The fight against coronavirus in the Amazon region calls for special prominence amid the countless alarming news about the spread of the disease. There are no locations in the country or in the world that are immune to the spread of the virus, after all, it is a phenomenon declared by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic due to the fact that it has already affected a large number of people in all countries. continents. However, some places are much closer to facing the collapse of their health systems due to the accelerated growth in the number of infected and even killed by the disease. This is the case in the Brazilian state of Amazonas.
According to the former Minister of Health, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, the municipality of Manaus, capital of the state, entered the radar of places at risk of reaching one of the highest rates of confirmed cases in all of Brazil. Mandetta says that Manaus may have “fast curve ascents”, which is already confirmed by the numerous surveys and statistics about the place.
The facts described below prove the importance of paying attention to the situation in which several locations in Amazonas are found.
Rapid increase in confirmed cases
As in all other affected sites around the planet, the main aggravating factor of the virus is its rapid spread. Despite much talk about the low lethality of Covid-19 compared to several other diseases, experts point to the fact that the high degree of spread of the virus causes serious consequences such as the insufficient number of beds and equipment available for immense number of people who will need treatment simultaneously. This speed is one of the main factors responsible for the risk that the coronavirus offers to humanity.
The Amazon region is one of the Brazilian regions that suffer most from the accelerated increase in cases of contagion. The first case in the state of Amazonas was confirmed on March 13, 2020. Research that evaluated the increase in confirmed cases in the region confirmed that the number increased to 200 by April 1. That is, in just 20 days the state presented an average of 10 new cases per day.
Most infected people are concentrated in Manaus. This concentration brought the capacity of the beds in the public network of the capital of Amazonas to the limit.
April 7, 2020 stories report that there are currently 532 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the state and that, to date, the death toll in the region has reached 23.
As an aid measure in the fight against coronavirus in the Amazon region, the Ministry of Health announces the sending of 15 respirators to the Amazonas health system. The equipment is intended for use in patients with Covid-19, aiming to contribute to reducing the number of deaths at the site.
Contamination of indigenous lands
In the interior of the state, the first confirmed case of indigenous people infected with coronavirus in the region was detected. Belonging to the municipality of Santo Antônio do Içá, located 880 km west of Manaus, the contaminated indigenous woman is of the Kokama ethnic group and is 20 years old. A possible cause of contagion is the young woman’s contact with a doctor from the Special Indigenous Sanitary District (DSEI) who tested positive.
Indigenous peoples constantly face difficulties regarding access to systems such as health. In the fight against coronavirus, this difficulty is even worse. Today, in addition to the indigenous with confirmed contamination, two entire villages in the region have been isolated, totaling approximately one thousand indigenous people in isolation.
If more effective measures are not applied to reduce contagion, the spread of Covid-19 in indigenous peoples can lead to many deaths, which would represent a tragedy with great historical and cultural damage to Brazil.
Collapsing government systems
The already announced forecast of a collapse of the health system in Manaus is one of the symptoms that express the severity of the presence of the coronavirus in the Amazon region. Infected people in different areas of the state of Amazonas should be taken to the capital to obtain better treatment conditions, however, due to the rates presented above, the measure is not viable.
The whole country is facing difficulties resulting from the scarcity of beds and equipment such as respirators. This insufficiency of the Federal Government and the State Governments alerts the population to the need to create networks of collaboration and solidarity across the country.
It is of fundamental importance to comply with the standards expressed by the WHO regarding social distance and hygiene habits. Practicing and propagating acts such as correct hand cleaning and seclusion (the already popular #ficaemcasa) is indispensable
In addition, the importance of other actions that contribute to the protection of people and areas already severely affected by Covid-19 is highlighted, such as the fight against coronavirus in the Amazon region.
Financial support for non-governmental entities that work in the environmental preservation of the region, as well as the preservation of the rights and culture of the indigenous peoples residing there, presents itself as a measure of great importance today.
Contributing to the deceleration of contagion in places such as Amazonas represents a benefit for the whole of Brazil, since the attenuation of the spread in one state also decreases the chances of spreading the coronavirus in other locations.
What we currently have in our hands is responsibility in the face of a global problem. It is a moment that will be recorded not only in Brazilian history, but in that of all nationalities. This, while spreading a widespread fear, also reinforces the need for bonding between human beings. The fight against the virus should not face limits as borders, but, rather, extend across the globe as a common cause for humanity.
