Experts warn about the care that must be taken to combat respiratory diseases | Photo: Pixabay
Low vaccination coverage, change in season, more contagious Covid-19 variant. These are some of the factors that concern experts about the autumn and winter period, known for the increase in respiratory tract diseases.
This Tuesday (March 26), the government of Minas Gerais made 10 more beds available in the Child Treatment Unit (ICU) pediatric clinic in the capital to assist in providing care to the population. To give you an idea, last year, almost 70% of cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) were registered in the coldest period of the year in the State, totaling 7,342.
According to infectious disease specialist Leandro Curi, one of the worrying reasons in this scenario is the low vaccination coverage. Data from the government of Minas Gerais show that only 17.93% of children aged 3 and 4 have the complete Covid vaccination schedule. Among the age group of 5 to 11 years, the percentage rises to 63.33%, still below the ideal, which is above 90%. The immunizer, as the specialist recalls, protects against the patient’s clinical worsening and, consequently, prevents transfer to ICUs.
“Without the vaccine, a more serious respiratory problem could develop. Therefore, the concern about vaccination coverage”, he says, remembering that Covid leads to respiratory syndrome. “In addition, some subvariants of Ômicron are extremely transmissible”, he highlights.
According to the expert, Covid no longer presents the same symptoms as at the beginning of the pandemic. Shortness of breath and loss of smell and taste are no longer the most common symptoms. Today, it can be confused with other illnesses, such as allergies, sinusitis or a cold. Therefore, a medical diagnosis is important, which also increases the number of visits to hospitals.
“Some of the most common symptoms of Covid-19 currently are a sore throat, runny nose and malaise. Some people may have more serious symptoms as well,” he says.
ICUs in BH
As announced by the government of Minas Gerais, the number of state children’s ICUs in Belo Horizonte jumped from 16 to 26 after the opening of ten new beds.
The City of Belo Horizonte (PBH) reported that the city has 101 pediatric ICU beds enabled by the Unified Health System (SUS), in addition to 141 Neonatal ICU beds.
“It is important to clarify that all hospitalization requests go through the Admission Center of the Municipal Health Department (CINT). The system is dynamic and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When the request arrives at the Admissions Center, the patient’s clinical condition is evaluated by a regulatory doctor and, depending on the availability of places, the patient is referred to the hospital”, informs PBH.
According to the municipal executive, CINT actively searches all hospitals that serve the SUS-BH Network to define transfers. “To release the vacancy, priority criteria are used that include severity and available bed. The waiting time varies according to the specialty of the bed and the specificity of the case”, he explains.
Care
Read tips from the Ministry of Health for preventing respiratory tract diseases
- Wash your hands with soap and water or use alcohol gel, especially before consuming any food;
- Use disposable tissue for nasal hygiene;
- Cover your nose and mouth when sneezing or coughing;
- Avoid touching the mucous membranes of your eyes, nose and mouth;
- Do not share personal objects, such as cutlery, plates, glasses or bottles;
- Keep environments well ventilated;
- Avoid close contact with people who show signs or symptoms of flu;
- Avoid leaving home during periods of disease transmission;
- Avoid crowds and closed environments (try to keep environments ventilated);
- Adopt healthy habits, such as a balanced diet and fluid intake.
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