Vucruz wants to adopt the vaccination passport “without conditions” | the health

Researchers from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Viocruz) Covid-19 Observatory released today (10) a new edition of the Health Bulletin in which they defend the vaccine passport as an essential measure, due to changes in the epidemiological scenario in Brazil and in the world regarding transmissibility and dissemination of new variants.

In addition, the technical notes of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) refer to recommendations aimed at developing a new policy on borders and restrictions, in line with measures taken by other countries considering adopting the measure.

The researchers claim that we “maintain the unconditional defense of the vaccine passport. Most countries place restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their territories. Brazil cannot go against the flow, in danger of becoming the destination of unvaccinated people, who pose more risks for the spread of the disease.”

They also noted that the absence and quality of the available data creates uncertainty in describing the epidemiological picture. And they pointed out that “there are problems in the available data on Covid-19, which cause a significant under-reporting.”

The Bulletin notes that “Despite the improvement in the epidemiological indicators of covid-19 in the country, the Bulletin emphasizes that factors such as the increased influx of people – including many entering the country – and the worldwide spread of Ômicron deserve attention. Alternative concern.” The document also warns that although the advancement of vaccine coverage in the country brings benefits to mitigating the epidemic, this strategy cannot be treated as the only measure necessary to stop transmission of the virus in the population.

Vuecruz stresses the importance of monitoring the intensity of people returning to the streets, given the approaching holiday season and school holidays.

People on the streets

The document notes that, since September, it has been observed that more people are on the streets than in the period immediately preceding the pandemic and that “the heating up of tourism is already reflected in this indicator”. The data shows that since the end of November, stay-at-home has reached its lowest level in the past 20 months, showing itself a decline of nearly 10% over the first quarter period of 2020.

According to the researchers, “The data allows us to say that there is high-intensity trading and this pattern is particularly worrying in a scenario where transmission rates are stable and still high in the country.”

respiratory syndromes

In the last two epidemiological weeks, the country’s estimated incidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SRAG) cases has been shown to maintain a slight increase trend in the country, with records of severe cases that can lead to hospitalizations and deaths.

Although the reported cases of SARS in the country still prevail in infections with the new Corona virus, there are municipalities, such as Rio de Janeiro, that record many cases of influenza A, with the possibility of spreading to other municipalities and states.

Given this scenario, the Bulletin alerts the ongoing efforts to monitor influenza across the country. Advances in coronavirus vaccination remain important, along with many recommendations that prevent or mitigate transmission. It will be important to keep efforts focused on all of these fronts to enable a sustainable reduction in SRAG incidents in the coming weeks.”