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The study aims to explain the discourse of the collective subject of adult and elderly men about the experience of long COVID. Qualitative research, derived from a national multicenter clinical-virtual observatory involving 92 adult men, between 2022 and 2023 in Brazil. IRaMuTeQ software was used (data processing), the Collective Subject Discourse technique (analysis) and socio-anthropological references of the disease experience (interpretation). The results showed that the long COVID experience was marked by the prolongation of respiratory symptoms characteristic of COVID-19; systemic symptomatology in the physical-psychic body; and severe clinical complications. The experience of the long COVID-19 disease was shaped by gender relations and masculinities, constructed notions of health-disease, imaginaries about the capacity of the disease in the context of vaccination, the systemic character of syndromic events understood as sequelae left by the disease, resonating the sense of incapacity and stigmatization.

This study aims to analyze the use of the WhatsApp® application in health management, work process, and care in coping with the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative research was carried out by multiple case studies with semi-structured interviews with SUS managers and workers from May to November 2022. The material was transcribed and processed on ATLAS.ti® and its thematic content was analyzed. The use of WhatsApp® enhanced processes that created new health management, work, and care practices from a lively, communicative perspective produced in actions especially based on the challenges brought to face the pandemic. Results also point to the overcomplication of workers and managers, sometimes configuring situations of exhaustion due to constant and full-time communication in the application and the potential compromise to their health. They also highlight practices that had been informally produced and that emerged as an accelerated process of non-formal institutionalization in response to the practical demands of the health emergency, constituting new communication and access regulation arrangements.

The article draws a parallel between two pathological phenomena with great social impact in different settings: the smallpox epidemic in Ceará, northeastern Brazil, between 1900 and 1905, and the covid-19 pandemic in Brazil between 2020 and 2022. Despite the historical and temporal distance between these two episodes, there are some significant similarities in the ways they were conducted politically, especially with regard to the use of fake news and misinformation on the emergency of implementing mass vaccination. The analysis makes extensive use of press reports concerning the covid-19 pandemic and writings by the pharmacist Rodolfo Teófilo, a key figure in the smallpox vaccination campaign in Ceará.

The present article aimed to analyze the association between sociodemographic and hospitalization characteristics with the outcome of indigenous and non-indigenous pregnant and postpartum women, as well as factors associated with deaths among indigenous women hospitalized for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) due to COVID-19 in Brazil. This is a cross-sectional and analytical study, with secondary data of pregnant and postpartum women of reproductive age, classified into race/skin color (indigenous and non-indigenous), extracted from the Obstetric Observatory, which uses data from the Influenza Epidemiological Surveillance Information System. The outcome variables were analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression was performed for the factors associated with the death of indigenous people. The highest proportion of deaths occurred among non-indigenous women who were in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy (99.7%), who lived in urban/peri-urban areas (99.8%), as well as in the South/Southeast (99.8%) and Northeast (99.5%) regions. Indigenous people who lived in rural areas and in the North and Midwest regions have a greater chance of death when compared to indigenous people who lived in urban areas and in the South/Southeast regions.

The study aimed to identify protection strategies used by Indigenous peoples during the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyzing 56 articles from 2020 to May 2021 across four areas -community organization, governance, communication, and territorial approaches - it found that structural vulnerabilities shaped their responses. The spread of the virus was influenced by environmental, social, and cultural factors. Indigenous groups employed diverse strategies like collective decision-making and traditional knowledge. Challenges included data suppression and barriers to ethnic identification. The study emphasizes the need for greater Indigenous autonomy in data management and effective coordination among government, civil society, and Indigenous organizations.

