O papel da atenção primária na rede de atenção à saúde no Brasil: limites e possibilidades no enfrentamento da COVID-19

On March 12, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the disease caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) a pandemic. The infection (COVID-19) is more transmissible and has a higher case-fatality rate than influenza, estimated at some 14 times greater. The high infection rate, with each case infecting 2 to 3 other individuals on average, leads to the epidemic’s expansion in geometric progression. In Brazil, where community transmission throughout the country was declared on March 20, more than 147,000 cases and 10,000 deaths from COVID-19 had been confirmed as of May 9, 2020. COVID-19 treatment aims to meet the patients’ needs in different phases of the infection and throughout the spectrum of severity, in a line of care that ranges from monitoring mild cases in isolation at home, with instructions on management of symptoms and the identification of early warning signs, to admission in intensive care units (ICUs) and post-discharge rehabilitation. Mitigation of risks of infection to health professionals and other patients should guide the choice of the best strategies for organizing the health care system to meet these needs.