Mayor in the Amazon tries to hide the vaccinated list, but Justice demands transparency in 24 hours

Luís Henrique Oliveira – From Revista Cenarium

MANAUS – After the leak of photos on social networks of newly appointed doctors at the Municipal Health Secretariat (Semsa) being vaccinated against Covid-19 this Tuesday, 19, the mayor of Manaus, David Almeida (Avante), determined an ordinance banning postings at the time of immunization. Moments later, the advisor Yara Lins, from the Amazonas Court of Auditors (TCE-AM), issued a letter demanding explanations about what she called the alleged illicit at the beginning of the vaccination plan.

According to David Almeida, each vaccinated person must keep the information to himself. “We saw right now on social networks some servers being vaccinated and I am now determining an ordinance prohibiting disclosure on social networks within the units. Were you vaccinated? Stay for yourself. You do not need to share on the social network. In a threatening tone, the mayor ends the video explaining, “this is the determination. That is the request. I hope I can clarify this episode today”.

In the document issued by Yara Lins, the counselor questioned the order of distribution and complaints that there would be people “skipping the queue” of the priority groups. According to Yara, the questions serve to determine responsibility and, once they are verified, penalty measures will be adopted within the scope of the TCE-AM, and representation will be forwarded to the State Prosecutor’s Office for the investigation of possible crimes.

The advisor also asks for information on how the groups to be vaccinated were defined and whether exclusively the Ministry of Health determines them. She questions whether there is any possibility of change by the State.

On the front lines in combating the Covid-19 pandemic, health professionals formulated to receive the first dose of the vaccine against the new coronavirus, on the afternoon of last Tuesday, 19. The vaccination campaign is organized by the City of Manaus and should immunize, in this first batch, distributed by the Government of Amazonas, more than 19 thousand employees.

Transparency is required

On the morning of this Wednesday, 20, the President of the Amazonas Court of Auditors (TCE-AM), Mario de Mello, requested that the State Government and the Manaus City Hall forward, within 24 hours, to the Court of Accounts, the nominal list of people already immunized against Covid-19 and the criteria used for vaccination, under penalty of a fine in case of disobedience to the request.

The requests were made in letters sent to the State Health Secretariats (SES) and Municipal Health Department (Semsa), signed by the president of TCE-AM, after complaints that people who are not in the priority group for vaccination, in this first phase, would have been immunized in Manaus, before health professionals, for example, who have been working against Covid for ten months.

“We live in a moment of the total collapse of the health systems and the vaccine has opened a path of hope for us in the face of this pandemic. The Tribunal de Contas do Amazonas will not allow any political interference in the vaccination campaign in the State or that people who do not fit in the groups defined by the National Immunization Program against Covid-19 are immunized to the detriment or not of the vaccination of those who should be immunized. We will inspect and, if irregularities are found, those responsible will be punished ”, said President Mario de Mello.

In addition to the nominal list of immunized people, the TCE-AM also asked for clarification of the criteria used to nominally classify the ordering of immunized people in this first phase, given the insufficient quantity for the complete immunization of the priority group.

As for the State, after the Court of Auditors became aware of divergences in the quantity of vaccines received and forwarded to municipalities in the interior of Amazonas, the Court of Auditors also requested the sending of the number of doses per batch distributed to each municipality in the State, as well as the database used and the appropriate calculation memory. For cross-checking of data, city halls will be consulted on the numbers of vaccines received by the State Government.

The Health Secretariats must also inform the Court of Auditors of the control procedures established to mitigate the risks of immunizing people who are not in the priority group of the first phase of vaccination.

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