Amid oxygen crisis, Amazonas requests transfer of 60 premature babies

Amazonas requests the transfer of 60 premature babies amid health crisis

The state of Amazonas has requested the transfer of at least 60 premature babies to other parts of Brazil, due to the healthcare collapse in the state capital Manaus. The newborns are currently hospitalized in the state’s neonatal intensive care units. News of the transfer was revealed by CNN and confirmed this afternoon by The Brazilian Report.

According to the National Health Secretary Council, the state of Maranhão has already made five neonatal beds available, while other states are verifying how many vacancies they have available to treat the premature babies. The logistics of the transfer has not yet been defined.

The state of Amazonas is in a state of chaos due to a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases. Hospitals in Manaus have run out of oxygen, while health professionals describe situations of patients suffocating to death in ICU beds.

President Jair Bolsonaro claims that the federal government has “done its part” to assist Manaus. The Health Ministry has sent aircraft to the city to transfer patients to other states. This morning, nine patients were flown to the neighboring state of Piauí.

Débora Álvares

Débora Álvares has worked as a political reporter for newspapers Folha de S.Paulo, O Estado de S.Paulo, Globo News, HuffPost, among others. She specializes in reporting on Brasilia, working behind-the-scenes coverage at the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary branches of government.