Brasilia, Brazil, February 1, 2021 (PAHO) – Last week, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) donated 4,600 oximeters to the Health Department of Amazonas State and the Health Department of Manaus City. These devices help monitor the health of COVID-19 patients.
The Pan American Health Organization also provided 45 oxygen cylinders to medical institutions in the state and 1,500 thermometers for patients.
In addition, international organizations have pledged to provide 60,000 rapid antigen tests to support the diagnosis of COVID-19. The Pan American Health Organization has donated these supplies to several countries in the Americas to help identify people infected with the disease even in hard-to-reach communities.
The rapid antigen test can more accurately determine whether someone is currently infected. Conversely, rapid antibody testing can show when someone is infected with COVID-19, but usually provides a negative result in the early stages of infection.
An oximeter is a medical device that can monitor the oxygen level in the patient’s blood and alert medical staff when the oxygen level drops below a safe level for quick intervention. These devices are essential in emergency and intensive care, surgery and treatment, and recovery of hospital wards.
According to data released by Amazonas’ Foundation for Health Surveillance (FVS-AM) on January 31, 1,400 new COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in the state, and a total of 267,394 people were infected with the disease. In addition, 8,117 people were killed in Amazon State due to COVID-19.
Laboratory: Employ 46 workers to ensure that the national central laboratory works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; prepare appropriate technical guidance and training for rapid antigen detection.
Health system and clinical management: Continue to provide local health authorities with on-site support in medical care and management, including technical guidance on the use of equipment such as oxygen concentrators, rational use of medical supplies (mainly oxygen), and distribution in on-site hospitals.
Vaccination: Provide technical support to the Amazon Central Committee for Crisis Management in the implementation of the vaccination plan, including logistics technical information, delivery of supplies, analysis of dose distribution, and investigation of possible adverse events after immunization, such as injection site or surrounding pain Low fever.
Surveillance: Technical support for analyzing family deaths; implementing an information system to record vaccination data; collecting and analyzing data; when creating automatic routines, you can quickly analyze the situation and make timely decisions.
In January, as part of cooperation with the Amazon state government, the Pan American Health Organization recommended the use of oxygen concentrators to treat COVID-19 patients in hospitals and wards in the capital, Manaus, and units in the state.
These devices inhale indoor air, provide continuous, clean and enriched oxygen for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and provide oxygen at a higher concentration for severe chronic hypoxemia and pulmonary edema. The use of oxygen concentrators is a cost-effective strategy, especially in the absence of oxygen cylinders and pipeline oxygen systems.
It is also recommended to use the device for home care after people infected with COVID-19 who are still supported by oxygen are hospitalized.
Post time: Feb-02-2021