COVID-19: Fiocruz report lists challenges to face Brazil next year

The emergence of new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the temporary removal of information from databases, and politicized measures in the fight against COVID-19 will be among the challenges facing Brazil in 2022 in its bid to check the advance of COVID-19 in the country, which is among the global epicenters of the disease. The assessment can be found in the COVID-19 Observatory Report, published Thursday (Dec. 23) by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), which also takes stock of the efforts against the pandemic in 2021. Brazil is closing out the year with over 22 million cases and a death toll of 616 thousand.

The document also shows scientists’ concern over the nearly complete resumption of in-person business, educational, and leisure activities “directly or indirectly exposing a portion of the population.”

“With small and important exceptions, campaigns urging people to wear masks and observe social distancing are not being conducted, which may lead to a false idea that the pandemic is under control. In the coming weeks, family and community reunions will take place. Even a few mass events have been organized,” the text reads.

Variants

Among the scientists’ concern is the emergence of variants of the novel coronavirus like Omicron—first identified in South Africa, and found in Brazil as well as 90 countries.

“It is among current concerns, for example, that the spread of the Omicron variant, coupled with a larger circulation of people during the holiday season, may lead to a spike in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, culminating in a crisis and a collapse in the health care system,” the report warns.

Scientists point out that variant Delta was the main force behind the second wave of COVID-19 late last year, which took its toll in March and April, when the country reported over 3 thousand fatalities a day.

Variant Omicron is responsible for the recent surge in COVID-19 cases in countries like Germany, the UK, the US, and Russia, where it is winter. The variant is expected soon to become the prevalent one in these countries.

Data

The Fiocruz report also casts light on the vulnerability of health care databases as a challenge yet to be overcome. “The flaws in the disclosure of data on the pandemic are not just a result of a hacker attack on the web portals and pages. Rather, they combine vulnerable spots and weaknesses throughout the process, starting from the forms to be filled out at health stations.”

Delays and interruptions in the release of data, the document says, have hindered “the production of vital knowledge for evidence-based decisions—a situation analogous to driving at night with no headlights, or flying a plane with no navigation tools.”

As an example, the document mentions a discrepancy not in line with the stage of the pandemic in the first weeks of December. “The shrinkage reported in the number of cases registered (five percent a day) is incompatible with how the disease is transmitted. This can be confirmed by the sharp spike in lethality—2.5 to 4.2 percent—indicating a sudden plunge in cases, not accompanied by the number of deaths. This means a large number of cases have gone unreported over the last weeks.”

Politicized measures

The third challenge concerns the politicization of vital measures aimed at protecting people’s health. “This process has brought together the neglect of key preventive protection measures—such as physical and social distancing, the use of masks and hand hygiene—with the organized spread of fake news and the creation of an atmosphere marked by discredit and mistrust surrounding vaccines.”

The text mentions the “unacceptable” attacks on Brazil’s drug regulator Anvisa, its directors and employees, following its approval of the use of the vaccine against COVID-19 in children.

Further precautions

The report reiterates Fiocruz’s recommendation for children to be vaccinated urgently, a measure scientists believe to be instrumental in curbing the disease across all age groups. “Vaccination against COVID-19 in children plays an important role in the transmission chain, since the expansion of vaccination coverage, in addition to reducing the number of serious cases, brings the circulation of the virus under check. This reduced circulation also leads to a lower chance of new variants appearing,” the publication says.

The COVID-19 Observatory Report also that COVID-19 has shown a consistently high transmission pattern, making it necessary to maintain all the recommended sanitary care, such as observing social distancing, keeping one’s hands clean, and wearing face masks.

“In the face of such a complex and uncertain landscape, we insist on the need to remain cautious in tackling the pandemic, and reaffirm the precautionary principle,” the text reiterates.