In an interview with CNNInfectious disease doctor, researcher at Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Julio Croda, said the focus of health barriers to contain the alternative that has arisen in India should be airports with international flights. He says the Health Ministry is not focusing all efforts on Maranhão alone.
I think the focus should be on the airports. Screening those arriving from abroad, identifying the sick, isolating and maintaining ten days of quarantine, especially among countries that have already reported this alternative. It’s not just India, but the UK already has a large number of cases. “
Croda notes that sending 600,000 rapid tests of the Covid-19 antigen to Maranhão, conducted by Minister Marcelo Quiroga, is important for the rapid detection of those infected. However, he believes that this measure should quickly adapt to the entry of foreign tourists.
“When I comment that the strategy is insufficient, it is because we have never succeeded in appropriately monitoring, isolating and testing travelers. Ports and airports as do other countries. “
Researcher Fiucruz points out that the mandatory ten-day isolation upon arrival on Brazilian soil is a good measure. “As is the case with other countries, which require compulsory isolation in hotels – which are chosen by the government, but which are paid by the passenger – to conduct this strictly monitoring and testing, if necessary.”
