São Paulo Records Drop in Covid-19 Hospitalizations for Eighth Straight Week

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – For the eighth consecutive week, the state of São Paulo has been recording a drop in the number of new hospitalizations due to Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. This means that the number of people who reach the hospital daily for complications caused by the novel coronavirus has dropped.

In the 37th Epidemiological Week, which corresponds to the period between September 6th and 12th (Saturday), the state counted a rolling average of 1,303 new hospitalizations each day, a drop of eight percent compared to the preceding week, when 1,418 new hospitalizations per day were recorded.

As a result, the state is coming closer to the situation in May, in the 19th Epidemiological Week (between May 3rd and 9th), when an average of 1,311 hospitalizations per day was recorded.

The intensive care unit (ICU) bed occupancy rate throughout the state stood at around 51.1 percent yesterday, September 14th, and at 50.8 percent in Greater São Paulo, the lowest since the start of the pandemic. According to Marco Vinholi, Regional Development Secretary, no region in the state of São Paulo currently records an ICU bed occupancy rate above 65 percent.

The state of São Paulo has also been recording a drop in the rolling average of deaths and coronavirus cases. The numbers are still high, but they have been dropping for five weeks in terms of the rolling average of deaths and for two weeks in terms of the rolling average of cases. The rolling average is calculated by adding up the total number of cases for the week and dividing it by the number of days.

With respect to deaths, the state has counted 1,254 new fatalities caused by the novel coronavirus, a rolling average of 179 new deaths per day, down eight percent over the preceding week.

The state also counted 37,605 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in the 37th Epidemiological Week, a rolling average of 5,372 cases per day, a drop of 27 percent.

According to the Secretary of Regional Development, Marco Vinholi, the drop in indicators is occurring in all regions of São Paulo state.

The report released yesterday, September 14th, by the State Health Secretariat, shows that the state has counted 36 new deaths and 1,092 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. The figures are typically lower in the balances released on Sundays and Mondays because there is often a backlog and delay in notifications on weekends.

As a result, the state totals 893,349 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus since the start of the pandemic, with 32,642 deaths. Of the total of diagnosed cases, 751,811 people have recovered.

There are 10,252 patients hospitalized throughout the state, with suspected or confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, and 4,426 of them are in critical condition.

Source: Agência Brasil