São Paulo Satisfies Only Two of Six W.H.O. Reopening Criteria

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – Although the São Paulo City Hall has announced that it would receive proposals from private sector representatives to partially release the reopening of commercial activities, the city only meets two of the six criteria recommended by the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) to start relaxing social isolation, according to a report from the mayor’s office, published last Friday.

According to the fourth Covid-19 Situational Report, for the time being, “preventing the escalation of transmission and achieving stability with low-level or close to zero transmission should be the priority”. The text, prepared by experts in the Municipal Health Secretariat, also stresses social distancing as a measure that “has enabled the municipal government to orderly and effectively increase its care capacity”.

The document mentions another report, the Covid-19 Strategy Update, prepared by W.H.O. and published on April 14th, which includes parameters to be considered in a gradual transition and relaxation of distancing measures.

The requirements already met by the city are the ability to detect and treat new cases, particularly severe ones, and adopt prevention measures in workplaces. “This includes social distancing measures, health and respiratory guidelines, and, where possible, temperature control,” say the experts who produced the report.

Among the criteria that have not yet been met to start the process are: controlling the transmission of the disease, which would be shown if the new cases were to emerge sporadically, whether domestic or imported contacts; reducing the risk of new outbreaks, with greater control over disease prevention; controls over the emergence of imported cases; and, finally, raising awareness among the population. In the new scenario, the population must be aware that any case, whether severe or not, must result in the patient’s isolation.

The report also takes stock of the actions implemented by the City to date, and stresses that, before the pandemic, the city had 507 ICU beds. Now there are 1,007 beds exclusively for Covid-19. According to the text, on average every day 45 new patients with the disease require ICU beds. In the week of March 21st, the average was even higher: 55.

By means of a note, the municipal Health Secretariat reported that the W.H.O. guidelines are recommendations, not determinations. “The municipality has been working with other criteria, such as reduction of the spread with a single action in Brazil in the control of Covid-19, with the participation of the whole basic health and hospital systems.”

Still according to the note, “the number of cases are decreasing.” In addition, the note says that the state government “places (the city) in a better situation within the metropolitan region.”

Resumed services

On Saturday, May 30th, the municipal Health Secretary, Edson Aparecido, said that the city will restart elective medical appointments and surgeries as of Monday. “We have kept the normal operation of medical appointments and also surgeries in five cases: chronic diabetes; heart disease; for newborns; for pregnant women; and vaccination. We have suspended minor elective surgeries and also a few appointments. But we have now decided that the suspended appointments will be rescheduled by the Basic Health Units (BHU) as of next week,” he said.

Cases and deaths

For the third straight day, the state of São Paulo, the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in Brazil, recorded over 5,500 new cases of infection by the disease in 24 hours. Data released on Saturday by the State Health Secretariat show that the total number of cases reached 107,142. The total number of deaths increased from 7,275 to 7,532 between Friday and Saturday, up by 257 cases. The three highest records in the number of new daily cases of the pandemic since March were reached on Thursday (6,382), Friday (5,691) and Saturday.

The ICU bed occupancy rate is stable: 71.6 percent in the State and 83.1 percent in the metropolitan region of the capital, which was authorized by the João Doria management to initiate plans for reopening commercial activity.

Between Friday and Saturday, the coronavirus reached four more cities in the state. Now, there are 525 cities in São Paulo with records of the disease. “The number of patients hospitalized is 12,988, with 8,190 in wards and 4,798 in intensive care units,” reports the Secretary. Some of the state’s inland cities will initiate procedures to reopen the economy on Monday.

Rate

The social isolation rate in the state stood at 47 percent, lower than the rate recorded the preceding Friday, May 22nd, when it stood at 48 percent. In the capital’s case, where the drop was also one percentage point compared to last Friday, the rate stood at 48 percent.

Source: Estadão Conteúdo