by Ricardo Brito
BRASÍLIA (Reuters) – The National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) decided on Wednesday to ask the Ministry of Health for new information within a period of up to 15 days to then assess the release of Covid-19 self-tests in the country, at the time of that Brazil seeks to expand coronavirus testing amid the explosive advance of cases of the Ômicron variant.
Most Anvisa directors followed the opinion of director Romison Mota that it was necessary to obtain additional information to decide on the authorization of self-tests. The rapporteur Cristiane Jourdan was the only one to vote for the release of the use of the tests.
The directors understood that, despite having been requested, there is still a lack of data to instruct the process and deliberate on the matter.
“We try our best not to be attached to pre-pandemic norms”, said Anvisa’s CEO, Antonio Barra Torres, noting that it was not possible to overcome these obstacles.
Directors want to know, for example, what is the government’s policy for carrying out these tests and how this will happen.
Sought after, the ministry did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters about the regulatory agency’s decision.
The adoption of self-tests is already widely used in European countries and in the United States, but Brazil so far prohibits the use of self-tests in viral diseases of compulsory notification.
Last week, the Minister of Health, Marcelo Queiroga, had admitted that the country was experiencing a third wave of Covid cases in Brazil due to the advancement of the Ômicron variant.
According to Queiroga, the tests should be sold in pharmacies and each unit should guide customers on how to perform them. He also said that industries must provide tutorials for notification of results on their platform and that pharmacies will be responsible for this notification.
In a statement, the Ministry of Health has already said that, among the justifications for adopting the measure, are the possibility of expanding testing for symptomatic, asymptomatic and possible contacts; conduct tests before meeting indoors with others; not overloading health services, which are already far beyond the limit of their capacity to provide care; testing, isolating, and forwarding positive cases to the health system, among others.
On Tuesday, Brazil registered 137,103 new confirmed cases of Covid-19, which represented a record number of infections reported in the country in a 24-hour period, with the exception of a day when there was exceptional readjustment due to dammed cases.
know more
+ SP: Man dies standing, leaning against car, and scene scares residents on the coast
+ One twin became vegan, the other ate meat. Check the result
+ Reincarnation in history: an age-old belief
+ Andressa Urach asks for money on the internet: ‘Help me pay my card bill’
+ Horoscope: check today’s forecast for your sign
+ CNH: see what you need to know for the application and renewal
+ See which were the most stolen cars in SP in 2021
+ Expedition identifies giant squid responsible for ship sinking in 2011
+ Everything you need to know before buying a crockpot
+ US Agency warns: never wash raw chicken meat
+ What is known about fluorone?
+ Trick to squeeze lemons becomes a craze on social media
+ IPVA 2022 SP: see how to consult and pay the tax
#Anvisa #decides #Ministry #Health #information #Covid19 #selftests