January 14, 2022

09:01

Priscilla Peixoto and Eduardo Figueiredo – from Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – With the arrival of the Ômicron variant and a significant growth of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in recent days, Fiocruz researcher Felipe Naveca confirmed to the show ‘BOA NOITE, AMAZÔNIA’, on Onda Digital radio, that the state has entered the 3rd wave of the new coronavirus.

“The increase in the number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in recent days shows that we are clearly on an upward curve of cases, so it is another wave emerging, the increase was very strong from one day to the next. On the 10th, we had 229 confirmed cases, on the 11th, it increases to more than a thousand and yesterday more than 1,600 cases”, says the Fiocruz researcher, who also highlights that this is not the peak of the new wave.

“How much we will reach in the number of cases is still difficult to predict, but some mathematical models already establish that we are not yet at the peak of cases”, he stressed.

For Naveca, the increase in confirmed cases so quickly is a reflection of the arrival of the new variant in Amazonas and the meetings and get-togethers held at the end of the year. “This is a reflection of the detection of the Ômicron variant, which is extremely transmissible in Amazonas, and also of the end-of-year parties. So this sum effect of the increase in people meeting and the decrease in prevention care lead to this increase in cases that we are already observing”, said Felipe Naveca, in an interview to CENARIUM MAGAZINE.

A scenario similar to 2021

Until this Thursday, 13, Amazonas has already applied 5,617,157 doses of vaccine against Covid-19, the researcher points out that certainly if it weren’t for the vaccination the Amazonians would be close to reliving dramatic moments, similar to the peak of the second wave in the state, where there was a lack of beds, tests, oxygen and left over pain and despair of family members of contaminated patients.

“It’s still too early to be sure, but I don’t believe that we have a scenario of a very big increase like last year in terms of severe cases and especially deaths, but we do expect an increase in cases, since when you have an increase in cases, unfortunately there is an increase in severe cases, but we believe that it won’t be like last year, because we are now in the scenario of vaccinated people”, said the researcher.

About the increase in demand for Covid-19 testing, Naveca reassures the population and stresses that prevention care needs to continue. “There is no point in panic, panic only worsens the situation, we need, at this moment, that those who have symptoms avoid contact with other people and seek testing. We are having the offer through the public health system. Avoid contact, crowds, we need to keep using masks, washing our hands, and we need to get vaccinated”, he declared.

Health system prepared

Currently, the state has 41 oxygen plants. According to the governor of Amazonas, Wilson Lima, should a scenario similar to that of the second epidemic wave occur, the state is able to provide enough oxygen to hospitals.

“We have now bought 29 more plants, and if we have an episode similar to the one that happened in the second epidemic wave, we are now able to supply a sufficient amount of oxygen, something around 70 thousand cubic meters/day”, emphasized the governor.

Alert about the 3rd wave

In May and June 2021, with the Special – In the Shadow of the 3rd wave?, CENARIUM published a series of articles warning about the risks of another possible wave of Covid-19 and new variants. At that time, with the increase in the circulation of people and the lack of respect for preventive measures (such as the use of mask correctly and hand sanitizer), together with the agglomerations and the disrespect for restrictive and control actions, specialists from Fiocruz, from the Amazonas Tropical Medicine Foundation (FMT-AM), and public managers believed that the population would be heading towards a third wave of Covid-19 contamination.

In one of the ten publications of the special series, the researcher from Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) Bernardino Albuquerque stressed that one of the ways to contain the transmission of the virus and the appearance of new variants is to guarantee the vaccination of the population.

“The emergence of variants is directly related to the continuity of transmission, therefore, all measures so far directed to interrupt the transmission chains should be implemented; unfortunately, the measure of greatest impact, which would be a high vaccination coverage in the country, is unfeasible due to lack of vaccines”, said Albuquerque.