A 22-year-old Brazilian died of Covid-19 while waiting for a bed in the ICU in São Paulo, the city’s mayor, Bruno Covas, said during a news conference on Thursday.
The man was admitted to a local hospital on the night of March 11 and died of the virus on March 13. The ICU bed was made available the day after his death, according to Covas.
“He died 46 hours after entering the hospital,” said Covas, adding that “he was only 22 years old. This shows how the profile of the [Covid-19] patients are changing. “
Brazil faced an outbreak of infections this month. On Thursday, the city of São Paulo reached an ICU occupancy rate of 88%, according to state health officials. The level is close to what the city saw at the height of its first wave of infections in June 2020.
As of Thursday, 395 people are still waiting for an ICU bed in São Paulo, according to Covas.
“The city, which has never stopped, needs to stop. So that we don’t have more cases like this, of people who are not hospitalized [to the ICU] for lack of beds, ”said Covas.
Lack of medical supplies: The recent outbreak of infections in Brazil is not only causing a shortage of ICU beds across the country, but also leading to a lack of essential supplies and medicines for patients in these units.
The National Mayors Front (FNP) sent a letter to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and the Ministry of Health on Thursday calling for “immediate measures” by the federal government, including sedatives and oxygen for patients intubated with Covid-19 and other illnesses.
According to the FNP, the mayors ask for help to avoid “the tragic and cruel scenes recently witnessed in Manaus”. The largest city in the state of Amazonas experienced a severe shortage of oxygen in January.
The mayors’ organization represents 412 cities that account for 61% of the Brazilian population.