Responsible for 68% of Covid-19 cases in the state of Rio de Janeiro, the Ômicron variant can overload the healthcare system.
Therefore, the State Department of Health already has a contingency plan in place and evaluates to mobilize again hospitals dedicated to the treatment of the disease.
The information was confirmed this Friday (7) by secretary Alexandre Chieppe.
“Obviously, we are going to start reversing these beds that were transformed into clinical beds back into Covid beds. We do not even rule out the possibility of us having units dedicated exclusively to Covid, but that will depend on the increase in demand”, he revealed.
According to the Secretariat, in December, 81 samples were sequenced. Of these, 55 were positive for the Ômicron variant and 26 for the Delta. Another 199 samples suggestive of Ômicron are under analysis.
The cases, however, have not shown seriousness. “This increase in cases is directly linked to the circulation of the Ômicron variant. It is an extremely aggressive variant from the point of view of prevention, despite not having a correlation with severe cases, from what we have seen so far. It’s more aggressive with the transmission”, he explained.
With milder cases, the demand for health facilities, so far, has not grown. “The cases are mild cases, in most cases. What we are seeing is a great demand for testing. Unlike what we saw in the flu, a few weeks ago, some units were congested”, explained the secretary.
In the capital, Ômicron already accounts for 98.1% of Covid-19 cases, according to the municipal health department. Therefore, the offer of tests is bigger. Starting next week, the network will have the capacity to test 10,000 people a day.
“If you have symptoms or had contact with someone positive for Covid-19, get tested,” advised the municipal secretary of Health, Daniel Soranz.
The offer will be extended to other areas of the state: “We are opening some test points here in the capital, we are also starting to open in Baixada Fluminense, in Nova Iguaçu. So these will be points that will guarantee people a much higher number of tests than what has been offered today”, said Chieppe.
Reference: CNN Brasil