Mask requirement drops in health service in São Paulo – 04/04/2023 – Health

The use of masks ceased, this Tuesday (4), to be mandatory in public health services in the city of São Paulo. The requirement dropped for people without respiratory symptoms.

The decision was announced by the city after Anvisa (National Health Surveillance Agency) made the use of the protection item more flexible by patients in services such as hospitals, basic health units and laboratories, this Monday (3).

Management Ricardo Nunes (MDB) maintained the recommendation for the use of a mask for people with suspected or confirmed cases of Covid-19, their companions and people who had close contact with a diagnosed case of the disease. The orientation is not to remove the protection during the stay in the health establishment, including in the room or in the ward where the patient is.

The use of a mask is also recommended for health service professionals, visitors, companions, among others, in hospitalization areas, by professionals who screen patients and by health professionals, depending on the specificity of the disease.

The changes in the rules in the capital of São Paulo, according to the city hall, consider the current scenario of Covid and the high vaccination coverage against the new coronavirus.

According to data from the Municipal Health Secretariat of last March 28th —the most recent balance sheet—, 11.6 million people were immunized with at least two doses of the vaccine against Covid-19.

Also according to the folder, immunization with the bivalent vaccine has already reached 40% of the target public, that is, about 803 thousand people. The application of the new vaccine in the municipality began on February 27.

The need for the use of masks in health services has existed since the beginning of the pandemic, in 2020. The recommendations have been reassessed, in accordance with the epidemiological situation of Covid in the country and based on the analysis of the scenario of occurrence of outbreaks and cases of intra-hospital transmission of the disease, among other aspects.

“Anvisa reinforces that the publication of this new version of the Technical Note presents infection prevention and control measures based on scientific publications available up to the time of revision of this document”, he said.

“In addition, this update is based on the opinion and practice of specialists from different scientific societies and regions of the country, with recognized knowledge, and can be updated according to the emergence of new scientific evidence”, he adds.

USE OF MASKS IS RECOMMENDED FOR

• Patients with respiratory symptoms or positive for Covid and their companions
• Patients who had close contact with a confirmed case during the disease transmissibility period (last ten days)
• Professionals who triage patients
• Health service professionals, visitors and companions present in patient hospitalization areas, such as, for example, wards, rooms, intensive care units, urgency and emergency units, corridors of hospitalization areas, etc.
• Situations in which there is an indication for the use of a face mask as personal protective equipment for health professionals, in any area of ​​the health service