ICU capacity drops for Covid, and only MS and DF have rates of 80% or more

After weeks with high occupancy in ICUs, states showed improvement in beds for critical cases of Covid-19. Only the Federal District and Mato Grosso do Sul had 80% or more occupancy this Monday (21).

In the previous week, there were three states, in addition to the Federal District, with a high rate of ICUs in use.

With the advancement of the ômicron variant, city halls decided to cancel parades and street blocks, but allowed private parties, with tickets that reach R$ 700.

The Federal District maintains a worrying situation, with 84% of beds with critically ill patients.

In total, the Federation unit has 103 beds for adults. Of the total, 87 were occupied and only 1 was released. The other 15 were awaiting release or were blocked.

In the latter case, the bed is being prepared to receive a new patient, undergoing disinfection or maintenance in some equipment.

The DF has 18 neonatal and pediatric ICU beds — 14 were occupied. The number of adult and pediatric beds remains the same as the previous week.

Mato Grosso do Sul has 80% of ICU beds for Covid occupied, an index that reaches 100% in pediatric units. The epidemiological situation in the state is still worrying. This Tuesday (22), 2,742 new infections were recorded in 24 hours, an increase of 112% compared to the last day 14.

On that date, the state recorded 1,293 cases of the disease. Currently, the moving average is 3,061 infections in seven days. In the capital Campo Grande, the occupancy rate of ICUs jumped from 92% to 98% in one week.

​After two weeks among the states with the highest occupancy rate of ICUs, Rondônia records a drop in hospitalizations for this type of treatment to 70%, compared to 81% in the previous week.

The state still keeps its field hospital for patients with Covid active, because of the demand that comes to the health network.

Among the measures to prevent the disease, the Government of Rondônia has been carrying out rapid tests for Covid-19 through the drive-thru system in cities in the state. Over the weekend, the tests were applied in Campo Novo. In all, 144 people underwent the test, with a positive result for 18.

The occupancy of adult ICUs also declined in Espírito Santo, from 79% to 72% in the period. Both in Rondônia and Espírito Santo there was no increase in the number of vacancies, which could contribute to a reduction in the percentage of use.

In the state of Rio de Janeiro, the occupancy of ICUs has continued to fall since the end of January, ranging from 52% to 46% in the last week, even with the closure of some beds. In the state capital, however, there was a slight increase, from 66% to 72%.

This Monday (21), the state of São Paulo had 2,615 patients with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 hospitalized in intensive care beds and an occupancy rate of 53.91% – a drop of 5.62% compared to the 14th. , when the Covid ICUs had 3,226 hospitalized and a rate of 59.53%.

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

Also according to the ministry, São Paulo has about 800 pediatric ward beds, with an occupancy of 81.9%, and 400 ICU beds, on average, with an occupancy of 63.3%.

“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 doctor, given the total number of infected, “in this current wave it is unlikely that until the Carnival holiday we will have a great impact and pressure caused by the omicron”.

For the specialist, some issues 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 Pernambuco, the bed occupancy rate dropped from 88% to 81% in one week. In all, there are 1,056 beds of the type, 11 more than last week.

In parallel, the end of February has Carnival. Even with the cancellation of public and private parties, the guidance of health experts is to avoid agglomerations in the period.

“Avoiding agglomeration and prioritizing open and well-ventilated environments are the recommendations. Even with the reduction of cases, we have to avoid the circulation of the virus”, says infectious disease specialist Bruno Ishigami.

Within a week, from February 14 to 21, the occupancy of pediatric ICU beds remained above 80% in Bahia. In the period, the rate jumped from 84% to 89% of the 44 active vacancies in the state, according to the Health Department of Bahia.

For secretary Adélia Pinheiro, the situation is a warning not only for children, but for other age groups. In the manager’s assessment, the high occupancy of pediatric beds is driven by the ômicron variant, combined with the low demand for the vaccine.

“We have an eligible audience of nearly one million children between the ages of 5 and 11, but only about 500,000 are immunized with the first dose”, he calculates. “The vaccine is a right of children, who are under the responsibility of parents and family members.”

On the other hand, the occupancy of ICU beds for adults had a reduction from 70% to 56% of the 605 vacancies in the state. The capital Salvador also followed the downward movement from 69% to 49% in the period, according to the Municipal Health Department.

Still in the Northeast region, the number of ICU beds for adults was reduced from 462 to 338 in Ceará. Despite this, the occupancy rate dropped four percentage points, from 68% to 64%, according to the state Health Department.

In the capital Fortaleza, ICU beds for adults were reduced from 237 to 155 vacancies. In the same way as the rest of the state, the capital follows the pace of decline in the occupancy rate, which went from 70% to 65%.

In Rio Grande do Norte, the occupancy rate of critical beds is 50.5%, considering beds occupied and available in the state panel — the account does not consider six beds identified as blocked.

The rate fell compared to last week’s scenario, when it reached 77.2% occupancy. In state pediatric ICUs, the occupancy also dropped, from 53.8% to 30.7%.

For the coordinator of Health Surveillance at the Department of Public Health, Kelly Lima, the current scenario reinforces the importance of completing vaccination schedules.

“Even with the increase in the number of cases in the year 2022, we had low lethality and this, necessarily, due to the vaccination process underway in the state”, she says. “He is fundamental for us to get through this critical pandemic moment.”

In Rio Grande do Sul, the total occupancy of public ICUs is 57.3%, according to the state panel — 44 hospitals, however, had delayed data, which could affect the general scenario. This Tuesday (22), the state recorded 13,244 new cases of Covid-19 and confirmed 56 deaths.

In the other states of the South region, Paraná registered 67% occupancy in public ICUs earlier this week, while in Santa Catarina, the rate is 60%, according to data from state panels.

Bed occupancy also plummeted in Goiás, from 82% to 71% in one week. Ten more beds were created, totaling 245. In Goiânia, the largest city in the state, occupancy remains stable and fluctuated from 73% to 72% in the period, with the same 190 beds made available.​