Experts say that it is still too early for the São Paulo government to release the use of masks in closed places, even more so in view of the circulation of the new sub-variant of the omicron, BA.2, which has led to an increase in cases and hospitalizations in European countries. and from Asia.
The announcement was made by Governor João Doria (PSDB) during the program “Brasil Urgente” (Band), by presenter José Luiz Datena, pre-candidate for the Senate on the slate headed by the PSDB in São Paulo. The measure is valid in the state of São Paulo from this Thursday (17). In Rio, flexibility has been in effect since the 7th.
Genomic sequencing data from public and private laboratories show that BA.2 currently accounts for 2% to 5% of samples sequenced in Brazil. There are studies that suggest that it may be up to 40% more transmissible than the previous lineage.
According to Alexandre Naime, vice president of the SBI (Brazilian Society of Infectious Diseases), although the release of masks in closed environments is a natural step in the easing measures, this should only happen within a scenario in which epidemiological markers show a linear fall. and sustainable development of new cases and transmission rates.
“And that’s not what we’re seeing. The moving average of new cases in Brazil has dropped a lot, but now it’s on a plateau, it’s not going down anymore. We live in a scenario of short-term uncertainty. .2”, he says.
According to him, taking into account that the BA.2 should become the predominant variant in the coming weeks, it may not be the time to release the masks indoors.
“Decisions need to be better based on scientific indicators than on political discourse. It’s not because Rio released that we have to release them”, he says.
Although it is possible, in the face of a new increase in cases, to go back on the decision on the use of masks, he recalls that these setbacks bring a lot of distrust to the population.
“[Sobre o aumento da alta de casos na Europa] You can’t put everything on the virus’s back. Although BA.2 is more transmissible, it is not if you are constantly wearing masks.”
An alternative to be evaluated, according to him, would be flexibility with separation of closed environments. For example, banks and public offices are closed, crowded places, and would not be candidates for a release at this time. On the other hand, more spacious environments, such as museums, which allow for a distance between people, may be.
Epidemiologist Eliseu Waldman, a senior professor in the department of epidemiology at USP, agrees that the risks of contagion are different from being on a crowded bus and in a museum, but says that very specific behaviors may not be understood by part of the population.
He also considers the release of the use of the mask in closed environments rushed and says that the idea would be to wait for the pandemic to enter, in fact, an endemic phase. “We need to understand at what level we are going to be in this endemic situation. [a decisão de Doria] It is political conduct, in an election year.”
For Vitor Mori, a researcher at the University of Vermont and a member of the Covid-19 Observatory, the state of São Paulo took a long time to make the use of masks in outdoor environments more flexible and is now being hasty in releasing the use in closed environments. “There hasn’t even been time to assess the flexibility of outdoor use,” he says.
In his opinion, the São Paulo government could make an assessment on a case-by-case basis, starting, for example, in empty, wider places, with better air exchange with the external environment and with more efficient air filtration systems.
“In public transport, hospitals, nursing homes, schools, gyms, it would be more reasonable to make a gradual flexibility, so that the impacts can be evaluated and not drowning as is being done now.”
According to him, these precautions should be taken regardless of the circulation of new variants. “It is not prudent to do this all at once. It would be important for easing indoors to be gradual, following the level of risk associated with each space.”
From an individual point of view, experts say that people who want a greater degree of protection should continue to wear pff2 masks, which are tightly sealed to the face, indoors.
“When we talk about cloth or surgical masks, we talk about collective protection, that is, to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to another person. Now, for you to protect yourself from others, the ideal is pff2”, explains Vitor Mori.
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