Over 90% Covid ICU occupancy in 10 Brazilian state capitals

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The pressure on demand for beds for patients with Covid-19 led the number of capitals in a critical situation to rise to 10, with over 90% ICU (Intensive Care Unit) bed occupancy in the public health system.

The growth in demand for beds occurs amidst a scenario of a surge in coronavirus infections and a low vaccination pace. To make matters worse, crowds were resgistered in several cities during the Corpus Christi holiday, which should soon aggravate the scenario.

One of the capitals in collapse, Curitiba last Monday, June 7, registered 102% occupancy of its intensive care beds. Improvised beds were opened to attend to critical Covid-19 patients.

In the whole state of Paraná, ICU occupancy is still above 95%, despite the opening of 26 new beds last week. The waiting list for this type of bed is the longest in Brazil, according to a survey by the newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, with 639 patients.

Despite crowded hospitals, part of the population continues to disregard protocols to curb Covid-19 cases. The Paraná State Police was forced to disperse 770 crowding instances during the Corpus Christi holiday. There were 97 police actions in Curitiba alone.

Moreover, measures were also relaxed for the opening of economic activities in the capital of Paraná after pressure from entrepreneurs. Since May 29, local trade was limited to operate on delivery and pick-up and only essential services were allowed. However, as Valentine’s Day neared, the city government decided to relax the measures from Wednesday, June 9.

According to Mayor Rafael Greca (DEM), the drop in the virus transmission rate and the decrease in the number of hospitalizations led to the new decree. “We hope that this red flag was the last of this long ordeal, but I will not hesitate to raise a new red flag if necessary because our main goal is to save lives,” he said.

The Paraná government recommended that people traveling to Santa Catarina during the holiday season should be tested for coronavirus infection, as the beaches of Santa Catarina are open while a large part of the Paraná coast has implemented sanitary barriers.

Santa Catarina registered an increase in its ICU occupancy rate in 7 days, from 91% to 95%. A relevant increase was identified in Florianópolis, where 67% of beds were occupied last week, increasing to the current 89%.

During the holiday, several records of parties and crowds in the coastal capital region were posted on social networks.

The scenario also remains critical in Mato Grosso do Sul, which recorded 108% bed occupancy for critical Covid-19 patients and was forced to adopt extreme measures such as transferring patients to other states.

On Monday, June 7, the state registered 293 critical patients waiting for specialized beds. In total, 16 Covid-19 patients from the states of São Paulo and Rondônia – 2 of whom died.

In the capital Campo Grande, the occupancy rate continues to rise and has reached 105%, with 141 patients on the waiting list.

The city hall has sought alternatives to contain the pandemic’s advance, such as performing RT-PCR tests on spontaneous demand to curb contagion through asymptomatic people.

The situation is also critical in the Northeast, where St. John celebrations have been cancelled for the second consecutive year. Six of the 9 capitals in the region have occupancy rates above 90%: Aracaju, São Luís, Recife, Natal, Fortaleza and Maceió.

In Alagoas, which presented a more controlled situation compared to other states in the region, ICU bed occupancy rate for patients with Covid-19 symptoms is still over 90%. In the capital, Maceió, the rate increased from 89% to 90%.

Pernambuco remains in a very critical situation. For over 3 months, ICU occupancy rate has been above 90%. On Monday, 97% of the 1,750 beds in the state public network were occupied. The waiting list totals 143 people.

The interior of the state presents the most serious picture. In Caruaru, there are no vacant beds. Patients must be transferred to hospitals in the metropolitan region of Recife.

In the metropolitan region of Natal, ICU bed occupancy rate is still above 90%, but there has been a reduction in relation to the preceding week. In the whole state of Rio Grande do Norte, the occupancy rate stands at 94%. The waiting list for ICU beds in the state totaled 62 people on Monday.

Sergipe has 99% of its ICUs occupied, the same rate registered in the capital Aracaju, and has been in a critical situation since late April, with lines of patients waiting for a bed. This week, the state’s private network also registered maximum occupancy of its 183 beds once again.

In São Luís, the occupancy rate of beds for critically ill patients reaches 97%. Of the 279 ICU beds in Grande Ilha, which includes the capital and 3 neighboring cities, 270 are occupied.

The scenario remains critical despite the vaccination progress in the capital of Maranhão. The cities in Grande Ilha received 300,000 extra doses from the Ministry of Health after Maranhão registered the first case of the Indian variant in Brazil. This Thursday, June 10, São Luís starts vaccinating people aged 36 and 35.

A Northeastern state in a less serious situation, Paraíba is also on alert after reaching 80% ICU occupancy. At the start of the month, Governor João Azevêdo (Cidadania) published a new decree with restrictive measures in an attempt to curb virus spread in the state, recommending the closure of beaches, parks, squares, and banning the opening of museums, cinemas, circuses and theaters.

Among the capitals in the Southeast, Rio de Janeiro registers the most critical scenario. With virtually all activities cleared, the city has been registering an ICU occupancy rate above 90% for over 3 months.

The city is one of the chosen to host the Copa America, scheduled to start next week. The other host cities are Cuiabá, Goiânia and Brasília, which are also in a state of alert due to high bed occupancy rates.

Goiânia again registered an increase in occupancy of its ICU beds this week, with 83% of beds in use, compared to 78% last week. In Cuiabá, capital of Mato Grosso, bed occupancy decreased this week, from 97% to the current 87%.

In the Federal District, the occupancy rate stood at 87% early this week, reaching 91% when considering only beds for adults. At least 7 public hospitals registered 100% occupancy.

In the city of São Paulo, which was listed as one of the venues for the South American tournament, but declined, bed occupancy rate remained at 80% over the past week.

In the state, where 216 new beds were opened last week, 82% of beds for critically ill patients are occupied. There are a total of 11,089 patients admitted to Covid-19 ICUs.

On Monday, 8 of the state’s 22 regional health directorates – Marília, Presidente Prudente, Barretos, Ribeirão Preto, Registro, Sorocaba, Franca, and Bauru – had an ICU occupancy rate above 90%. The data are from the SP Covid-19 Info Tracker, from USP and UNESP.

The government of João Doria (PSDB) reversed its decision to relax the rules for social isolation and extended the transition phase of the São Paulo Plan until June 14. However, crowds were recorded over the holiday in cities such as Franca and Campos do Jordão.