The advancement of the Ômicron variant has caused an increase in the occupancy rate of intensive care beds for Covid-19 in the country’s SUS network. According to a survey by Fiocruz, ten Brazilian states and the Federal District are in the intermediate alert zone, with occupancy rates between 60% and 80%.
Fiocruz specialists reinforce the need to increase vaccination coverage in the population, including the booster dose to provide more effective protection against the Ômicron variant.
A survey carried out by CNN shows that in at least four Brazilian capitals, more than 80% of people hospitalized with Covid-19 do not have the complete vaccination schedule.
In Rio de Janeiro, 88% of hospitalized patients did not complete both doses or were not vaccinated. In one week, the number of hospitalizations increased by 317% in the capital’s public network alone.
In Belo Horizonte, the scenario is repeated. According to the city hall, 81% of those hospitalized with Covid-19 in public and private hospitals did not take both doses.
According to the health department of Amazonas, in the capital – Manaus – more than 89% (89.66%) of unvaccinated patients are hospitalized. More than 45% of them are in ICU beds.
In the Federal District, the percentage of unvaccinated or who took only one dose and are hospitalized reaches 90%, according to the health department.
The infectologist at the State University of Rio de Janeiro, Marco Lago, reinforces that vaccination against Covid prevents the disease from evolving into serious cases, which eventually require hospitalization.
“The chance of the disease evolving in those who have not been vaccinated is much greater than in those who are fully vaccinated. This is a fact and the numbers of inmates confirm it. The vast majority did not receive all the necessary doses and those who received and are hospitalized are only people from the risk group “, explains the infectologist. Lago also highlights that the population needs to understand that everyone will be impacted by the Ômicron variant.
Also according to the Fiocruz bulletin, there has been a significant increase in the number of cases of Covid-19 in the last two weeks. The average reached 49 thousand per day, a difference six times greater than that observed in early December 2021. On the other hand, according to Fiocruz, there was no significant increase in the number of deaths.
According to experts, the reduction in the severity of Covid-19 cases is due to the high vaccination coverage. In countries with low vaccination coverage, such as some in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, lethality is still high. This demonstrates that the Ômicron variant can, in contexts of low vaccine coverage, cause an increase in severe clinical conditions and lead to the death of most of those infected.
Reference: CNN Brasil
