Witzel spoke about lack of tests, delay in test results, social isolation and about the Zilda Arns Hospital, in Volta Redonda.
This Friday, Wilson Witzel, governor of Rio de Janeiro, commented on the situation of the coronavirus in the southern region of the state.
The south of Rio de Janeiro already has three deaths from the disease – two elderly people in Volta Redonda and one in Miguel Pereira – in addition to another 60 confirmed cases.
Below is the interview with Governor Wilson Witzel, made by telephone, in RJ 1.
lack of tests
“We are doing a statistical analysis to be able to attend first to the most tense areas, with the highest demographic density, and the priority is the communities of Rio de Janeiro, where we need to identify the houses in which there are more residents and few rooms and if there is someone infected, that person has to leave and be quarantined to prevent them from rapidly contaminating the other people in the property, including the elderly and people with difficulty in speedy recovery. So, the Health Department's strategy will be to prioritize these communities. As the tests arrive, we will try to reach the interior as well. The difficulty is too great. These inputs are lacking in the market. The whole world is buying tests. We are going to receive a number, which is not yet confirmed, this week to start the tests”.
Delay in test results
“The quick test in 10 minutes already gives you the answer. The tests that are carried out in the laboratory take longer, the difficulty is greater. But we have just over 700 tests in the queue and our curve is quite reasonable, it's flat. Which will give us time until April 30th to have more than 1,200 beds so that we can receive people with chronic breathing difficulties.
It is a very difficult situation, but we will manage to overcome it, we will overcome this crisis together. It is a time to observe the recommendation of the authorities, the mayors, the governor, the minister of health. Go out into the street now, return to normal life, we will quickly infect a lot of people. It will come home, it will infect the elderly.
They will have difficulty breathing, because this is statistics, this is medical data. Our ICUs have to be prepared to receive them. So, this is a very important issue for the population to understand. We are acting with all our workforce and the State Department of Health is strategically preparing the entire state to overcome this crisis”.
Zilda Arns Regional Hospital
“We have more than 200 beds at Hospital Zilda Arns and it is prepared to even receive air ambulances and serve the entire region. For this first moment, what we already have is reasonable, in addition to Volta Redonda, which is also setting up another field hospital. Resende is also preparing itself with enough beds. The strategy of the State Department of Health is being seen as quite reasonable and everything is right to prepare the cities”.
Social isolation
“The information I have is that the mayors are doing, in partnership with the Military Police, Municipal Guard, Health Department, Sanitary Surveillance, they are doing a control with a sanitary barrier on state roads, at the entrances of municipalities. The information I have is that we have these controls. So, with that, it leaves me with a certain peace of mind that everyone who is entering is being checked for temperature, talking to people, and identifying possible people who are contaminated and guiding them to quarantine. So I believe that we are acting correctly and the information is that the mayors are collaborating a lot”.
Face shield manufacturers
“The guidance I gave to the Health Department is exactly this. It's getting in touch with companies that can produce. The information I have is that some companies are lacking raw material, but the secretariat is in contact with the companies through Firjan to be able to identify who can produce individual equipment and help in the crisis. This has been my guideline. We have been talking to all the companies to be able to make this purchase here in the State of Rio de Janeiro, because there are currently no conditions to buy outside Brazil. China is canceling purchases, because it is supplying the United States, because the crisis there is really serious and the number of deaths per day exceeds a thousand people. So it is very difficult to buy abroad. The new objective is to actually be buying from companies here in the State of Rio de Janeiro”.
This was the full interview given by Governor Wilson Witzel, this Friday (3).
For more information about the Southeast region, access.
