Flu epidemic leads São Paulo to reserve beds and hire doctors

The sudden increase in visits and hospitalizations due to respiratory symptoms and flu-like illness made the City of São Paulo reserve beds for patients with these conditions at the Hospital Municipal da Brasilândia, in the northern part of the city.

According to the Municipal Health Department, 258 of the hospital’s 406 beds, that is, 63.5%, will only be for cases of patients with Sagrs (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndromes). The others remain reserved for Covid-19 treatment.

Of the total for people with flu-like symptoms, there will be 158 infirmary beds and 100 in ICUs (Intensive Care Units).

The city of São Paulo again registered an increase in hospitalizations for Covid-19 and respiratory syndromes. In seven days, 1,170 hospitalizations were computed, an increase of 47% compared to the previous seven days, with 793 new patients

The numbers were analyzed by the Covid-19 Br Observatory based on data from the hospital census organized by Fundação Seade, which compiles admission records provided by hospitals on a daily basis.

For Roberto Kraenkel, a professor at Unesp (São Paulo State University) and a member of the Observatory, this rise is explained by the presence of a new infectious agent, which may be the omicron variant of the coronavirus or the H3N2 influenza virus, which has caused a flu epidemic in several Brazilian states.

In Brasilândia hospital alone, 46 patients were hospitalized with flu-like illnesses between Saturday (18), when the unit was referred for these cases, and early evening on Monday (20).

“When we think we’ve improved, everything changes in 48 hours”, said the municipal secretary of Health, Edson Aparecido, this Tuesday morning (21), during an event of the state government in Itaquera, in the east side of São Paulo, for the signing of transfers to the units of Hospital Santa Marcelina.

According to him, making reference to the Brasilândia hospital will allow the city to carry out a viral panel to identify with greater precision which virus is circulating in the city.

Aparecido cited the increase in cases of people with flu-like symptoms who sought care in the municipal network. According to him, in the entire November there were 112,000 patients. In the first 12 days of December, there were 92 thousand.

Reports from the secretariat confirm the shot. On December 1st, 325 patients with respiratory conditions were treated at the municipal network. Last Tuesday, there were 873. Last Saturday, doctors saw 1,065.

As the secretary, because of the sudden growth, the city will make the emergency hiring of 280 doctors, in addition to nurses, for AMAs (Ambulatory Medical Clinics) and UPAs (Emergency Care Units).

Aparecido recalled that in December there is an end of resident medical contracts, which worsens the problem in the growing service.

“We have brutal pressure on our units, which we didn’t imagine,” he said, to justify the actions. The day before, he denied the leaf there are signs of increased admissions in the municipal network. He acknowledged, however, the discharge of consultations due to the flu syndrome.

Without citing figures, the secretary also said on Tuesday that the city had asked the Ministry of Health to increase the number of doses for the 2022 flu vaccination campaign. This year, however, with about 4.5 million vaccines applied, the goal was not reached and 75% of the public went to the posts to get immunized.

Although the flu vaccine used in this year’s immunization program has the H3N2 strain in its composition, it is not the same one that is circulating now. This one, called Darwin [cidade na Austrália onde ela foi identificada pela primeira vez], is not covered by the current vaccine.

H3N2 is one of the subtypes of the influenza A virus. The symptoms caused by this virus are the classic flu symptoms: high fever with an acute onset, headache, joint pain, nasal cold and sore throat and cough. In some cases there may be vomiting and diarrhea, symptoms more common in children.

“People took off their masks,” said the state secretary of Health, Jean Gorinchteyn, who participated in this Tuesday’s event alongside Vice-Governor Rodrigo Garcia (PSDB), on the rise in cases of out-of-season flu people, at the turn from spring to summer.

​Gorinchteyn made a warning for children with respiratory viruses. “This has had an impact, as we have a syncytial respiratory outbreak responsible for bronchitis,” he said.

Omicron

On Monday night, the capital confirmed four more patients with the omicron variant of the new coronavirus. In all, there are 17 cases in the capital of São Paulo. Last week, Mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB) had confirmed that there is community transmission of the new Covid-19 strain. Statewide, there are 20 confirmed records.

According to the Municipal Health Department, patients show mild symptoms and deny travel abroad. “All have completed the quarantine period, since the sample is 12 days ago and, now, the results of the sequencing are coming out”, stated the folder, in a note.