The Ômicron variant has already been identified in at least ten countries, and only in the Americas the mutation has yet to be found. The speed with which the strain is being detected around the world worries authorities, who are implementing rules regarding the entry of foreigners. This Saturday (27), Brazil banned flights to six countries that originate or travel through the Republic of South Africa.
However, in an interview with CNN, the virologist and coordinator of the Corona-ômica-BR MCTI Network, Fernando Spilki, says he is certain that she will be identified in Brazil soon. “The variant will arrive, this is inexorable, it will spread around the world and Brazil will not be free”, he says.
He also spoke about the measures needed to prevent the spread, which involve testing patients, tracking contacts they have had and vaccination. “With the case-by-case follow-up epidemiology and, from there, the additional care, we are able, even with the arrival of the variant, to avoid further spread.”
For Fernando, Brazil needs to adopt extensive testing on any traveler who arrives in Brazil, not just from South Africa, place the vaccine passport as something essential and require visitors to bring a PCR test carried out within 72 hours before the flight . If a positive case is detected, this person must be subject to quarantine.
“It’s impossible to think that the variant won’t spread. What effect it will have is something that we will have the news of in the coming weeks as it spreads in different scenarios that we have around the world: both in countries with a high vaccination load, to countries where vaccination has stagnated.”
The virologist also explains that, although the closure of borders has proven to be efficient, the problem lies in how the sanitary barrier is made. “We can see that, in Brazil and the United States, they are restricting flights to droppers and this is no longer the time for that.”
Also during the interview, the virologist spoke about the importance of taking the material collected in airport tests for genetic sequencing. “For then, having a larger range or even the complete genome, we will be able to quickly identify and say which routes this variant is coming.”
He emphasizes that it is important for Brazil to prepare for this in-depth analysis with different agencies.
“In patients arriving from abroad, a screening test must be carried out and then, for example, a PCR that is able to discriminate which mutations are present so that we can already make a diagnosis. Or, in addition to that, we take the material for sequencing so that we can effectively identify it.”
The screening test is suggested at a time of risk with the arrival of Ômicron, since the common test or pharmacy test only says that the patient has the virus and in what load it is present, explains Fernando Spilki.
Reference: CNN Brasil
