Since January, anyone suspected of having Covid-19 and not falling into the risk groups will have to purchase the test at a pharmacy. This was reported by an unidentified reader of Jornal VS, who contacted the newsroom claiming to have called the Basic Health Units (UBSs) Pinheiros and Rio Branco and was taken by surprise when he heard that the testing had not been carried out for two months. .
When contacted by the reporter, the Municipal Health Department (Semsad) responded, through communications assistance, that the city is complying with regulation No. 23/2023, issued in January this year by the State Government. The document states that, except in cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), testing is limited to people in the priority group: children under 12 years of age, people with comorbidities, elderly people aged 60 or over.
Case survey is carried out even with shortages
The State Department of Health (SES) sent, through its press office, an official note claiming that “the Ministry of Health (MS), which distributes rapid tests for Covid-19, is out of stock and is expected to be sent to states at the end of March”.
Although the folder has recently announced the increase in cases of the diseasethe justification for the reduction in stocks was that “we live in an epidemiological scenario that is quite different from the period of public health emergency, an occasion in which practically only the SARS COV-2 virus was circulating and TR was an important strategy in defining isolation conduct “.
Asked about the possibility of underreporting, the department claimed that “even in the absence of input, surveillance was able to detect an increase in cases and that for all cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) hospitalized, the gold diagnosis is carried out ( RT-PCR) that researches the main respiratory viruses and not just SARS COV-2”.
According to the ministry, the surveillance of respiratory viruses is structured into two strategies: the monitoring of Flu Syndromes (GS) in sentinel units and the universal surveillance of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndromes (SRAG), which have compulsory notification for all hospitals in the region. State. “From the surveillance system, an increase of 466% among SARS due to influenza was identified in the first 11 weeks of 2024, when compared to the same period in 2023”, he explains.
The reporter also asked how Covid-19 would be identified, without testing, in cases that did not evolve into SARS and do not fall into the priority groups, but did not receive any response until the closing time of this text, at 9:40 pm this Wednesday ( 27).
Community must continue to take care of itself
SES reinforces, in the content of the note, that “not being positive for Covid-19 should not define the isolation procedure, considering that it may be positive for other respiratory-transmitted viruses. The isolation recommendation must be based on clinical manifestations” .
Ministry of Health denies shortages
The Ministry of Health, in turn, denies the shortage. When contacted by the journalist, the MS states, through a note sent by the communications department, that the General Coordination of Laboratories (CGLAB) distributes the inputs “according to demand” and that States can, indeed, carry out RT-PCR tests. “The laboratory diagnosis of Covid-19 can be carried out by states with real-time RT-PCR tests, distributed by the Ministry of Health”, he states.
“In addition, the Ministry received a donation of tests from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and distributed them to all states in February. The contracting of Covid-19 testing kits is in the final phase. The forecast is that the folder receives the first deliveries from the supplier between the end of March and the beginning of April”, the material continues.
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