Researchers from the Covid-19 Observatory of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), released today (10) a new edition of the health bulletin in which they defend the vaccine passport as a fundamental measure, due to changes in the epidemiological scenario in Brazil and in the world regarding transferability and dissemination of new variants.
In addition, the technical notes of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) point to recommendations aimed at establishing a new policy on borders and restrictions, in line with measures taken by other countries that are considering adopting the measure.
The researchers claim that “we maintain the unconditional defense of the vaccine passport. Most countries place restrictions to prevent the spread of covid-19 in their territories. Brazil cannot go against the grain, at the risk of becoming the destination of unvaccinated people, who pose more risks for the spread of the disease”.
They also note that the absence and quality of available data generate uncertainty in the description of the epidemiological picture. “There are problems in the data made available about covid-19, incurring in significant underreporting”, they point out.
The bulletin informs that “despite the improvement in the epidemiological indicators of covid-19 in the country, the bulletin emphasizes that factors such as the increase in the flow of people – including the entry of many in the country – and the worldwide dispersion of Ômicron deserve attention. worry variant”.
The document also warns that, although the advance of vaccine coverage in the country is bringing benefits for the mitigation of the pandemic, this strategy cannot be treated as the only measure necessary to interrupt the transmission of the virus among the population.
Fiocruz reinforces the importance of monitoring the intensity with which people return to the streets, given the proximity of the holiday season and school holidays.
population on the streets
The document points out that, since September, it has been observed that there are more people circulating in the streets than during the period immediately before the pandemic and that “the heating of tourism is already reflected in this indicator”.
The data show that, since the end of November, home stay has reached the lowest levels of the last 20 months, showing itself about 10% lower than in the period of the first quarter of 2020.
According to the researchers, “the data allow us to say that there is high intensity circulation and this pattern is especially worrying in a scenario in which transmission rates are stable and still high in the country.”
respiratory syndromes
In the last two epidemiological weeks, the estimated incidence in the country of cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SRAG) showed maintenance of the trend of slight increase in the country, with records of severe cases that can lead to hospitalizations and deaths.
Although the cases of SRAG reported in the country remain with a predominance of infections by the new coronavirus, there are municipalities, like Rio de Janeiro, recording many cases of influenza A, with the possibility of dissemination to other cities and states.
Given this scenario, the bulletin alerts that efforts to monitor Influenza throughout the country are maintained. “The advances in vaccination against covid-19 are still important, together with several recommendations that suppress or mitigate transmission. It will be important to keep efforts focused on all these fronts to enable a sustained reduction in SRAG incidences in the coming weeks.”
