The positivity rate of Covid-19 tests carried out in Brazilian pharmacies follows the upward trend, with the seventh increase in a row, according to data from the Brazilian Association of Pharmacy and Drugstore Chains (Abrafarma).
According to the entity, which makes weekly measurements, the positive results in the period between May 9 and 15 were 26.08% of the total number of tests performed. In all, there were 31,623 positive results. In the previous week, the rate had been 19.84%, with 17,708 positive tests. That is, an increase of 56%.
The number of tests carried out in the last week has also grown considerably. While in the week of May 2 to 8, 89,236 tests were carried out in private pharmacies in the country, in the week of May 9 to 15, 121,272 tests were carried out, an increase of 36%. Data were collected from 4,847 establishments.
As in the previous week, the latest data released show that, once again, the highest positivity rates were concentrated in the southern region of the country. Rio Grande do Sul (39%), Santa Catarina (34%) and Paraná (34%) had, respectively, the highest rates. Experts explain that the risk of transmission of respiratory diseases increases with colder temperatures.
Increase in the number of self-tests
The positivity rates identified in the self-tests also increased, according to information from Abrafarma and ClinicaRx. The data passed exclusively to the CNN show that, from May 1st to May 19th, 7,555 self-tests were performed, with a positivity rate of 27%.
It is an increase of 5 percentage points in relation to the rate observed in the months of March and April, which was 22% of positive reports. The states that had the highest rates were Goiás (34%), Paraíba (32%), Santa Catarina (31%), Rio Grande do Sul (31%) and Paraná and Minas Gerais (30%).
The report also shows that 32.9% of patients who had symptoms after contracting Covid-19 tested positive, while the positivity rate of people who had no symptoms was 9.2%.
In the months of March and April, the rate of positive results in patients with symptoms was 28.6%, and that of people who did not develop symptoms was 5.9%.
Basic care helps prevent Covid-19
Source: CNN Brasil