Margareth Dalcomo, Fiocruz researcher and pulmonologist, believes that Brazil will not be able to contain the spread of the Indian variant of covid-19. In an interview with CNN, Dalcomo assessed the current situation in the country, which first cases of the strain identified in Maranhão.
“I don’t believe [que vamos controlar]. I think it is just a matter of time and we will discover the variant of India circulating in other places, it is very difficult to contain “, he said.
With the announcement of the Indian variant in Brazil, the Ministry of Health applied large-scale testing in São Luís, the capital where the virus was identified, and began to control borders. The state also receive 5% more vaccines. However, for the researcher, proactivity was lacking.
In Dalcomo’s analysis, the cancellation of flights from India should have been done at least three weeks ago. “I know Indian conditions of sanitary control reasonably well. It is very precarious. So when it started in India, it was obvious that it was going to spread,” he said.
The pulmonologist believes that the measures, at the very least, will reduce the impact of the new strain. “The Ministry of Health sent tests, up to a large amount, that can test half the population of São Luís and its surroundings. Perhaps this will be able to determine the size of the problem from the epidemiological point of view, of the impact, but it will not be able to control the transmission “, he spoke.
The researcher, like several other scientists and politicians, predicts the arrival of a third wave of the disease soon in the country. The Indian strain may contribute to the worsening of the condition. “Depending on the transmission rate of a variant, without a doubt, it could cause a very serious situation in Brazil,” he said.
Yesterday, Brazil registered 894 deaths caused by covid-19 in 24 hours, since the beginning of the pandemic, 449,185 lives were lost due to the disease. Also on Sunday, the country reached a total of 41.9 million vaccinated against coronavirus, which represents 19.82% of the population. The data are obtained by the consortium of press vehicles, of which the Twitter is part of the state health secretariats.
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