Testing Covid-19 in Brazil

Fragmented efforts and challenges to expand diagnostic capacity at the Brazilian Unified National Health System

Dados Bibliográficos

ID5166340
AutoresKoichi Kameda (0000-0003-1337-6501, Centre Population et Développement, France; Institut Francilien Recherche Innovation Société, France), Mady Malheiros Barbeitas (0000-0001-7015-4863, Centre de Recherche Médecine, Sciences, Santé, Santé Mentale et Société, France), Rosângela Caetano (0000-0003-1480-2453, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro), Ilana Löwy (0000-0001-6963-0578, Centre de Recherche Médecine, Sciences, Santé, Santé Mentale et Société, France), Ana Claudia Dias De Oliveira (0000-0002-4250-1036, Associação Brasileira das Indústrias de Química Fina, Biotecnologia e suas Especialidades, Brasil), Marilena Cordeiro Dias Villela Corrêa (0000-0003-1742-8639, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro), Maurice Cassier (0000-0003-3908-8073, Centre de Recherche Médecine, Sciences, Santé, Santé Mentale et Société, France)
Ano2021
Volume37
Fascículo3
Páginase00277420-e00277420
Data de publicação2021-01-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoCadernos de Saude Publica (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0102-311X • E-ISSN: 1678-4464
EditoraFapUNIFESP (SciELO) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1590/0102-311x00277420
PMID33852667
OpenAlexW3146337558
SCIELO_PIDS0102-311X2021000306001
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas12
Referências citadas3

Since the first recorded case of COVID-19 on February 26, 2020, Brazil has seen an exponential growth in the number of cases and deaths. The national testing approach has been insufficient to correctly use this tool in the support of containing the epidemic in the country. In this communication, we discuss efforts and challenges to scale-up COVID-19 testing at the Brazilian Unified National Health System (SUS). This communication presents the initial results of the research project created to investigate the political, industrial, technological, and regulatory aspects that may affect the diagnostic and testing capacity for COVID-19 in Brazil. The paper draws on the review of academic literature, media publication, and collection of public data on tests purchase and regulation. It enlists initiatives to enhance PCR testing, national production and development of technologies, as well as regulatory measures to fast-track new tests. Our analysis indicates some points of reflection. Firstly, the lack of a consistent national strategy to fight COVID-19 exarcebated supply problems of diagnostic components. If the country was eventually able to circumvent this situation, it still faces a more structural dependency on the importation of diagnostic components. Secondly, the discontinued funding and distribution of tests may have implied health policy fragmentation and the growing importance of local governments and non-state actors to fighting the epidemics within SUS. Finally, initiatives established since the second semester of 2020 have expanded the testing capacity at SUS. However, it has not been sufficient to control the progress of the epidemic in the country

Business · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Disease · Economic growth · Economics · Fragmentation (computing) · Geography · Infectious disease (medical specialty) · Pandemic · Political science · Scale (ratio) · Biotechnology and Related Fields · Computer Science · Medicine · Public Health in Brazil · SARS-CoV-2 detection and testing