Amid the rise in cases, Brazilians lose fear of Covid, points out Datafolha

At a time when the country registers a rise in cases and hospitalizations for Covid-19 and the state of São Paulo has once again recommended the use of masks in closed places, Brazilians are losing their fear of being infected by the coronavirus, according to research. Datasheet.

The share of respondents who say they are very fearful about contagion is 37%, the lowest since April 2020. At the other end, 29% say they are not afraid of infection. It is the highest rate recorded since the beginning of the pandemic.

The height of fear about Covid took place in March last year, when 55% of respondents said they were very afraid. At the time, ICUs across Brazil collapsed.

The Datafolha survey was carried out on the 25th and 26th of May. A total of 2,556 people aged 16 and over were interviewed in 181 municipalities. The margin of error is two points up or down.

This Tuesday (31), the moving average of infections by Sars-CoV-2 jumped 48%, compared to the data of two weeks ago, and reached 26,206 people infected per day. The country has lost 666,727 lives and 31,016,354 people infected by the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic.

As a reflection of the high number of cases, there was also an increase in hospitalizations. According to the SP Covid-19 Info Tracker platform, from USP and Unesp, the moving average of new hospitalizations (ICU and ward) increased by 74% in the state of São Paulo in three weeks.

The scientific committee of the coronavirus of the state of São Paulo again recommended this Tuesday (31) that municipalities guide the use of masks in closed places to prevent the contagion of Covid. The measure is not mandatory and does not change current legislation, which determines its use only in hospital environments and public transport.

For epidemiologist Ethel Maciel, a professor at Ufes (Federal University of Espírito Santo), at this time of accelerating cases and that the country faces difficulties in completing the recommended vaccination cycles, the use of masks in closed places should become mandatory through decrees. “Managers don’t want to face the situation,” she says.

Pediatrician Renato Kfouri, director of the Brazilian Society of Immunizations (SBIm) and who is part of the technical chamber that advises the Ministry of Health on immunizations, in turn, argues that, at the present time, it is not necessary to oblige the use of masks.

“In the same way that we relaxed the measures, it made it possible to remove the masks when the virus was low, now, when the virus is on the rise, it takes a step back and guides its use. to migrate to a model of education, guidance.”

According to Datafolha, fears about Covid-19 vary greatly between regions. The Northeast concentrates the highest proportion of people most afraid of contagion (44%), followed by the Center West (39%), Southeast (36%), North (32%) and South (27%).

For Ethel Maciel, an important watershed in this fall in risk perception was the arrival of vaccines. “Before, people did not know what could happen if they became infected. With the decrease in hospitalizations and deaths, hospitalizations began to focus on groups of immunocompromised, elderly people. Perhaps the fear remains among the elderly and, therefore, this group continue to take care of themselves more.”

People aged 60 are precisely those who most fear infection with the coronavirus, according to Datafolha: 44% of them say they are still very afraid of infection, against 30% in the age group between 25 and 34 years old.

In general, women are more fearful than men about Covid (40% versus 33%). People with a lower level of education (fundamental) and with a monthly income of up to two minimum wages are also the ones who fear the coronavirus the most, with 44% and 41%, respectively.

There is a minority group of respondents, which varied between 2% and 7% over the last few surveys, who responded that they have already caught Covid. It must be remembered, however, that the fact that you have already been infected does not eliminate the possibility of being infected again.

According to Kfouri, the reduction of risk perception is the great challenge of immunizations in general. That is, convincing people to get vaccinated when they no longer fear preventable infections. “It is one of the factors that explains the lower adherence of children to vaccination against Covid. It arrived for this group at a time of calm, completely different from what arrived for the elderly and adults.”

Analysis made by Sheet with data from the Ministry of Health and the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) shows that the country registers a scenario of stagnation of vaccination against Covid-19 in all age groups. There are difficulties in completing the recommended cycles, with stagnant infant coverage, low booster among young people and only 10% of the elderly with the fourth dose.

For Kfouri, if the trend of increasing Covid cases continues, it is possible that there will be an increase in demand for immunization in the coming weeks. “People feel more threatened and go back to seeking vaccines.”

Sanitary doctor Claudio Maierovitch, from Fiocruz Brasília, says that after the frightening periods experienced in the last two years, it is natural that people are more relieved, but he warns that there is an intentional movement so that everything returns to normal soon, even with the pandemic still ongoing.

“From the beginning, that was it. [o que se via] by the president and a few others. Now, the movement of those who are candidates for the elections is to show that the places they manage are good, that everything is ok there, they can take off their masks, party, circulate at will that they were able to bring normality.”

According to him, although the data show a moving average of more than a hundred deaths per day from Covid and an increase in cases and hospitalizations, this does not seem to have a great impact on most people because they are not living the individual experience of the most serious.

“There was a time when everyone had someone in the family hospitalized with Covid. Now everyone knows someone with Covid, but they rarely see someone hospitalized and, even more rarely, die. If nothing happens to you, it’s because the problem doesn’t exist . It is now reasonable for the country to have more than 100 deaths a day, 10,000, 20,000 new cases a day.”

According to Datafolha, the perception that the pandemic is under control was maintained in relation to the last survey, in March. Altogether, 71% consider that it is partially controlled, and 14%, totally.

Men are more optimistic about controlling the pandemic. For 17% of them, the health crisis is completely under control, against 11% of women. The percentage of those who see the situation out of control (14%) also remains the same. In May 2021, this rate was 53%.

For Ethel Maciel, the perception that the pandemic is under control was endorsed by the repeal of the decrees that required the use of masks, symbols of the pandemic. “The message that remained for the population was, ‘if you can take off your mask, it’s because the pandemic is over.'”

According to her, the measure should have been accompanied by information that alerted the population so that, in the face of a new high in cases, the accessory would be resumed. “Now the numbers are going up, some states are up to 40% positive in the tests, and managers are pretending that nothing is happening.”

According to Maciel, the country is also not facing the long-term Covid, a set of symptoms that persist after months of infection with the coronavirus. “Long Covid can affect people who have had mild infections. It is a priority that we minimize transmission so that there is less chance of the person developing long Covid.”

Datafolha also asked if the people interviewed had already been vaccinated: 96% answered yes, with at least one dose, 30% with two doses and 55% with the third dose (first booster).

Until May 30, records in the SI-PNI (Information System of the National Immunization Program/Ministry of Health), with population estimates from the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics), indicate that vaccination coverage against Covid among Brazilians aged 16 and over was 91% with the first dose, 88% with the primary regimen (two doses or a single dose of Janssen) and 53% with the third dose (first booster).