The Community Health Center (cecom) from Unicamp this week began expanding Covid-19 detection tests. Now, all Unicamp students, teachers and employees who show symptoms of the disease will undergo the RT-PCR molecular test to detect the new coronavirus. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the unit had been following the Health Surveillance recommendations to prioritize testing on healthcare professionals and critically ill patients. With the increase in the availability of supplies to carry out tests, Cecom will now be able to test all symptomatic patients who seek the unit.
Patrícia Asfora Leme, coordinator of Cecom, clarifies that the tests will only be carried out on patients who present symptoms of Covid-19 due to the characteristics of the molecular test. According to the doctor, the molecular test, called RT-PCR, considered the gold standard in diagnosing the disease, detects SARS-CoV-2 RNA through the analysis of samples collected from the patients' nose and throat. Thus, it indicates whether or not the person has the virus at that moment. The serological test, carried out by collecting blood, indicates the body's immunological response to the coronavirus, showing whether the patient is still in the infectious process or has already fought SARS-CoV-2.
Reorganization to suit everyone
With the suspension of face-to-face activities at Unicamp, which began on March 13, Cecom also needed to reorganize itself to meet this new main work demand, which is dealing with suspected cases of Covid-19. Outpatient consultations and group activities were suspended, but there was also an effort to ensure that no one was left without the care they needed. Therefore, emergency medical and dental care services were maintained, as well as emergency mental health care, which cannot wait until the return of in-person consultations.
"We created a care plan, a very detailed analysis, so that no one would have their most immediate needs unmet. For example, in physiotherapy we do not fail to treat post-operative cases, which require rehabilitation. Furthermore, we have a system in place that the patient who is unable to schedule their appointment can contact our User Service and request, for example, the renewal of a prescription for medication for continuous use. This request is then forwarded to the doctor, who provides a referral" , highlights Patrícia.
The coordinator emphasizes that, in addition to the assistance work, she also works in the promotion and prevention of diseases and in the university's epidemiological surveillance. "We have a partnership with the city and state health surveillance. When there is any suspicion of an outbreak on campus, our nursing surveillance team investigates this outbreak, identifies the contacts, if a mass vaccination is needed, it is carried out, then We are already used to carrying out this surveillance. With Covid-19 this has been no different", he explains.
To guide patients who have questions regarding Covid-19 and the pandemic, the unit created a special telephone line to answer questions. The number is (19) 3521-7400. Cecom also makes available on its website informative content about the disease and videos, recorded by the Center's professionals, with tips for combating coronavirus and for people to experience quarantine in a healthier way. Another action is the flu vaccination, available to all members of the university community. The vaccine does not immunize against the coronavirus, but it helps to combat diseases caused by the Influenza virus, which helps in the diagnosis of Covid-19. To date, around 8 thousand people have been immunized.
During this period, another precaution taken is with the health of students who live in Unicamp student housing. Last week, a case of Covid-19 was confirmed there. Patrícia clarifies that a strategy has been drawn up to contain the spread of the disease in the home and that there will be an active search for students who present symptoms for testing and monitoring. “Students live at the university, so we have responsibility for them,” she comments. Last Friday (15), actions to combat coronavirus in student housing were the subject of a live broadcast on the university channel Unicamp TV on Youtube. Check out the full discussion:
Return with planning
On May 19th, a letter from rector Marcelo Knobel to the Unicamp community about possible scenarios in a possible return to in-person activities. The text proposes ways to stagger the return of employees, teachers and students to campus and does not establish start dates, as it depends on the evolution of the disease in the country. As a body that takes care of the health of the university community, Cecom has been participating in these discussions and providing guidance so that this can be planned safely.
In the case of care and services provided by Cecom, Patrícia highlights that there will be planning so that the most urgent and safe work has priority when resuming. She cites the example of consultations with patients who are controlling diabetes and hypertension, which have already started to be resumed. "We carried out an internal survey of all chronic patients monitored at Cecom, basically hypertensive and diabetic patients. Each doctor took the list of their patients and made a risk assessment, which were the most serious cases and which were the mildest, and we started calling them. them for consultation", he explains.
The coordinator also comments that, as was done at the beginning of the pandemic, the maintenance of work and planning for resumption will be done through partnerships. Patríca highlights the importance of constant dialogue with other health units at Unicamp, especially the Hospital de Clínicas (HC) And Caism, the Institute of Biology (IB), The Rectory, the Executive Directorate of the Health Area (DEAS) and the General Administrative Directorate (DGA).
"We feel very responsible for the health of our university community, we have bonds with people, we know people. At this time of the pandemic, we spared no effort to ensure this care and we are all learning together", analyzes Patrícia.
