São Paulo’s Healthcare System No Longer at Risk of Collapse, Says Secretary

SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL –  Healthcare in the city of São Paulo is no longer at risk of collapse, according to city Secretary Edson Aparecido in an exclusive interview with Rádio Bandeirantes. The information is from Lucas Herrero, a reporter at Rádio Bandeirantes.

According to data from the Health Secretariat, the capital city has dropped from some 350 daily hospitalization requests in late April, the worst time of the epidemic, to 39 requests on Monday, June 8th, a reduction of 89 percent in nearly a month and a half.

The head of the portfolio in the city points out that this data is more significant than the bed occupancy rate for signaling the flow in intensive care units (ICUs) and wards in the following days. These figures have been undergoing a stabilization process, which is good news.

“People are coming in less affected, different from what happened in April when they would come to the hospital needing intubation. The city’s healthcare system is no longer at risk of collapse. That’s completely out of the question. Everyone in need of a bed will have a bed to be cared for as they have had until now. As it was for the increase, it is now for the reduction in demand,” said Edson Aparecido.

Figures

Over the past 24 hours, only 25 deaths were recorded in the São Paulo capital. However, as there is a recurrent drop in weekend data, Rádio Bandeirantes compared weekly Covid-19 bulletins in São Paulo.

There were 861 deaths and 15,732 confirmed cases in the week before last. Last week, there were 601 deaths, in addition to 16,071 cases – a 30 percent drop in deaths and an increase of only two percent in cases.

The numbers are improving, but Secretary Edson Aparecido is still cautious, in order to have a greater comparative basis as he awaits learning the consequences of the flexibilization in the city.

“If these numbers are confirmed for another week, perhaps the most difficult part of the pandemic has passed. But ultimately, we have to wait and see if this is a permanent trend. Let’s see now with the flexibilization efforts. We have to keep an eye out to avoid a reversal,” said the Secretary.

Occupancy rate

The capital’s ICU beds are 64 percent occupied. This mark may be reduced in the coming days since a portion – not yet defined – of the 650 Turkish ventilators acquired by the state are now coming to the capital.

Source: Band