The COVID-19 pandemic has unevenly affected regions, countries, and ethnic-racial segments. Socioenvironmental factors were associated with worse disease evolution, with a greater likelihood of mortality in vulnerable people. This study aimed to investigate the association between the proportion of vulnerable populations (Black, brown, and Indigenous people) and mortality from COVID-19 in Brazil from March 2020 to February 2021. Mortality rate ratios and respective 95% Confidence Intervals (95%CI) were estimated using negative binomial regression models. Statistically significant associations were found between the proportion of these populations and mortality rates, emphasizing Blacks in the first four-month period, mixed race in the second four-month period, and Indigenous people in the third four-month period, in which an increase of 54%, 16% and 27% in mortality rates was observed, respectively, for every 10% increase in the proportion of these populations. We highlight the existence of ethnic-racial inequalities in COVID-19 mortality in Brazil and that efforts must be made to mitigate health inequalities, an expression of the perpetuated structural racism and social exclusion of historically vulnerable groups.

This case study analyzed arrangements and strategies of the network actors in the Special Indigenous Sanitary District (DSEI) Pernambuco's territory to guarantee the right to health of Indigenous populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. This work was carried out through document analysis, workshops, and field research. The Contingency Plan for COVID-19 in Indigenous Peoples of DSEI Pernambuco included surveillance actions, laboratory and pharmaceutical assistance, communication, and management. With the modeling of this document, it was noticed that actions aimed at local specificities were not integrated: in its initial design, at the national level, the voice of Indigenous leaders was not heard when formulating this plan. By contrast, the actions of these leaders and their mobilization to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on the Indigenous population stands out. Contextual factors were cited as facilitators and obstacles to the plan's implementation; the local sociotechnical network mapping also made it possible to identify strategic actors and actants in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and verify their performance or ineffectiveness. The findings of this study reflect recurrent problems in the organization of the Indigenous health system.

This study aimed to evaluate the overall excess mortality and COVID-19 mortality in the regions of Brazil, in 2020, by sex and age group. An ecological study was carried out to calculate the overall excess mortality, by sex and age group, using the expected number of deaths in a non-pandemic context and the deaths observed in 2020. Data on deaths were extracted from the Brazilian Mortality Information System, in addition to population data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics. Excess mortality was calculated considering: the difference between the mortality rates observed in 2020 and the average of the rates from 2015 to 2019, standardized by age; and the difference between observed deaths obtained via a quasi-Poisson model and the deaths expected for 2020. In Brazil, the standardized overall mortality rate in 2020 was 590 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, with excess mortality of 44 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, while the mortality rate from COVID-19 was 79 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. The highest overall mortality rates were observed in the North and Northeast regions. The excess deaths estimated by the ratio between observed and expected deaths nationwide in 2020 was 16%; of which 17% were males, 16% were females, 7% were individuals from 0 to 59 years old, and 20% were individuals aged 60 years or older. These outcomes enabled a better understanding on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mortality in Brazil in 2020, indicating a more pronounced excess mortality in the North, Northeast and Central-West regions and among men older than 60 years.

This paper presents the structuring dimensions of the CEP-Conep System in order to understand the actions promoted by the National Research Ethics Commission in response to demands for the processing and ethical analysis of research protocols related to COVID-19 in 2020. Based on CEP-Conep System public documents, an assessment of legislation, from 1988 to 2020, and its extension in terms of the number of Committees, users, and protocols, from 2012 to 2020 was presented. The minutes of Conep's Ordinary Meetings (RO), for 2020, of a confidential nature, were analyzed, to verify adaptations to the pandemic. At the end of 2020, the System had 844 Committees, 854,741 users, and 701,791 analyzed protocols. The Commission centralized the analysis of COVID-19 protocols, in January 2020, and promoted three decentralizations, as more knowledge was generated, with vaccine protocols for COVID-19 remaining centralized. The history of the CEP-Conep System provided ballast for the adoption of management, educational and communication measures that accelerated the approval of protocols and made the process transparent. The absence of indicators made it impossible to evaluate the performance in 2020, which was apparently satisfactory.

