São Paulo State Reaches 3,000 Covid-19 Deaths, Declares Official Mourning

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL – The state of São Paulo on Wednesday, May 6th, reached the mark of 3,000 confirmed deaths from the novel coronavirus, according to data from the State Health Secretariat. Governor João Doria decreed official mourning throughout the state starting on Thursday, May 7th.

There are 3,045 deaths confirmed by laboratory exams, an increase of seven percent over Tuesday’s figures. The total number of confirmed cases in the state is 37,853, an increase of ten percent over Tuesday.

When announcing the official data in a press conference at the Bandeirantes Palace, the state Health Secretary, Jose Henrique Germann, said that São Paulo citizens “need to be very careful” and that those who have failed to comply with the quarantine are “tempting fate”.

“I wanted to stress the number of deaths so that people will look at these numbers and try to save themselves by staying home. To stay home means to save your own life. To avoid exposing yourselves and becoming infected with the disease, don’t be another confirmed case in São Paulo. This will pass. We’re going to win, but we have to be very careful now because we’re tempting fate,” said José Henrique Germann.

There are also 8,601 hospitalized patients, including confirmed and suspected cases, who are awaiting Covid-19’s test results. Among the over 8,000 hospitalized patients, 3,404 are in Intensive Care Units (ICU) and 5,197 are in wards.

The ICUs in the state of São Paulo are currently operating with an occupancy rate of 67 percent. In Greater São Paulo, the occupancy rate is even higher: 86 percent of such beds are occupied in the metropolitan region, according to official data released on Wednesday.

Isolation rate in São Paulo

The isolation rate in the state of São Paulo on Tuesday stood at 47 percent, according to data released by the state government on Wednesday. In the capital, the number also stood at 48 percent.

In both cases, the rate is well below the minimum average desired for any future analysis of social isolation, according to the governor of São Paulo, João Doria, during a press conference at the Bandeirantes Palace on Wednesday.

“We have said and reiterated that no measure to relax social isolation will be taken in the state of São Paulo unless we see an average of between 50 and 60 percent. That is the guideline of the medical, scientific, and health areas. Unfortunately, we are not reaching this average.”, said João Doria.

David Uip, coordinator of the Contingency Center for Covid-19, said during the press conference that the flattening of the curve and the peak number of cases are dependent on an isolation rate of at least 55 percent.

“We are looking at a laxity in isolation on the one hand and the need to increase the rate of isolation on the other. The only weapon we have is social isolation. We have no medicines, we have no vaccines and we will not have them in the short term, so it is absolutely critical that the population continues to sacrifice itself. Right now this is needed and it is the only alternative”.

The data are compiled by the Intelligent Monitoring System (SIMI-SP) of the Government of São Paulo, which analyzes mobile phone data to pinpoint displacement trends and determine the effectiveness of social isolation measures in fighting the coronavirus pandemic.

Source: G1