Cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Srag) continue to rise in all regions of Brazil, points out the new bulletin Infogripe, from Fiocruz, published this Tuesday (29). The most serious complications are associated with the increase in cases of Covid-19, especially in adults and over 60 years.
There are two ways used by Infogripe to measure the trend of SARS cases in Brazil. The first is based on information from the previous three weeks, called short-term. If there was an average increase in cases during this period, the indicator will point to an upward trend for the most recent week.
Another measurement method is the long-term one, in which the same estimative model is used, but adopting data from the previous six weeks.
For both cases, the last week —from the 20th to the 26th of November— showed a growth trend in the records of the respiratory syndrome. In the case of long-term estimates, there were 19 states and the Federal District that showed signs of growth in Srag cases compared to data from previous weeks.
The scenario is compatible with the increase in hospitalizations and positive tests for Covid-19 that these regions have registered in the last three and six weeks.
Furthermore, looking at data from the last four weeks, 71.3% of respiratory syndrome cases test positive for Covid-19. As a comparison, the influenza A virus only accounts for 3.4% of positive tests.
Even with the increase in Srag records, no Brazilian macro-region is at the stage characterized as extremely high in the incidence of the syndrome. This level refers to a scenario of more than ten cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
On the other hand, with the latest information from the bulletin, it is observed that most of the macro-regions considered by the survey are classified in the high level — there were 58 in total. This level is an indication that, in these locations, between 1 and 5 cases of respiratory syndrome are registered for every 100,000 inhabitants.
The growth in Srag cases and their association with Covid-19 had already been pointed out in recent weeks by the Infogripe bulletin. The scenario may be associated with the increase in infections related to the arrival of new subvariants in Brazil.
Currently, the country still does not have bivalent vaccines that use both the original strain of Sars-CoV-2 and the omicron strain. These updated immunizers are indicated by specialists as an important mechanism against the new subvariants of the virus. In addition to them, it is recommended to wear a mask in higher risk places, such as public transport.
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