Coronavirus: one in four cities in Brazil has a waiting list for intensive care units

One in four Brazilian cities has a waiting list for critically ill COVID-19 patients waiting for a bed in intensive care units (ICU), according to a survey released on Friday by the National Confederation of Municipalities.

The result reflects the critical state of the Brazilian public health system, at a time when the country faces the worst phase of the coronavirus pandemic, with overflowing hospitals and successive records of infections and deaths.

Among the 3,169 municipalities surveyed between April 5 and 8, 768 responded that they had COVID-19 patients waiting for an intensive therapy bed receive treatment, which is equivalent to 24.2% of the localities that participated in the study.

In some parts of the country, healthcare professionals also face a lack of medicines and oxygen cylinders intended for the most seriously ill.

According to the survey, 1,207 localities recognized that they were at “imminent risk” of running out of this package of drugs., as sedatives, pain relievers and neuromuscular blockers, essential in keeping COVID-19 patients intubated in intensive care.

This figure is equivalent to 38.1% of the authorities surveyed.

With a population of 212 million inhabitants spread across 5570 cities, As of Friday, Brazil has recorded 348,718 deaths and an estimated 13.4 million infected with SARS-CoV-2.

The average number of disease-related deaths over the past seven days is 2,900 per day.

This week, the country twice exceeded the 4,000 dead mark in 24 hours: 4,195 Tuesday and 4,249 Thursday, a new all-time high.

The management of the pandemic in Brazil has been marked by the denial of the government of President Jair Bolsonaro, which from the start minimizes the danger of the virus, censors the adoption of containments and even questioned the effectiveness of the masks.

Thursday, Supreme Court judge ordered Senate to launch commission of inquiry to uncover the executive’s alleged “omissions” in handling the health crisis, which in just one year has been led by four health ministers.

Ecuador demanded a 10-day quarantine for travelers from Brazil

The Emergency Operations Committee (COE), which is dealing with the health emergency in Ecuador due to the coronavirus pandemic, decided this Friday to have a 10-day quarantine period for travelers arriving from Brazil to the country by plane to stay.

More, ordered that a new registration protocol be developed for high performance athletes who come to the country to participate in competitions, in order to protect their health and that of their Ecuadorian colleagues.

The COE has ordered the ministries of health, transport and foreign relations to change the regulations applied by the pandemic for the entry of people by air, so that the quarantine of those coming from Brazil is included.

“All passengers whose point of origin, stopover or transit is Brazil and are residents or citizens of Ecuador, must undergo a mandatory quarantine for 10 days at their home“Whether or not they have been tested for COVID-19,” the agency said.

Travelers too they must have undergone a PCR test carried out at least ten days before the trip, although the operations committee determined that in this case, the result of said test would not matter, as it ensured that everyone was to undergo the period of mandatory administrative segregation (APO) at home.

Likewise, the COE ordered that it be incorporated into the regulations that periods of isolation (APO) can be carried out in “lAccommodation regulated by the Ministries of Tourism and the Government, which have their respective register or operating license“.

In contrast, the WCC ordered the Ministry of Health and the Sports Secretariat to draft a protocol “to regulate the entry of elite athletes, to guarantee their health and that of Ecuadorians“.

This latest decision was announced a few days later, at least, three members of the Brazilian football team Gremio have been detected with COVID-19.

This situation forced Conmebol to move the Copa Libertadores match between Independiente del Valle and Gremio to this Friday in Asunción, which was to be played on Wednesday in Quito.

The Ecuadorian COE’s announcement came at a time when several Ecuadorian authorities have warned of an increase in the spread of COVID-19, as well as the saturation of the health system across the country.

Ecuadorian authorities have also warned of the possibility that the so-called Brazilian variant of the coronavirus is already in the country.

Ecuador added 1,059 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the number of infections with the disease to a cumulative 324,678 positive so far in the pandemic.

Confirmed death toll reached 12,247, to which are added 4,911 “probable deaths” with the disease, according to figures from the Ministry of Health.

(With information from EFE)

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