By Arthur Barbalho

The coordinator of the Laboratory of Technological Innovation in Health at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (LAIS / UFRN), professor Ricardo Valentim, participated this Tuesday afternoon (5) in a meeting of the Coronavirus Monitoring Commission and its Impacts Brazilian Bar Association in RN (OAB / RN). At the meeting, held by videoconference, the group discussed LAIS ‘actions in partnership with public agencies to face the Covid-19 pandemic.

Attorneys at the meeting attended Aldo Medeiros, president of OAB / RN; Alex Gurgel, director-treasurer of OAB / RN and president of the Commission; in addition to Valderice Nóbrega, CAARN’s health director and member of the commission. Also present at the meeting were lawyers Cássio Leandro, Elisângela Fernandes, Romildo Martins and Valéria Lucena, all members of the Commission. Completing the list of gifts are the president of Subsectional of Mossoró, Bárbara Paloma, the secretary general of the Order, Joao Victor Hollanda, and the assistant secretary general, Milena Gama.

On the occasion, Professor Ricardo Valentim opened the discussion by presenting an overview of the situation of the pandemic worldwide, with an emphasis on the reflections of the current scenario in Rio Grande do Norte. The LAIS coordinator showed the health innovation actions developed by the laboratory team, and which have been used by the State Secretariat of Public Health of RN (Sesap / RN), as well as by the health portfolios at the municipal level.

For professor Valentim, it was an important opportunity to discuss with the OAB / RN the importance of science in this scenario faced by everyone due to the new coronavirus. “I rate the discussion we had today as very positive. The role of science in facing Covid-19 was discussed. We also discussed testing, as well as the use of education and communication as important tools to overcome this crisis. We see that the OAB / RN can collaborate effectively with Covid-19’s coping actions, ”he said.

Among the topics covered, the OAB / RN group asked about the social isolation measures adopted in the RN. As a member of the scientific committee of the State Government and representative of the RN in the scientific committee of the Northeast Consortium, Professor Valentim reinforced the importance of the initiative, in a scenario where there is still no vaccine or drug with proven effectiveness against Covid-19.

“We are also talking about the issue of social isolation, which is a necessity to guarantee the control of the pandemic not only in Rio Grande do Norte, but worldwide. Today, not any vaccine or medicine scientifically tested that is effective against the new coronavirus, although there are already advances in research in various parts of the world ”, he said.

Commission President shows concern over the pandemic’s progress
According to the chairman of the Coronavirus Monitoring Commission and its Impacts, Alex Gurgel, the group has been in dialogue with the State Government, Natal City Hall and other cities, in order to seek to measure the effective size of the response to the pandemic by the entities public. The scenario, according to him, worries, especially for the advance of the disease in RN.

“Based on the data presented by LAIS and information on the installed capacity of the municipal and state health networks, the Commission is very concerned with the advance of the pandemic, the fall in the levels of social isolation, the low supply of new beds in the Unit of Intensive Care (ICU) and respirators, the lack of testing for the purpose of epidemiological surveillance and the poor communication of public agencies This could cause enormous damage to the lives of potiguares, the advocacy and the economy of RN. ”, he said.

The laboratory coordinator praised the importance of OAB / RN’s participation in discussions at this time of pandemic, assisting public agencies through their recommendations. “Debating Covid-19 at this moment is very important, especially with the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB), which is an institution that has a leading role in the legal system and in maintaining the rule of law in our country,” he concluded.