With epidemic, stations in São Paulo return to vaccinate against flu

Because of the flu epidemic that fills health facilities and hospitals, the City of São Paulo resumes this Friday (24) vaccination against the disease in the capital of São Paulo. Initially, 400,000 doses of a total of 1 million units sent by the Butantan Institute will be applied.

In addition, from this Thursday (23), patients with flu-like symptoms do not need an appointment to be seen at the Basic Health Units (UBS).

This Friday, health facilities will be open with doctors exclusively for the care of patients with respiratory symptoms, in addition to vaccination against the flu.

The immunization agents that will be used are against the H1N1 virus and have little effect on the current epidemic, caused by Darwin, a variant of the H3N2 influenza.

Even though this vaccine was not effective against the new virus, there was a rush to private clinics in search of the item. Immunizers capable of fighting the new strain should only be available in March of next year.

With the vaccines, the department hopes to reduce the number of patients with respiratory symptoms they have sought.

In this resumption of vaccination at health centers, the doses will be aimed at people who have not yet been vaccinated in 2021. Pregnant women, postpartum women, breastfeeding women, elderly people over 60 years and children aged 6 months to 5 years are part of the priority group.

Vaccination this Friday takes place at 469 UBSs in the city of São Paulo, from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

The application of the other 600,000 doses that will be sent to the capital does not yet have a date.​

This year’s flu vaccination campaign ended on August 31. According to the Municipal Health Department, 4,470,557 doses were applied, covering 74.7% of the eligible public.

With the epidemic, the number of patients with flu-like symptoms who sought the municipal health network soared. According to the secretariat, in November there were 111,949 calls for people with flu-like symptoms, with 56,220 suspected of Covid-19. This month, until last Tuesday (20), 170,259 people were respiratory, and 79,482 were suspected of Covid.

The increase in cases 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 secretariat, 258 of the hospital’s 406 beds, or 63.5%, will only be for cases of patients with Sagrs (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndromes). The others are still 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).

This week, the city authorized the emergency hiring of 280 doctors, in addition to nurses, for AMAs (Medical Ambulatory Outpatients) and for UPAs (Emergency Care Units) to try to handle the discharge in attendance.

admissions

The city of São Paulo again registered an increase in hospitalizations for suspected Covid-19 and respiratory problems. Last week 1,170 admissions were counted, an increase of 47.5% compared to the previous seven days, when there were 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, 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.