The Secretary of State for Health (SES) of Rio de Janeiro, Alexandre Chieppe, said today (3) that the time is now for caution and that any decision on holding events of New Year’s Eve depends on the characterization of the behavior of the Ômicron variant of the new coronavirus. According to the secretary, it is necessary to monitor the daily epidemiological evolution in Brazil and in other regions of the world.
Chieppe informed that the situation will be evaluated in the coming days to then announce what will be the orientation of the SES on the parties. “It is important to be cautious and assess the epidemiological scenario on a daily basis, both in Brazil and in the rest of the world.”
The secretary said that, characterizing the behavior of the Ômicron variant, it will be possible to make the best decision. “For the time being, decisions regarding the New Year’s Eve they will be postponed for a few days so that we can better assess the behavior of the new variant and then, yes, take a decision that unites the economic need of the state with the health of the population of Rio de Janeiro and the people who are coming or will come to the New Year’s Eve here in the state,” he said.
Chieppe highlighted that the world is facing a new variant of the coronavirus, which has been registered in Africa and Europe and already has a few cases identified in Brazil. Despite this, it is not known yet what is the characteristic of Ômicron in terms of aggressiveness. “This is, [qual o] risk of evolution to severe forms in infected people; the risk of transmission, how much more or less it is transmissible than other strains; and, mainly, if she manages to escape, that is, to be immune to vaccination. Everything indicates that it is not. Everything indicates that the vaccine is effective against the new variant.”
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In the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, the planning for carrying out fireworks in Copacabana and Aterro do Flamengo continues. The result of the bids with the names of the companies that will be responsible for the ferries with the fireworks that will make the show in Flamengo, was published yesterday (2) in Official Gazette of the Municipality. The bidding for the service on Copacabana Beach has not yet been concluded.
The mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes, said that the fact of planning does not mean that fireworks are going to happen anyway. “Our efforts are focused on applying the second dose [de vacina] in those who are late and the reinforcement in those who are fit and have not yet taken it. I guarantee that Rio is ready to host the main events of 2022, which are very important for our culture, for our economy and for the life of our city.”
Paes emphasized, however, that having an event planned does not necessarily mean that it will be held. After all, it is entirely possible to cancel what was planned, but we are doing our homework and cheering, yes, so that the favorable scenario we have today is maintained and even better in the coming weeks and months.”
