Private hospitals in São Paulo register increase in Covid cases

Private hospitals in São Paulo recorded a large increase in hospitalizations and visits due to confirmation or suspicion of Covid-19 and other flu syndromes.

Among them is the Japanese-Brazilian Hospital. Last Monday (30), there were approximately 400 visits to the respiratory emergency room. According to Rodrigo Borsari, the hospital’s technical superintendent, in April the daily average was 60.

It was necessary to resume the structure used in more critical moments. A few months ago, with the decrease in cases, the special structure had been adapted to serve patients with other diseases. “But we need to go back,” she says.

The increase in calls of this type is related to the advance of Covid cases in recent days. In Japanese-Brazilian, the rate of exams with positive results for the disease is around 30%. Before, it reached 5%.

The children’s hospital Sabará also showed an increase in respiratory conditions in recent days. According to the medical center’s bulletin, the positivity for Sars-CoV-2 in the last week among hospitalized and emergency care patients was 17%. That rate four weeks ago was 3%.

The hospital also saw an increase in cases of syncytial virus, a common pathogen that causes respiratory syndromes in children. Two weeks ago, the positivity rate was 5%. Now it has jumped to 18%.

At Hospital Sírio-Libanês, the number of hospitalizations for Covid more than doubled in the last month, from 13 on May 2 to 30 on the last Monday (30). ICU admissions jumped from one to 13 in the same period.

The hospital’s emergency room also recorded a 40% increase in calls for Covid-19 and other flu syndromes in the last week. The numbers rose from around 300 daily in early May to 420 in recent days.

The increase in demand led to the reopening of areas in the PS reserved for respiratory syndromes that had already been closed in March, with the drop in cases, according to Christian Morinaga, coordinator of the Sírio emergency care.

At Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, the number of patients hospitalized with Covid rose from ten, on May 1st, to 54, this Wednesday (1st). The rate of tests with a positive result for the disease also rose, from 8.5% in the week of April 24 to 30 to 26.3% in the week of 22 to 28 of this month.

In the São Camilo Hospital network, this Tuesday (31), of 796 tests for Covid, 311 had a positive result, “an increase of more than 11 times compared to the numbers obtained on May 1”. “The institution continues to strengthen its emergency room teams, with the aim of optimizing triage flows, reducing waiting time and expanding the capacity to care for critically ill patients,” he said in a note.

At Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, the increase in demand for the PS in May for flu syndromes was 288% compared to April, and the positivity rate in the tests for the detection of Covid rose 160%. Also in May, 125 patients were hospitalized with suspected or confirmed Covid-19, a number 380% higher than the total number of hospitalizations in April.

Despite the increase, he says the number of cases that result in hospitalization is still small compared to previous waves of Covid. “Which only reinforces the role of the vaccine. Even being infected, this does not become hospitalization.”

Morinaga says that, in addition to Covid, there are many flu cases caused by other viruses, such as respiratory syncytial, which often do not justify going to the emergency room.

“Sometimes, on the first day of symptoms, the person seeks the ER. At this stage, they often still do not have a viral load to make the diagnosis of Covid.”

He advises that people with mild symptoms, such as a runny nose, body pain and sore throat, do not need to immediately seek the emergency room. “Today we have the telemedicine resource, many operators offer it, Sírio itself also has a telemedicine service that provides remote monitoring. You don’t have to go to the emergency room.”

Sought, the City of São Paulo said that the arrival of lower temperatures causes an increase in respiratory infections, including Covid-19. “The municipal network is prepared to serve the population,” he added.

The Secretary of State for Health stated that it is common at this time of year the increase in hospitalizations for SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) in the public and private networks and that it monitors the scenario.

Increase in SARS cases

More severe cases of respiratory infections were already being observed, mainly due to the rise in SARS rates.

According to the new version of Fiocruz’s Infogripe Bulletin, it is estimated that there were 7,200 SARS cases in the week of May 22. The observed increase indicates that there are increases in severe cases of respiratory conditions in relation to data from the last three and six weeks.

The new bulletin also reports the prevalence of Covid-19 among cases of respiratory syndrome. According to estimates, the infection was associated with about 60% of these severe conditions in the last four weeks.

In the previous document, the disease was associated with 48% with respiratory complications.

Masks and vaccination

The new records of respiratory diseases, especially Covid-19, made the Covid-19 Contingency Committee of the São Paulo government recommend the return of the use of mask in closed spaces. The position was followed by the city hall of the capital of São Paulo this Wednesday (1st).

For Marcos Boulos, professor of infectology at the USP School of Medicine (University of São Paulo), the cooling off in the use of protective material has a strong association with the increase in respiratory diseases. He mentions that, in the last year, cases of flu have decreased as the use of a mask also prevents other respiratory viruses.

“It is not appropriate not to wear a mask at a time when there is still a pandemic, which is decreasing, but it is still ongoing. So, until it ends for good, we have to continue wearing a mask”, he says.

Borsari, from Japanese-Brazilian, reiterates this point. According to him, in the hospital it is observed that the positivity rate for Covid-19 among the general population is higher than among health professionals. One of the reasons that may explain this is that the use of masks remains mandatory in health centers.

Another point raised is vaccination. Borsori says that health professionals have already been immunized massively, while vaccination in part of the population still lags. “This opens up an opportunity for the virus to circulate,” he concludes.