The scope of this article is to identify the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of sexual violence against children and adolescents in the home environment in Brazil. It involves an ecological time-series study using joinpoint regression based on data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System from 2009 to 2021. The relative frequency and crude incidence rates of sexual violence occurring in the home against the population group aged 0 to 19 years were analyzed, estimating the annual percentage change (APC) and average annual percentage change (AAPC), with a 95% confidence interval. The relative frequency of the problem was higher in 2020 (69.8%) and 2021 (71.7%), with an increase of 3.1% (p = 0.001) in 2017-2021. Girls were more affected, with rates rising in 2009-2012 (APC = 44.4; p = 0.010) and 2015-2019 (APC = 16.6; p=0.017) but falling in 2019-2021 (APC= -17.7; p = 0.042). All age groups showed a significant increase until 2019, and a reduction after this year for 5-9 years (APC = -18.6; p = 0.016), 10-14 years (APC = -14.1; p = 0.040) and 15-19 years (APC = -18.4; p = 0.021). The reduction in the incidence rates of this type of violence may have been influenced by the context of social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the underreporting of cases.

The arrival of COVID-19 in Brazil had a marked impact on the health network as well as on the professionals involved, due to the significant number of cases and constantly updated information. In this context, the Cooperative Intelligence Platform for Primary Health Care - Picaps - is set up as a technological platform that assists by systematizing the communication and negotiation processes among actors, with a focus on science and technology. This article sets out to describe the processes of Picaps, which consist of a collaborative system conceived of as a public solution capable of generating innovations in the areas of Science, Technology and Health, in order to tackle COVID-19 in territories with populations in socially vulnerable situations in the Federal District (DF). It integrates data collection and processing, as well as the dissemination of information for its use, both at the governmental and societal levels. Picaps can be seen as a powerful government instrument to help societies across the country, especially those in vulnerable situations, capable of assisting in the use of cooperative intelligence in primary care and health surveillance actions to build innovative solutions such as rapid responses to face health crises in modern times.

This study estimated the association between hearing perception over time and the occurrence of falls among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a longitudinal study, with data from the third wave of household interviews (2017/2019) and the fourth wave of telephone interviews from the EpiFloripa Idoso study (2021/2022), a population-based cohort with older adults aged 60 years or older, carried out since 2009 in the city of Florianópolis, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Fall event in the last year was the dependent variable in this study, while the perception of hearing over time was the independent variable. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the relation of the perception of hearing loss between the third and fourth waves of the study and the occurrence of falls. A total of 289 older adults participated in the study, mostly females (69.1%), aged 70 to 79 years (53.4%), and with 12 or more years of schooling (41%). Older adults who remained with impaired hearing were 181% more likely (OR = 2.81; 95%CI: 1.08-7.34) of falling, when compared to those without impaired hearing. In conclusion, this study results provide evidence of the association between hearing difficulty in older people and a higher chance of falls. Outcomes suggest the need for interventions aimed at auditory rehabilitation. Furthermore, an integrated and multifaceted approach is essential to mitigate the risks of falls in this age group, considering both hearing needs and fall prevention measures.

Objective: To understand the perceptions and experiences of transsexual and travesti women and non-binary or gender-fluid people (TGWT+) in health services where they took pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in the periods before and during the pandemic, focusing on the resignification in the relationship with services and the continuity of HIV prevention via PrEP., Methods: Qualitative research and analysis of empirical material generated in the context of broader studies were conducted. A total of 45 semi-structured interviews were conducted with TGWT+ PrEP users in the city of São Paulo and analyzed using iterative thematic content analysis., Results: The TGWT+ interviewees gave new meanings to their struggles, daily lives and ways of caring for their health and played a central role within them. With its particularities, the COVID-19 pandemic became one more event among all the others that TGWT+ face daily. Alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, the TGWT+ were faced with the HIV epidemic, but with the possibility of prevention via PrEP., Conclusion: Based on a situated and conscious perspective, more explicit in the context of the health crisis, the TGWT+ intertwined conscious actions and care practices in dialog with health services. Further research on these groups from a spatiotemporal dynamic situated in specific contexts of meaning production would make it possible to advance prevention and care strategies, especially in times of health crisis.

