With Covid and flu, emergency room waits reach 6 hours in São Paulo – 01/04/2022 – balance and health

As a result, the waiting time for care in public and private emergency rooms in the city of São Paulo is up to six hours influenza epidemic e do Increasing cases of covid-19.

In the first three days of the year alone, 20,333 people with respiratory symptoms were treated at the municipal health network. There were 282 calls per hour on average. Of the total attendance, 11,585 suspected Covid, which equates to 57%.

a Leaf Visited nine addresses in the south, east and west of Sao Paulo this Tuesday (4) and found waiting rooms full flu patients.

The situation in private hospitals was as chaotic as that recorded in health centers. Some private facilities have been careful to separate patients with flu-like symptoms from others.

Medical student Larissa Valencia, 23, has been wrapped in a red quilt for four hours, waiting for care in the emergency room at the São Luiz Hospital unit in Analia Franco, on the east side. “I feel dizzy from severe pains in my body,” he said.

She believes she was infected by her mother, who spent the holiday isolated from her family after being diagnosed with H3N2 Influenza Virus. “We took care of it,” said the student, “but I think I ended up taking it too.”

The private hospital has designated a waiting room only to receive patients with flu-like symptoms and isolate them from others. There were not enough chairs and many people had to wait standing.

In the Morumbi unit at Hospital São Luiz, on the west side, signs of high patient demand were already showing up on the street, where a row of cars were waiting to enter the parking lot. Inside, the waiting time for the medical appointment was 3-4 hours.

According to local officials and people waiting to receive treatment, patients with flu-like symptoms have not been isolated.

Banker Caroline de Almeida Oliveira, 37, has given up waiting for her turn. After a trip to the beach, she started showing symptoms of Covid-19 and decided to go to the emergency room. Now she claims she will Take the quick test at the pharmacy Treating symptoms with pain relievers. The hospital network was contacted through the report, but did not respond to questions.

The same crowded hallway was seen in the private Vitoria Hospital, on the east side. Patient Priscilla Teixeira was called for examination around 2 pm after arriving at the emergency room at 10 am. “I have severe back pain,” she said. “My daughter and husband are also sick.”

It sought, Vitoria Hospital claimed to follow care protocols and that it had increased the number of physicians given a 28.8% increase in care compared to November and December.

Another private hospital visited was Santa Paula, on the west side, where the wait was six hours for emergency room help. The foundation created a specific password for patients with flu-like symptoms, but there was no physical separation from others in the waiting room.

And the hospital said, in a statement, that the demand for patients with respiratory symptoms increased by 268% in December compared to November, and thus the wait increased.

In the general network, there were also a lot of people to see, but the waiting time was relatively shorter in some units. At AMA Água Rasa, on the east side, expectations were a two-hour wait, and patients with flu-like symptoms were directed to an outdoor area.

Freelancer Marcelo Carraro, 53, was waiting for a date with his daughter, Pamela Carraro, 23, after she was his wife. He was diagnosed with Covid-19 right after Christmas. “Everyone in the family has symptoms,” he said.

In AMA Paraisópolis, on the south side, a tent with chairs has been erected for patients with flu-like symptoms. There, the waiting time was about two hours.

At AMA Sorocabana, in Lapa, on the West Side, there wasn’t even a chair for all patients to wait for care. Many of them were standing, some even sat on the ground. Cleaning assistant Verônica do Carmo, 44, arrived at the unit at 8 a.m. and until 1 p.m. she hadn’t even been checked.

This was the second day in a row that I sought care for flu symptoms. On Monday (3), she waited three hours to show up at another health center, but she gave up. “I was so tired and had a fever so high that I couldn’t wait. I went to work today, but my boss let me go because he saw I was very sick.”

In Freguesia do Ó, in the northern region, patients waited more than four hours at the AMA Vila Palmeiras. With no symptoms, Isabel de Mello, 22, sought medical care after everyone in her family tested positive for Covid. She wanted to take the test so you wouldn’t have to go to work in person. “It’s the third health unit I’m looking for, they all wait over four hours and don’t even guarantee they’ll test me because they I’m asymptomaticHe said.

At Ama Boracea, in Barra Funda, the wait time for the examination was approximately 30 minutes on Tuesday morning (4). Only after the first evaluation were patients informed if they were to undergo testing and referral for medical care.

In a statement, the municipal health department said it began taking care of people with flu-like symptoms in December without having to make an appointment at 469 UBS. Tents were erected in units with the largest number of assistants to speed up the sorting process.

Mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB)’s administration has not, however, informed whether it intends to adopt further measures to reduce service time in light of the new surge in demand at the start of the year.