Cardiologist and Intensivist Ludhmila Hajjar who is part of the transition team of the Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) government in the area of health, highlighted the priorities for action in the area in an interview with CNN this Friday (25).
The specialist explained the main factors behind the increase in cases of Covid-19 in the country.
“We entered the year 2022 managing to control the disease and when we relaxed the hygienic-sanitary measures, when we unfortunately saw the vaccine adherence drop, the booster doses not being carried out, new subvariants appear and the disease starts to transform itself once again for the Brazilian now at the end of the year”, he warns.
In recent weeks, Brazil has faced an increase in the number of cases of the disease. The InfoGripe bulletin from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), released on Wednesday (23), shows an increase in infections by the coronavirus among positive cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in states in all regions of the country.
“What we are experiencing today since the beginning of November is a progressive increase in the number of cases. Now, with a new subvariant of Omicron, this has made this moment more challenging”, he says.
The reduction in vaccination coverage contributes to the increase in the circulation of the virus which, consequently, opens up space for the emergence of mutations that may favor aspects such as transmissibility and the ability of the virus to infect.
“The new coronavirus, which is responsible for Covid-19, has a very large ability to change, intrinsic to it. Some factors favor these mutations, one of them is the reduction in vaccination coverage. Another of them are these physical measures that we fail to take, that is, the agglomerations, the parties, the high numbers on public transport, without any physical barrier, are back. In an environment where the vaccination rate drops, this virus simply mutates”, he explains.
new vaccines
This week, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) approved the emergency use of two Pfizer bivalent vaccines against Covid-19, which include sublines of the Ômicron variant. According to Anvisa, immunizers should be used as booster doses against the disease.
More than 77 million Brazilians have not received the first booster dose of vaccines against Covid-19, according to data from the National Immunization Program (PNI) released on Thursday (24). Already 24 million people could have received the second booster dose against the disease, but have not yet been vaccinated.
“Brazil still does not have new, bivalent vaccines, but the vaccines we have are effective against deaths, severe forms and hospitalizations due to Covid. Then, we should not wait for the arrival of new vaccines we must comply with the schedule recommended by the National Immunization Program and be submitted to reinforcements according to the priority groups”, guides the doctor.
THE CNN consulted the Ministry of Health about deadlines for the arrival of bivalent vaccines in the country and availability at health posts. In a note, the ministry stated that “it will ask the laboratory for the schedule for sending the batches with the new immunizers, considering that the current contract of the portfolio with suppliers includes the delivery of vaccines with updated strains”.
According to the ministry, the immunization strategy with bivalent vaccines, as well as the groups that will be prioritized, are in the process of being defined by the National Immunization Program (PNI). “The guidelines for the application of the vaccine and the distribution schedule will be formalized in a technical note to the states in the coming days”, he said.
(With information from Elis Franco)
Source: CNN Brasil
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