The change in the e-SUS notification system in Brazil for a week is affecting the confirmation of new confirmed cases of Kovid-19. In at least two states, So Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, state secretariats reported technical difficulties accessing the system and disclosing daily balance sheets.
As a result, the number of new cases reported daily declined, bringing the moving average to rates similar to those at the start of the pandemic, when testing capacity was still very low.
The new version of the e-SUS notification was released on September 8, a day before the problem started. The National Council of Health Secretaries (CONUS) confirmed to TV Globo on Tuesday (14) afternoon that “some states had problems accessing the e-SUS NOTIFA API due to instability”, but “the problems have been resolved”.
As the State Health Department of So Paulo (SES-SP) reported on Tuesday, since the launch of the new version “teams are working on the adequacy of procedures, which should be normalized this week.” According to SES-SP, “It is worth remembering that SP concentrates the largest volume of COVID-19 data in the country and, therefore, has the largest database for analysis and necessary adjustments.”
The government of So Paulo maintains that there was no training of state technicians on the system’s new data extraction procedures, and there was only one meeting on 27 August. TV Globo sought the Ministry of Health and awaits return.
Cities in Greater SP close down hospitals to treat Covid patients after a drop in cases – Photo: MISTER SHADOW/ASI/ESTADÃO CONTEÚDO
Lowest moving average since April
Values reported in the previous week are also lower than notifications during long leave, which are usually shorter than on weekdays due to damage to teams on duty.
So Paulo, for example, had an average of 755 new cases this Tuesday. For comparison purposes, 14 days ago, on 1 September, before the holiday and the change in arrangement, the average was 5,546 cases per day.
According to data released daily by the Association of Press Vehicles, the variation represents a decrease of 86%, the steepest drop since the start of the pandemic.
After a week with incomplete disclosure of new cases in So Paulo, the moving average fell to April 2020 levels, but experts warn that the numbers do not reflect reality due to the seizure of cases – Photo: Daniela Anselmo / TV globo
Huge shortage should be viewed with suspicion, says expert
Although the epidemic situation in the state of So Paulo is currently at a historically low level of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, researcher Roberto Krenkel, professor at the Institute of Theoretical Physics of So Paulo State University (IFT-UNESP) and member Covid- 19 BR, points out that every fall or sudden increase should be viewed with suspicion when the subject is a reproduction of a pandemic agent, such as the case of the new coronavirus.
“We follow the trend in the number of cases, whether it is rising, rising or falling. However, when we have a very sudden change in the number of cases… if you have six thousand cases, the next day you have 600 cases, you should be suspicious of that”, he says.
“These very sudden changes are usually accompanied by a problem called the notification system,” he says.
For example, in the current case of So Paulo, other figures suggest that the current level of new cases may not correspond to reality. The moving average of new admissions to COVID wards and ICUs of public and private hospitals remains constant at the level of 620 to 640 new patients per day.
The moving average of deaths, which already suffered a decline due to loss of information during the long holiday, returned this Wednesday (15) to the level at the beginning of September, with 147 confirmed deaths per day. stood at.
Data access problems have never been so long
Since the start of the pandemic, there have been days on other occasions when no cases were reported due to technical problems associated with federal systems. But the problem did not last more than five days.
In November 2020, a virus Found on computers in the ministry increased system security, causing instability on reach.
In March this year, Changes to the Influenza Epidemiological Surveillance Information System (SIVP-Influenza), where severe cases and deaths from COVID are reported, Made new areas mandatory and made it difficult to admit new patients. The requirement was reviewed by the health ministry after protests from municipal and state managers.
This time, the changes include the way managers access the system and make changes in several areas, such as areas on patient symptoms, case notification details on health unit and details on search strategies, activity of asymptomatic suspected cases.
In addition, the COVID-19 Case System is now integrated with the COVID-19 Immunization System, to add information to new cases whether the patient has been vaccinated or not.
In Brazil, each city hall has access to notification systems maintained by the federal government to include new COVID-19 cases and to include updated information as to the progress of cases, such as the results of clinical trials and patient development. is responsible for. State governments, on the other hand, are responsible for completing and disclosing the daily balance of this information for all municipalities. Monthly, municipal, state and federal managers meet to discuss and agree on technical issues related to the process
