Since Covid-19 notification, researchers and specialists worldwide, including those at Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), have been constructing knowledge to face the disease, which is considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) the largest global health crisis in the present time. For this reason, in many parts of the world there is currently an urgent need that public and private spheres join efforts to strengthen the actions to combat the pandemic. Therefore, Fiocruz launches the program United against Covid-19, with the aim of creating a network of supportive partners to raise resources into an emergency fund for research, information and actions to combat the novel coronavirus.
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The production of diagnostic kits for the new coronavirus commissioned by the Brazilian Ministry of Health is meant to supply the countrywide public laboratories network comprised in the Brazilian Public Health System (SUS, in the Portuguese acronym). With the global increase of cases, Fiocruz has reinforced to the maximum level its capacity of tests production, both molecular and serological tests, besides seeking international partners and suppliers in order to complement the delivery of diagnostic kits to comply with the Ministry of Health’s request.
In partnership with the Ministry of Health, Fiocruz is building in its headquarters a rapidly setting-up hospital unit with 200 beds exclusively for intensive and semi-intensive care of patients severely infected by the novel coronavirus. The Hospital Center for Covid-19 Pandemic – National Institute of Infectiology, as it will named, will reinforce the state and municipal efforts to amplify the access to Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds and mechanical ventilation in order to reduce the overburden on the health system and therefore the lethality of the disease.
Fiocruz will coordinate in Brazil the clinical essay Solidarity launched by WHO. The aim of the initiative is to investigate the efficacy of four drug treatments for the novel coronavirus and will be implemented at 18 hospitals in 12 states in Brazil, with the support of the Ministry of Health. The Solidarity study is a worldwide conjunction of efforts to find a prompt response to which drugs are efficient in the treatment of the disease and which are inefficient and should not be used.
Public laboratories qualification for the novel coronavirus diagnostic is one of Fiocruz’s contributions to combat the pandemic. Since the beginning of the year, Fiocruz has been providing training for professionals of the country’s Public Health Central Laboratories (Lacens). Thus, the institution contributes to diagnostics decentralization all over the country and to increase the capacity of sample processing in the public network.
In the region where its headquarters is situated in Rio de Janeiro, Fiocruz conducts awareness actions together with the distribution of cleaning and personal care products to the local population with the aim of helping to prevent and reduce the transmission of the novel coronavirus. These neighboring communities present some of the lowest Human Development Indexes (HDI) in the State of Rio de Janeiro and are among the most affected by others preexisting conditions, such as Tuberculosis (TB), a disease that may become even more severe in association with the novel coronavirus.
Fiocruz develops intensive work on the production of clear and trustworthy information related to the novel coronavirus. Fiocruz’s excellent reputation helps in the diffusion of quality information to the society both through its constant presence on the large media and its own communication vehicles, including social media and Fiocruz website ( www.fiocruz.br/coronavirus), creating an important network in the combat of fake news. The communication strategy includes training journalists by means of thematic workshops, besides the production of videos and information material aimed at health professionals.
If your organization wishes to know how to support Fiocruz in strengthening the actions to combat Covid-19, please fill out the form and we will return to you as soon as possible or call the telephone number informed hereby.
The destination of resources is coordinated by the fund-raising department linked to Fiocruz Presidency. The financial management and accountability referring to the donations are under the responsibility of the Foundation for Health Scientific and Technological Development (Fiotec). All donated resources will be managed in an exclusive emergency fund account.