This article aims to evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on malnutrition among children under two years of age enrolled in the Bolsa Família Program (BFP). Ecological study of interrupted time series (ITS), with low weight for age, stunting, and overweight as time-dependent variables of malnutrition, extracted monthly (Jan/2008 to June/2021) from the Food and Nutrition Surveillance System. The COVID-19 pandemic was the exposure, dichotomized into pre-pandemic and pandemic. In RStudio, the trend was obtained by Prais-Winsten regression, and the effect of the pandemic on the time-dependent variables was determined by SARIMA modeling, estimating the regression coefficients (RC) adjusted for trend and seasonality (α = 5%). The pandemic was associated with an increase in: i) low weight for age in the South (RC = 0.94; p < 0.001) and Southeast (RC = 1.97; p < 0.001); ii) height deficit in the Midwest (RC = 2.4; p = 0.01), South (RC = 2.15; p < 0.001) and Southeast (RC = 2.96; p < 0.001); and iii) and overweight in the North (RC = 1.51; p = 0.04), Midwest (RC = 2.29; p = 0.01), South (RC = 2.83; p < 0.001), and Southeast (RC = 0.72; p = 0.04). The pandemic increased underweight in the South and Southeast, and the double burden of malnutrition in the Midwest, South, and Southeast. In the Northeast and North, higher rates of malnutrition still persist.

Objective: To analyze the association between sociodemographic variables, lifestyle and mental health habits, and long Covid in nursing professionals., Method: Quantitative, observational, cross-sectional and analytical study, with 109 nursing professionals who had Covid-19 between 2020 and 2022. Data collection was carried out using an online form, with the following variables of interest: resilience, subjective well-being, age, sex, professional category, vaccination, physical activity, presence of symptoms resulting from Covid-19 infection after the acute phase of the disease and long Covid. Data were analyzed descriptively and inferentially using Poisson regression with robust variance and a significance level of 5%., Results: Male sex, high resilience, and high positive affect decrease the prevalence of long Covid by 71% (RP = 0.29), 40% (RP = 0.60) and 43% (RP = 0.57), respectively, while being in the nursing technician category increases its prevalence by 74% (RP = 1.74)., Conclusion: The results emphasize the importance and support the development of promotion, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation actions for individuals with long Covid. To achieve this, multidisciplinary care, centered on the person and directed at the context and work environment is required.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the frequency of vaccine hesitancy against seasonal influenza and to analyze the associated factors among teachers in the municipal school system of Teresina, Piauí State, Brazil. An online questionnaire was applied, adapted from the Health Belief Model, and 449 teachers were included. Of the public interviewed, most live in the capital Teresina, (373, 83.26%), are women (360, 80.54%), aged between 23 and 50 years (306, 81.38%), born in the state of Piauí (382, 86.82%), brown (289, 64.65%), married (254, 56.70%) and with a lato sensu graduate degree (327, 72.99%). In total, 33.18% were considered hesitant, and hesitancy was defined as teachers who were not vaccinated against influenza in 2020. The variables associated with hesitancy in this group were: not being vaccinated against influenza in 2019, the flu vaccine is not convenient, there are many risks associated with it, and concern about reactions to the flu vaccine, the new coronavirus pandemic changed the relationship with the act of vaccinating and greater adherence to the vaccine after hearing information about its benefits in the media. However, in the regression analysis, only the variables "not being vaccinated against influenza in 2019" and "the change in behavior after the pandemic" were significant. Vaccines continue to be the main method of prevention and control of a series of diseases related to influenza viruses, requiring greater adherence by teachers, a priority population that is in constant contact with students from different backgrounds, representing an important source of virus dissemination.

