ICU Bed Occupancy Reaches 85 Percent in City of Rio de Janeiro

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The ICU bed occupancy rate for patients with Covid-19 in the National Health System (SUS) network in the city of Rio de Janeiro currently stands at 85 percent. In ward beds for patients with suspected Covid-19, the occupancy rate is lower and stood at 41 percent on June 14th, according to the Municipal Health Secretariat (SMS).

“It is important to emphasize that the occupancy rate reflects the scenario of beds when checking the system, and may suffer alterations within minutes,” says the SMS.

Throughout the SUS network in the city of Rio de Janeiro, there are 1,463 patients, 618 of whom in an ICU, who are hospitalized because they are suspected of having Covid-19. The system includes municipal, state, and federal facilities. There are 606 patients hospitalized in municipal facilities, 225 of whom are in ICU.

According to the Secretariat, since the start of the pandemic, 1,252 beds have been opened exclusively for the treatment of the disease, 248 of which are ICU beds. The SMS points out that the occupancy rate varies according to the number of hospital discharges and deaths. “In beds destined for Covid-19, there is a rotation of vacancies due to discharges and deaths, in addition to transfers to ICU beds that support the Covid wards and are used when the patient’s condition worsens”.

According to the SMS, throughout the SUS network in metropolitan region 1, which in addition to the capital, includes the surrounding municipalities in the area known as Baixada Fluminense, 23 people are being transferred to Covid-19 beds, 12 of them to ICU. “There is no waiting list, because the number of beds is higher than the demand in the SUS network,” the SMS says, adding that all of these people are currently in health facilities.

Beach and shopping

The beaches remain a test for the relaxation of isolation implemented by Rio’s city and state governments. On Saturday, June 13th, contrary to the regulations to allow only individual exercise on the boardwalks and water sports like surfing, several points of crowding on the beach were identified, which led state police to walk along beaches like Leblon and ask the bathers to leave.

The Municipal Guard also reinforced patrols on the shore to guide the population and monitor compliance with the city’s golden rules, such as distance between people, the use of masks and hand sanitizer to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. According to the city hall, 21 municipal guards and nine cars with sound messages are in action on the beaches of Leme, Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon.

The officers are also checking whether the municipal code of conduct rules are being complied with, as they do not allow street vendors and food and beverage vendors on the beaches.

With the change in the weather, which is now colder and cloudy, with the chance of rain, the flow on the beaches may be somewhat less than on Saturday, but it may increase the demand for shopping malls, which have also been an issue for preventing infection by the novel coronavirus.

With operation permitted from 12 noon to 8 PM since the eve of Brazil’s Valentine’s Day, June 12th, shopping malls are also required to follow the golden rules, which have rarely been observed at the entrance. Customers crowd at the doors waiting for the opening. The authorized capacity for visitors is one-third of regular demand, which is also true for parking lots, yet crowds are noticeable in some of these locations.

The large flow has prompted the SMS Undersecretary of Health Surveillance to inspect the city’s shopping malls. In 19 inspections, 12 violations were recorded on Saturday.

Operation Surveillance in the Shopping Mall checks for irregularities such as crowded points in stores, one of the main restrictive measures for the safe and gradual opening of economic activities. Since Thursday, June 11th, 69 inspections have been conducted, resulting in 50 fines and six stores banned.

The operation consists of six teams comprising Health Surveillance officials, the Municipal Public Order Department, the Municipal Guard, and the Licensing and Inspection Coordination Office of the Municipal Treasury Department.

Source: Agência Brasil