Brazil seeks PAHO help to find COVID-19 intubation drugs

BRASILIA - The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has agreed to help Brazil acquire sedatives and other drugs it urgently needs for the intubation of patients seriously ill with COVID-19 due to a shortage in the current surge of serious cases.

PAHO Assistant Director Jarbas Barbosa said the regional branch of the World Health Organization is already looking for suppliers of the so-called "intubation kit" that Brazil can then purchase through PAHO's strategic fund. "Knowing the country's difficulty, we are already looking for supply alternatives with international producers," Barbosa told Reuters.