In 2020 the world suffered from covid-19. Fundação Oswaldo Cruz faced itself again with a challenging task. One of its strategies while battling the disease was building a hospital. It was not the first time the institution would build such a healthcare facility. The first hospital, which nowadays needs preservation measures, opened in 1918 intending to study and treat tropical diseases. The second, built in 2021, was a field hospital designed to treat the new epidemic victims. This article aims to reflect upon both hospitals' construction contexts, as well as contribute to studies on the history of science and health.

We quilombola women, a documentary that considers the quilombola identity and the right to COVID-19 vaccination, evokes notions of priority, rights, privileges and identity during the process of matching the number of vaccine doses available to citizens' arms. Omission by a Brazilian federal government grounded in necro-politics and denial, plus a lack of information, led quilombo communities to take it on themselves to draw up lists of those eligible for vaccination. The production team's aim was to use images as political language in the health field, so as to document and give visibility to these issues as one illustration of combating social and health inequalities and inequities rooted in structural racism. By combining science and art and interlacing references from the sociology of images, visual anthropology, plus the work and aesthetic devices of Eduardo Coutinho, the audiovisual production method brought out three key categories: I, We, and They, quilombola women. This article explores these categories underpinning construction of the documentary narrative, which drew on the potential of images, which in turn served as anti-racist, political and educational devices, both in the course of the production process and during the public screenings.

This study aimed to analyze the role of nurses in hospital management in the face of COVID-19. The study had a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory approach. The setting was a hospital that was completely transformed to care for patients with COVID-19. At the time of data collection, ten nurses managed the services, and all participated in the semi-structured interview. After thematic analysis, the data were presented in three categories, representing the elements of Donabedian's triad: structure, process, and result. Category 1 highlighted the hospital structure reconfiguration based on material and people management; category 2 addressed the work process restructuring to achieve goals with safety and quality; and category 3 focused on nurses' experiences in describing the results achieved and expected. The analysis highlighted the importance of teamwork, involvement, and adaptation of managers in the face of the challenges of a new and life-threatening disease, scarce resources, and the complexity of human relationships in the crisis. In transformational leadership, these nurses encouraged behavior change, professional growth, and resilience.

This integrative review aims to identify the mental health care measures that were produced during the COVID-19 pandemic. This research was conducted on three databases (SciELO, PubMed, and LILACS) with the following descriptors in Portuguese, English, and Spanish: "SAÚDE MENTAL" or "SALUD MENTAL" or "MENTAL HEALTH" AND "COVID-19" from 2020 to 2021. In total, 3,451 articles were found, 43 of which were analyzed. Most measures were digital, stemmed from public institutions, focused on the local perspective, and were integrated with the public health care system. This study discusses the models of care in mental health based on measures to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. It also discusses the Brazilian health care system, reiterating its resilience. In conclusion, digital measures occurred most often. This study suggest the evaluation of the accessibility of this mental health care model for most vulnerable groups. Finally, this research reinforces the importance of the Brazilian health care system for public health and access to information to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

This article maps the structural, nonstructural and functional vulnerabilities of healthcare facilities to the COVID-19 pandemic. It reports on a scoping review guided by JBI recommendations and structured by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. The PubMed, CINAHL, LILACS, EMBASE, SciELO, Scopus and Web of Science Repositories and databases were consulted, as was the grey literature. The protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework. The 54 studies included summarised 36 vulnerabilities in three categories in 29 countries. Functional and non-structural vulnerabilities were the most recurrent. Limited material and human resources, service disruption, non-COVID procedures and inadequate training were the items with most impact. COVID-19 exposed nations to the need to strengthen health systems to ensure their resilience in future health crises. Prospective risk management and systematic analysis of health facility vulnerabilities are necessary to ensure greater safety, sustainability and improved standards of preparedness and response to events of this nature.

