouvêa points out that the self-tests began to be sold in the country in the same week as the 2022 Carnival, in early March.
“I believe I already have a good offer, but there will be for a few more. The self-test concept is here to stay. We are indeed changing user perception. He sees the value of diagnosis and the importance of early diagnosis for effective therapy. This was clear for Covid-19, but it serves as an example for other diseases”, he analyzes.
CBDL’s executive president explains that the value of self-tests varies from region to region, but the price range is between R$49 to R$79.
“The Ministry of Health asked Anvisa to help public health. So the pharmacy is being a great ally. It allowed rapid testing within its environment. We have PCR, rapid tests, laboratory tests and, finally, self-tests, a tool for the patient to use as a form of prevention”, he defends.
Rapid tests in pharmacies have a new high in positive cases of Covid-19
Although self-tests have shown high levels of negativity in two months, the 100th edition of the survey of rapid tests of Covid-19 in pharmacies, another type of exam, carried out by Abrafarma, shows that the percentage of cases again exceeds 15% and resumes the level of four weeks ago.
According to the association, the period from April 18 to 24 recorded 67,314 tests carried out, of which 10,307 indicated a diagnosis of coronavirus – 15.31% of the total.
The volume of infected totaled 10,307, against 5,677 from April 11 to 17. In addition, the total number of infected increased by 82% in one week.
As a parameter, after the 15.33% index of positive results in the penultimate week of March, the percentage dropped to 7.28% in the last seven days of the same month. Since then, surveys point to a clear upward bias.
The researcher at the Institute of Tropical Medicine at USP José Eduardo Levi believes that the increase in cases of covid-19 is caused by relaxation measures, such as the end of mandatory masks in different Brazilian states.
“It is a fact that the number of cases is increasing, but it does not mean that it is a second wave. We’re not on a downward trend that we were. I believe that this change must be mainly due to the removal of masks in some cities. It is more than expected that there will be an increase, however small”, he says.
The virologist still defends the importance of continuing vaccination to contain severe cases of the disease.
“There is no doubt that the vaccine is effective. If we didn’t have the vaccine, we would see absurd mortality. Because of the vaccine, the number of hospitalizations is lower. So I think that’s the point. Many people did not take the second dose. The best thing people can do is have the full cycle, go get vaccinated,” she guides.
Source: CNN Brasil
