Covid-19 hospitalizations drop 44% in Rio; private hospitals also feel relief

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Known for one of the worst statistics in Brazil during the pandemic, with high mortality and overwhelmed hospitals, the state of Rio de Janeiro is experiencing a moment of relief in the spread of the disease. Covid-19 hospitalizations have dropped. This means a slowdown in moderate and severe cases, which put strong pressure on public and private health care institutions.

Over the past week, requests to hospitalize patients with symptoms or confirmed cases of the disease fell 44% in the state, compared to the start of the year. Experts are still unable to determine the reason for the decline, particularly after a tense end-of-year with crowds in New Year’s Eve parties, but they are now studying the current picture of the disease that could be positive if health rules are respected throughout the Carnaval holiday.

The current scenario is quite different from May, at the peak of Covid-19, when 1,283 people were waiting for a hospital bed in the state. After dropping to zero, the waiting list grew again in November, and on Monday eight patients were in line – six of them needed an ICU. The capital city, after over a month with no beds available, has not had a waiting line for two weeks.

This curve has an impact on the quality of work in healthcare units and hospitals, which receive the most complex cases. In the state, the current rate of ward bed occupancy stands at 43.3%, and in ICUs, which were close to collapse, it now stands at 58.7%. In the capital city’s wards, the occupancy rate is 52%, and 66% in ICUs.

Source: Exame