This article aims to investigate the implications of grief among family members of COVID-19 victims; verify the prevalence of prolonged grief symptoms; and identify family members' expectations regarding end-of-life care for their loved ones affected by COVID-19. Descriptive, cross-sectional research, with a quantitative-qualitative approach. Data collection was performed using an online questionnaire, guided by the PG-13 instrument. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied. The results were presented descriptively and with the aid of tables. The study sample included 142 family members, mostly female, who presented emotional, physical, social, and financial implications as a result of grief. A prevalence of prolonged grief symptoms was observed in 11.4% of the mourners with more than six months and 29.6% of those with less than six months. Three thematic categories were identified: transparency in communicating the health situation, access to moments of farewell, and promotion of comfort in care actions. The symptoms of Prolonged Grief Disorder have a significant association with the degree of kinship. In final care, family members' expectations were classified as: permission for a dignified farewell, effective communication, and promotion of comfort and care.

Primary Health Care (PHC) proved to be an important part of the prevention, control and treatment measures against COVID-19, a situation in which it was challenged to keep up its provision of regular services as well. This article identifies the main arrangements made to provide PHC care in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. An integrative literature review of articles found in PubMed, SciELO and LILACS databases was performed using the descriptors "Primary Health Care" and "COVID-19". Findings were analyzed considering three questions: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), Organizations of Work Processes and Non-COVID Chronic Diseases. The use of different forms of ICT to provide PHC is highlighted regarding patients with respiratory symptoms and chronic patients. Changes in team composition, service flows, physical spaces and working hours were also introduced. Although strategies aimed at monitoring chronic patients and at remote care may have helped minimize deterioration of their health, the decrease in the number of visits performed during this period could have resulted in an increased demand for PHC in post-pandemic years.

Objective: To describe the 12-month mortality of Dutch COVID-19 intensive care unit patients, the total COVID-19 population and various subgroups on the basis of the number of comorbidities, age, sex, mechanical ventilation, and vasoactive medication use., Methods: We included all patients admitted with COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and March 29, 2022, from the Dutch National Intensive Care (NICE) database. The crude 12-month mortality rate is presented via Kaplan-Meier survival curves for each patient subgroup. We used Cox regression models to analyze the effects of patient characteristics on 12-month mortality after hospital discharge., Results: We included 16,605 COVID-19 patients. The in-hospital mortality rate was 28.1%, and the 12-month mortality rate after intensive care unit admission was 29.8%. Among hospital survivors, 12-month mortality after hospital discharge was 2.5% (300/11,931). The hazard of death at 12 months after hospital discharge was greater in patients between 60 and 79 years (HR 4.74; 95%CI 2.23 - 10.06) and ≥ 80 years (HR 22.77; 95%CI 9.91 - 52.28) than in patients < 40 years of age; in male patients than in female patients (HR 1.38; 95%CI 1.07 - 1.78); and in patients with one (adjusted HR 1.95; 95%CI 1.5 - 2.53), two (adjusted HR 4.49; 95%CI 3.27 - 6.16) or more than two comorbidities (adjusted HR 4.99; 95%CI 2.62 - 9.5) than in patients with no comorbidities. Neither vasoactive medication use nor mechanical ventilation resulted in statistically significant results., Conclusion: For Dutch COVID-19 intensive care unit patients, most deaths occurred during their hospital stay. For hospital survivors, the crude 12-month mortality rate was low. Patient age (older than 60), sex and the number of comorbidities were associated with a greater hazard of death at 12 months after hospital discharge, whereas mechanical ventilation and vasoactive medication were not.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, populations living further away from urban centers faced immense difficulties accessing health services. This study aims to analyze how Brazilian remote rural municipalities faced the COVID-19 pandemic based on their political, structural, and organizational response to access to healthcare. A qualitative study of multiple cases was conducted with thematic and deductive content analysis of 51 interviews conducted with managers and healthcare professionals in 16 remote rural municipalities in the states of Rondônia, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Piauí, Minas Gerais, and Amazonas. With their socio-spatial dynamics and long distances to reference centers, the remote rural municipalities responded to the demands of the pandemic but did not have their needs met promptly. They preserved communication with the population, reorganized the local system centered on primary health care (PHC), and changed the functioning of healthcare units, exceeding the limits of their responsibilities to provide the necessary care and awaiting referral to other levels of complexity. They faced a shortage of services, gaps in assistance in the regional network, and inadequate healthcare transport. The pandemic reiterated PHC's difficulties in coordinating care, exposing care gaps in reference regions. The equitable and resolute provision of the local health system in the remote rural municipalities implies inter-federative articulation in formulating and implementing public policies to ensure the right to health.

