Rodrigo Garcia creates secretariat to fight infectious diseases in SP

The government of the State of São Paulo announced this Thursday (12) a new state secretariat. It will be called the State Department of Science, Research and Development in Health.

Infectologist David Uip, former State Secretary of Health, was appointed to the portfolio. According to him, the secretariat will have the role of planning health measures and research to combat infectious diseases. The new secretary also explained that the new portfolio will have the collaboration of existing research institutions in São Paulo, such as Butantan and the Adolf Lutz Institute.

“It’s no use, when you have an epidemic, to go running to your side to make a plan. That’s what happened in the world. It won’t happen anymore. We’re going to plan,” said Uip.

Uip explained that a project was developed at the request of Governor Rodrigo Garcia. “The governor liked the plan and it became a secretariat, because I think it has to be a secretariat with management power,” he said.

At the end of March, the state of São Paulo recorded the lowest moving average of hospitalizations for Covid since the beginning of the pandemic. On the 21st of that month, there were records of approximately 223 hospitalized patients considering the previous seven days.

According to the Secretary of State for Health, at the peak of the pandemic, hospitalizations reached 3,399 in March 2021, and 1,521. In January of this year, the average was 1,521.

Regarding vaccination against the coronavirus, the state registers around 86% of the population with the first complete cycle. However, about 58% took booster shots. Considering that the Ômicron variant has vaccine escape, specialists have already indicated that the complete regimen for the strain should be of three doses in order to avoid severe disease.

Another difficulty of vaccination in the state is in the campaign against influenza. According to the secretary of health, the immunization of the target audience — health professionals, the elderly, children from six months to under 5 years of age, pregnant and postpartum women — reached only 40%, while the target was 90%.

Currently, the state government has even made the vaccine available to public and private teachers, indigenous people, people with disabilities or comorbidities. Even so, the priority group continues to be able to get immunized in health units.