Improves occupancy of ICUs by Covid, and only 3 states and DF have rates above 80%

After weeks in a worrying situation, the ICUs (intensive care units) for cases of Covid had an improvement in capacity this Monday (14). The number of states fell to three —Mato Grosso do Sul, Pernambuco and Rondônia—, in addition to the Federal District, with occupancy rates above 80% in beds for critically ill patients.

In the last week and in the previous one, there were eight states, in addition to the DF, with this level of capacity. Minas Gerais, at the other extreme, is experiencing the most comfortable situation in the country at the moment, with 39% of its beds being used for critical cases of those infected with coronavirus.

The situation in Mato Grosso do Sul is still worrying. The percentage, now 89% occupancy, is almost the same as the previous week — 90% of the ICUs were full.

The state recorded 3,760 new cases in 24 hours this Tuesday (15). The moving average is 3,167 new infections in seven days. With 92% of ICU beds occupied, the capital Campo Grande accounts for most of the new records of the disease (1,790).

The increase in deaths from Covid-19 in the state also generates apprehension. February hasn’t even come to an end, but more deaths have already been recorded than the whole of last month. In the first two weeks of this month, 167 lives were lost due to the disease, against 159 during January.

“We alert the population to seek vaccination, which is the only remedy against Covid-19. As well as avoid agglomerations and continue with protective measures. We have a portion of the population that did not take the booster dose and there is resistance to children’s vaccine”, says Geraldo Resende, State Secretary of Health.

Currently, 74% of the population of Mato Grosso do Sul have a complete vaccination schedule. However, childhood vaccination is moving slowly. Although the immunization campaign for the public from 5 to 11 years old began in mid-January, only 26% were vaccinated against the disease in this age group.

The Federal District has 85% of ICU beds occupied. In total, the federation unit has 103 beds for adults, 88 of which are in use and only two are released.

The other 13 are awaiting release or are blocked. In the latter case, the bed is being prepared to receive a new patient, undergoing disinfection or maintenance in some equipment, for example.

The federation unit has 18 neonatal and pediatric ICU beds, 15 of which are occupied. Four beds were created for this audience this week compared to the previous one.

In Rondônia, the state with the most alarming capacity in recent weeks (above 90%), there has been an improvement, although it remains at a high level.

The occupancy of ICU beds is above 80% even with openings made by the State Department of Health throughout the week. Between February 7th and 14th, the total number of ICU beds for adults undergoing treatment against Covid went from 65 to 69.

In Pernambuco, the occupancy of ICU beds dropped from 88% to 81% in one week.

In São Paulo, on Monday (14), of the 8,208 hospitalized with suspected or confirmed Covid-19, 3,231 were in ICU beds. On the same date, the state provided 5,190 beds in intensive care – the occupancy rate, therefore, is 62%.

According to the State Health Department, on Sunday (13), 27 regional state hospitals located in the state recorded occupancy greater than or equal to 90% in exclusive ICU beds for Covid-19. On February 7th, there were 33.

Of the 27 state hospitals, the Institutes of Infectious Diseases Emílio Ribas and Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia, the Hospital das Clínicas in São Paulo and the Hospital in Ribeirão Preto, among others, are on the list.

Also according to the State Health Department, São Paulo has about 800 pediatric ward beds, with an occupancy of 82%, in addition to 400 ICU beds for this public, on average, with an occupancy of 63%.

“Several indicators have pointed out that the number of cases of ômicron is falling. This means that hospitalizations and, very soon, deaths should fall more rapidly”, says infectologist Evaldo Stanislau de Araújo, from Hospital das Clínicas da USP.

For the specialist, some issues, however, deserve attention, such as the large number of people not vaccinated with the third dose, who are more vulnerable to severe forms of the disease, and the introduction of the subvariant BA.2, of the Ômicron, with the potential to cause infection or reinfection.

In the capital of São Paulo, according to the Municipal Health Department, the occupancy rate of public ICU beds for Covid-19 in the municipal network reached 52% this Monday – at the time, 297 of the 573 intensive beds were occupied.

Assistant Secretary of Health, Luiz Carlos Zamarco, says that the secretariat identifies stabilization in the numbers of hospitalized patients with Covid, but, if necessary, more vacancies can be made available.

In the capital of São Paulo, of the seven hospitals with beds destined exclusively for the treatment of patients with Covid-19, only the Municipal Hospital Ignácio Proença de Gouvêa, in Mooca (east zone) remained fully occupied in the ICU and the Municipal Hospital Profª Lydia Storopolli , in Liberdade (center), was at 80%.

In Bahia, attention is drawn to the high occupancy rates of pediatric ICUs. Throughout the state, the rate is 84% ​​of the 44 vacancies, according to Sesab (Health Department of Bahia).

In the capital, Salvador, 83% of the 30 children’s beds are filled, points out the Municipal Health Department.

In relation to beds for adults, in the state, there was a slight decrease in the percentage in the period from February 7th to 14th: the occupancy rate dropped from 71% to 70% of the 610 existing vacancies.

In the same period, in Salvador, the number of beds for adults increased from 179 to 195 — the occupancy rate dropped from 72% to 69%.

In Rio de Janeiro, the pandemic has been showing signs of cooling down recently. The number of patients hospitalized for the disease in the state capital, for example, fell by almost half in the last week, from 348 to 167.

This caused the occupation of public ICUs to be 66% in the city and 52% in the state this Monday, even with the reduction of almost one hundred vacancies.