Itaú and Fiocruz Set Up Centers to Run 25,000 Coronavirus Tests

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – A project of Itaú Unibanco bank has partnered with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) to set up two test processing centers for the novel coronavirus. The “Todos pela Saúde” (All for Health) program, a R$1 billion (US$198 million) project was launched in April by Itaú for actions to fight the coronavirus and led by Dr. Paulo Chapchap, director-general of the Sírio Libanês hospital.

The facilities are located in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Eusébio, Ceará (24 kilometers from the capital Fortaleza).

Its daily processing capacity is of 25,000 coronavirus tests, with 10,000 tests in Ceará and 15,000 tests in Rio de Janeiro. According to Todos pela Saúde, this amount is capable of doubling the current testing capacity in the country.

Pedro Barbosa, president of the Institute of Molecular Biology of Paraná (IBMP) and a member of Todos pela Saúde, said in a statement announcing the initiative that the underreporting of Covid-19 cases, due to the lack of tests, is still one of the greatest challenges in fighting the disease.

“Surely, we have many more cases than those being reported, because our testing level is still very low,” Barbosa says in the statement.

Brazil reported a total of 41.058 Covid-19 deaths, and over 800,000 confirmed cases of the disease until the last report on Thursday, June 11th, ranking it second in the world in deaths. The data are collected from the state secretariats by a joint effort of media outlets.

The testing challenge

One of the main challenges is not necessarily obtaining the material for testing, but rather collecting samples en masse and processing the results. The centers will analyze the so-called molecular tests, namely the RT-PCR, in which a sample is taken from the patient’s nose and then analyzed in search of the virus’ genetic material. The RT-PCR test is considered one of the most efficient in detecting the virus.

The RT-PCR test is different from the “rapid” test models, in which a device detects antibodies against the virus within a few minutes after analyzing a blood sample. However, this test is typically more effective for patients who have been infected for several days and have therefore developed antibodies.

“There are tests available, with large scale supply by Fiocruz to the Ministry of Health, the present constraints being the processing capacity of tests and the low collection in most of the country,” Barbosa said in a statement.

Brazil is one of the countries testing the least for coronavirus, according to the Worldometer website, which compiles worldwide data.

Claudia Politanski, vice-president of Itaú Unibanco, also says that the centers now built could be used after the pandemic to detect other diseases.

Fiocruz, an institution linked to the Ministry of Health, has been leading and coordinating Covid-19 testing efforts in Brazil.

The Todos pela Saúde project from Itaú Unibanco, in addition to the test centers, has been using its budget for other actions to tackle the pandemic. Among its partner specialists are Drauzio Varella and Sidney Klainer, president of Albert Einstein Hospital.

The project has also ordered over 20 million masks, launched the “Máscara Salva” (Masks Save) campaign, purchased 1,000 hospital equipment, and 90 million personal protective equipment (PPE) for public health network professionals in Brazil.

Source: Exame