Brazil Lacks Doctors and Equipment to Contain Coronavirus, Says Report

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Ministry of Health’s bulletin concluded yesterday on the pandemic scenario of the novel coronavirus traces a critical picture of the health situation in the country to cope with the peak of contaminations, expected to occur between the end of April and early May.

The document prepared by the Health Surveillance Secretariat states that Brazil’s laboratory capacity is currently insufficient to respond to this stage of the epidemic.

The National Laboratory Network is semi-automated, composed of the 27 Central Public Health Laboratories (LACENs), the Evandro Chagas Institute and all units of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation which together, at maximum capacity, are capable of processing approximately 6,700 tests per day.

“It will be necessary for the most critical moment of the emergency to carry out 30 to 50 thousand RT-PCR tests a day,” says the report.

The Ministry warns that “there is no production scale at the main suppliers for the supply of laboratory kits for prompt delivery in the next 15 days”. In addition, it states that there is a shortage of trained health professionals to handle mechanical ventilation equipment, respiratory physiotherapy, and advanced nursing care to deal with critically ill patients of Covid-19.

Another sensitive point is the critical cases care sites. “ICU and inpatient beds are not properly structured and insufficient for the most acute stage of the epidemic,” the report states.

The Ministry of Health is seeking a public-private partnership with large laboratory networks, as well as expanding the capacity of LACENs, Fiocruz and the Evandro Chagas Institute.

After 37 days since the first case of contamination, Brazil has accumulated a total of 9,056 cases and 359 deaths. “According to the epidemiological pattern observed by these first cases, the transmission is still in its early stages in all states and the Federal District,” says the ministry.

Considering the epidemic stages (localized epidemic, uncontrolled acceleration, deceleration, and control), the transmission is occurring restrictively in most municipalities.

However, the report states that considering the national incidence coefficient of 4.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, the situation of the Federal District (13.2/100,000) and the States of São Paulo (9.7/100,000), Ceará (6.8/100,000), Rio de Janeiro and Amazonas (6.2/100,000), which present the highest coefficients, is worrying.

“In these places, the epidemic stage may be transitioning to an uncontrolled acceleration stage,” he says.

Source: Estadão