Covid-19: 257,000 Healthcare Professionals Have Been Infected in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Since the start of the pandemic, 226 healthcare professionals have died and another 257,000 have been infected by the novel coronavirus. The balance was presented during a press conference yesterday, August 24th, by the Ministry of Health.

Among the Covid-19 deaths, the most victimized categories were technicians and assistants (38.5 percent), doctors (21.7 percent) and nurses (15.9 percent). In terms of cases, the most affected were technicians and assistants (34.4 percent), nurses (14.5 percent), doctors (10.7 percent) and community health agents (4.9 percent).

Ministry of Health officials also presented a report on the ‘Brasil Conta Comigo’ program, designed to register health professionals and reinforce care teams in states and municipalities.

According to the entity’s data, over one million health area workers were registered. Among these, 468 were hired by the federal government to be sent to states. Another 74,000 were made available to ten State Secretariats.

Regarding the number of hires, the Secretary of Labor Management and Health Education, Maya Ribeiro, stated that the Ministry of Health established criteria for hiring by states, such as determining death cases that justified reinforcement. “Those who were unable to justify the hiring we offered the registration, thereby enabling the immediate hiring. That was the case in ten states, which resulted in 74,000 professionals who had already been trained,” she said.

The Ministry’s Executive Secretary, Élcio Franco, added that resources were transferred to states and municipalities and that it is the responsibility of these local bodies to “prepare their situation and hire professionals”.

Yesterday, August 24th, at a press conference in Brasília, the Ministry of Health announced a program called ‘Mentalize’. The initiative is focused on the promotion of mental health. The portfolio representatives stated that its purpose is to reinforce this type of service faced with situations arising from the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The program will cover the supply of materials and activities to sensitize the population about the value of protecting their mental health and look for evaluation should any symptoms arise that may suggest a condition has developed.

This week, the Ministry’s social media channels will broadcast lectures and debates with professionals such as psychologists and psychiatrists. Mental health topics from specific segments, such as children, the elderly and workers, will be addressed.