RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – ICU (Intensive Care Unit) bed occupancy exclusively for patients with Covid-19 presents a rate of at least 90% in 6 capital cities in 4 Brazilian regions this week, shows a survey conducted by Folha de S.Paulo newspaper.
The current high demand has improved from last week’s scenario, when 10 state capitals and the Federal District were in this situation, but it is far from comfortable. There are 11 capitals with rates of at least 80% this week, according to data from the local health secretariats, compared to the 13 registered the week before.
The situation is also a concern because 7 capitals this week announced that the administration of the first Covid-19 vaccine dose was suspended, among them Aracaju and Campo Grande, two of the capitals with high occupancy rates of beds exclusively reserved for patients infected with the coronavirus.
The worst scenario, with data from last Monday, June 21, is Palmas, capital of Tocantins, where the rate reached 99%, compared to 97% the week before. The hike contrasts with the state average, which dropped from 94% to 92%, still serious.
In Campo Grande, which lost 39 beds in relation to the previous week, ICU occupancy rate increased from 90% to 98%, and there are still 82 people waiting in line for vacancies in the capital.
The city’s classification on the pandemic risk map, used by the Mato Grosso do Sul government to manage economic activities, has led to conflicts between the city and the state government. According to the city, between June 5 and 11 – its worst classification level – 63% of patients seen in local ICUs were from other cities. The state says that 88% of patients hospitalized in the capital in the last 6 months are from the municipality itself.
In Aracaju, one of the capitals to suspend vaccination, occupancy stands at 98%, with 12 patients awaiting the release of intensive care beds. According to the capital’s Health Secretariat, immunization over the weekend was higher than expected, and that is why the suspension was necessary.
Curitiba, capital of Paraná, managed to overcome its ICU overcrowding, but it still registering a high occupancy rate of this type of bed, at 95%. The waiting list also decreased, from 155 to 84 patients, but it is still the longest among Brazilian capitals.
The pandemic figures are rising in Paraná. On Tuesday, the state recorded the highest rate of new cases since early March, with an increase of 153% in the rolling average. The virus transmission rate increased from 0.99 to 1.16 in one week, second only to São Paulo. There was also a 113% increase in the rolling average of deaths.
The rate of ICU occupancy in the state remained virtually stable, at 95%, despite the addition of 17 beds last week. The number of people with Covid-19 waiting for vacancies dropped about 35%, but still remains the highest in Brazil, with 339 patients.
The proportionality in the distribution of vaccines by the state government has been criticized by the capital mayor of Rafael Greca (DEM), who said that Curitiba has been receiving fewer doses than ideal. “I ask for absolute equality and isonomy. I am asking for respect for Curitiba and that proportionality be restored,” he said.
Health Secretary Márcia Huçulak also criticized the state government, terming as “political” the pledge to vaccinate the entire state population by the end of September. According to her, if there were doses, Curitiba would be able to vaccinate the whole target public before that.
In Goiânia, capital of Goiás, despite the addition of 4 more beds (now there are 253), ICU occupancy has increased from 87% last week to the current 92%. On Monday, there was one person waiting in line for hospitalization.
In the state, with 9 beds opened in a week, occupancy increased and reached 87% compared to 86% last week. There are 565 vacancies in total in the state, with 36 people in line for beds.
On Tuesday, the city government published a decree in the Municipal Gazette to regulate on-site classes at 50% capacity in the private network, but in the public network the return is expected to occur in the second half of August, after all professionals have received the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. “The goal is to provide greater security to employees and the school community,” Secretary of Education Wellington Bessa said through his advisory.
In the Northeast, São Luís, capital of Maranhão, is among the capitals with the highest ICU occupancies, besides Aracaju. It registered a negative oscillation of two percentage points in its ICU bed occupancy, from 94% to 92% of the 279 vacancies in use in Grande Ilha. There was also a three point drop in the state, and now 84% of ICU beds are in use.
The city of Rio de Janeiro saw its occupancy fall below 90% for the first time in months, although it remains high: 88% of its ICU beds were occupied on Saturday, June 18, the last available data. There were 70 less vacancies than last week.
The state of Rio de Janeiro has also registered a downward scenario, now with 66% of its intensive care beds and 42% of infirmary beds occupied. There are no long waiting lines or hours for vacancies, as occurred in other peaks of the disease.
ICU occupancy fell in Cuiabá, capital of Mato Grosso do Sul, this week thanks to an increase in the number of beds available. Of the 277 existing in the capital and the Baixada region, the total rose to 297, which brought the rate down from 91% to 85%. Without the new beds, occupancy would have remained at 91% this week.
In the Federal District, ICU bed occupancy stood at 81.6% on Monday, down from 90% last week. The reduction coincides with the opening of some beds that were blocked. Last week, from 452 intensive care beds assigned to Covid, only 194 were in operation, a number that increased to 212 on Monday, according to data up to 6:30 PM.
Despite the drop in occupancy rate, Federal District Health Secretary Osnei Okumoto said that the scenario is of concern due to the increase in cases in surrounding cities of Goiás.
In the São Paulo capital, the occupancy rate of Covid-19 ICU beds fell from 76% to 71%. Currently, the capital city has 1,431 ICU and 1,458 ward beds for Covid-19.
Of the 250 new ICU beds announced by the Health Secretariat, 127 have already been delivered to the municipal hospitals Guarapiranga (65), Vereador José Storopolli (30), Josanias Castanha Braga – Parelheiros (22) and São Luiz Gonzaga (10).
In Salvador, capital of Bahia, bed occupancy reached 78% on Monday, a similar level to previous weeks. But other regions of Bahia face a more critical situation, such as the West, where 93% of beds for critical patients are occupied, and the Southwest, with 88% occupancy.
This week, marked by the traditional São João celebrations, is considered crucial by the Bahian government to avert a new wave of Covid-19 cases in the state. The potential crowds have raised the alarm in the government and city halls, which have intensified restrictive measures.