Queiroga says he talked to Bolsonaro about facing Covid as endemic

The Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga, said that he spoke with President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) this Thursday (3) and spoke of the possibility of facing Covid-19 as an endemic disease.

According to the minister, there are technical parameters and epidemiological indicators to be analyzed. In his view, the epidemiological scenario is more controlled, and the number of deaths is falling.

“It’s a discussion that is not just of the Ministry of Health. Although it is a decision of the minister [da Saúde], is a decision that passes through other folders. We are working to pass a very peaceful position to the Brazilian population”, said the minister.

We have the epidemiological scenario much more controlled as we expected, right? Cases are falling, the moving average of deaths is also falling and the health system has withstood the pressure of the onomicron while the vaccination campaign in Brazil is a pride for all Brazilians”, he added.

Earlier this year, some countries, such as the United Kingdom and Denmark, decided to consider Covid-19 as an endemic disease and relax restrictions.

Before the minister spoke on the subject, Bolsonaro had already published on his social media about the possibility of this relegation.

“Due to the improvement in the epidemiological scenario and in accordance with § 2 of Art. 1 of Law 13.979/2020, the @minsaude , @mqueiroga2 is studying to downgrade the current situation of COVID-19 in Brazil to ENDEMIA”, published the president on social media.

Such as sheet showed, the measure would be yet another nod to the president. Queiroga has bet on pleasing the government’s base of supporters to hold on to the position.

In preliminary discussions, Queiroga’s assistants are still trying to decipher the minister’s will, but already assess that the change may require revoking or altering the February 2020 Health Ordinance that declared Espin (Public Health Emergency of National Importance).

The most sensitive of these is the emergency authorization for the use of vaccines and medicines. According to the current rules of Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency), this type of endorsement that was given to Coronavac and to the immunizing agent from Janssen, for example, ends when the ordinance is revoked.

SUS managers, however, consider it premature to open the discussion on treating Covid as an endemic disease and reducing restrictions. One of the reasons is that the country continues with a high number of deaths per day.

Brazil recorded this Wednesday (2) 335 deaths from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, totaling 650,052 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. With this, the moving average of deaths in the last 7 days is 509.

There was a reduction of 39% compared to the average of 14 days ago, but the analysis needs to be done with caution due to the carnival holiday.

The country data, collected up to 8 pm, are the result of collaboration between sheetUOL, O Estado de S. Paulo, Extra, O Globo and G1 to gather and publish the numbers related to the new coronavirus pandemic.