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Just over three weeks after taking office, the actions of the Minister of Health, Nelson Teich, in the fight against the covid-19 pandemic begin to address problems that led to the breakup between President Jair Bolsonaro (without a party ) and the former occupant. from the portfolio, Luiz Henrique Mandetta (DEM).
When asked yesterday at a press conference about the use of drugs in the treatment of covid-19, Teich cautiously cited remdesivir, an antiviral, leaving aside chloroquine advocated by many supporters of the president.
“The most promising drug is remdesivir, but the Ministry needs to have technical assistance in everything it recommends. When we have a study that shows a clear benefit, we will recommend it immediately. Apart from that, the ideal is that any drug that seems to the work is discussed in a clinical study to collect data, “he said.
The WHO (World Health Organization) is clear in saying that “there is no specific treatment for the disease caused by the new coronavirus.”
For the president’s supporters, this was enough and the minister became the target of attacks on Twitter, for allegedly belittling chloroquine for the benefit of the consignment. At 9:30 pm yesterday, interactions with the hashtag requesting his departure (#ForaTeich) exceeded 12,000.
The reaction is similar at the end of Mandetta’s administration, who, shortly before leaving office, reported pressure to edit a protocol indicating hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of covid-19. Then he would ease the situation by trying to maintain a good relationship with Bolsonaro.
As soon as he announced the exchange, the president tried, live, to get Teich to endorse the substance. Now the new minister is coming under fire from localized groups of Bolsonaro supporters for taking a conservative stance toward her.
Science still debates the two drugs
The caution of Nelson Teich and Luiz Henrique Mandetta when it comes to remdesivir and chloroquine, respectively, is similar because both advocate more in-depth studies given the lack of scientific evidence for the recommendation of the substances.
“Remdesivir seems to be a promising drug. But, until now, only promising. We have to wait for its use on a large scale and, above all, in more serious patients,” he explained to the doctor. Twitter the infectious diseases specialist doctor of the Hospital das Clínicas, USP, Evaldo Stanislau.
“However, I am sure it is a safe and useful medicine, for example, that reduces the length of the hospital stay and, why not, the number of patients who will evolve more severely. The medicine is already licensed.” special for the US government to be therefore use is safe. The most relevant question that security is when will we have access and at what price, “he said.
The United States approved the emergency use of the drug in hospitalized patients on May 1. Japan followed suit and also approved the use.
Chloroquine experiences the same vagueness. A study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) examined 1,400 patients and concluded that “treatments with hydroxychloroquine, azithromycin, or both were not significant in terms of mortality.” The finding corroborates another study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine last week.
Social isolation
Despite Bolsonaro’s outspoken criticism of social isolation since the start of the pandemic in order to safeguard the economy, Teich, like Mandetta, has avoided making statements supporting the relaxation or enforcement of movement restrictions adopted by states. . and municipalities.
The minister, who will announce tomorrow the guidelines, divided by region of the country, on isolation, reinforced that the portfolio will not “define whether it should be isolated or made more flexible.” “The decision, you know, depends on the states and municipalities. What the Ministry of Health does is provide a line of reasoning,” he said.
Lack of consultation with the Ministry of Health
As with Mandetta almost daily, Teich was surprised to learn, from a journalist, that the president had included beauty salons and gyms among essential services: decision of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), however, determines that the decision falls on the states and municipalities.
“Everything that is decided can be reviewed,” Teich replied when asked about not having been consulted by the president.
In office, Mandetta experienced similar situations, especially due to Bolsonaro’s public support for the use of chloroquine and criticism of social isolation. Like his predecessor, Teich has avoided commenting on the superior’s behavior, especially his participation in events with crowds of people.
With the decree that included gyms among essential activities, Bolsonaro contradicted Teich and Mandetta in a single action. The first because it was not consulted. The second because, on March 13, the Ministry of Health reported that physical exercises should be performed outdoors.
“Change in behavior and routine will be essential when dealing with the coronavirus. In this sense, adopting alternative schedules to avoid overcrowding is one of the recommendations. […] As for frequency in gyms, the orientation is to choose to exercise outdoors instead of taking gym classes indoors, “the folder wrote at the time.
Even outdoors, a Belgian study says that running at 14.4 km / h can extend covid-19 up to 10 meters.