Post-COVID-19 syndrome involves a variety of symptoms that last more than 12 weeks after COVID diagnosis. This study aimed to analyze post-COVID-19 syndrome among hospitalized COVID-19 patients 6 and 12 months after hospital discharge. This is an ambidirectional cohort study conducted with individuals who were discharged from three main hospitals in the capital of Mato Grosso State, Brazil, between October and December 2021 and January and March 2022. After data collection from medical records, the individuals were interviewed by telephone 6 and 12 months after hospital discharge, when they were asked about the presence of ongoing or new symptoms and when symptom frequency was evaluated according to sociodemographic and economic characteristics hospitalization, and health conditions. Of all 277 medical records evaluated, 259 patients were eligible to participate in the study, 190 patients six months after discharge and 160 patients 12 months after hospital discharge. At six months, 59% were female patients, 40% were aged 60 years or older, and 87.4% reported at least one symptom. At 12 months, 58.7% were female patients, 37.5% were aged 30 to 49 years, and 67.5% reported at least one symptom. Fatigue was the most common symptom 6 and 12 months after hospital discharge (55.3% and 40.6%, respectively), followed by memory problems (36.8%; 20%), and hair loss (26.8%; 11.2%). The prevalence of post-COVID-19 syndrome was higher among patients of older age, lower income, with hypertension, diabetes, and more severe infection during hospitalization. The risk factors for post-COVID-19 syndrome help understand the long-term effects and the importance of monitoring after the acute phase of the disease.

Patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome benefit from health promotion programs. Their rapid identification is important for the cost-effective use of these programs. Traditional identification techniques perform poorly especially in pandemics. A descriptive observational study was carried out using 105,008 prior authorizations paid by a private health care provider with the application of an unsupervised natural language processing method by topic modeling to identify patients suspected of being infected by COVID-19. A total of 6 models were generated: 3 using the BERTopic algorithm and 3 Word2Vec models. The BERTopic model automatically creates disease groups. In the Word2Vec model, manual analysis of the first 100 cases of each topic was necessary to define the topics related to COVID-19. The BERTopic model with more than 1,000 authorizations per topic without word treatment selected more severe patients - average cost per prior authorizations paid of BRL 10,206 and total expenditure of BRL 20.3 million (5.4%) in 1,987 prior authorizations (1.9%). It had 70% accuracy compared to human analysis and 20% of cases with potential interest, all subject to analysis for inclusion in a health promotion program. It had an important loss of cases when compared to the traditional research model with structured language and identified other groups of diseases - orthopedic, mental and cancer. The BERTopic model served as an exploratory method to be used in case labeling and subsequent application in supervised models. The automatic identification of other diseases raises ethical questions about the treatment of health information by machine learning.

Objective: To map the scientific evidence on the care offered to health service users with Long Covid-19., Method: This is a scoping review based on the methods of the Joanna Briggs Institute. Primary studies were included, in Portuguese, English and Spanish, published between December 2019 and June 2023, in the Virtual Health Library, Web of Science, Scopus, PUBMED, SciELO and LITCovid LongCovid databases., Results: Of the ١٣ articles analyzed, it stands out that the care provided to patients with Long Covid is associated with drug prescription, indication of physical exercises, telerehabilitation and physiotherapy., Conclusion: A fragmentation was identified in the care provided to users of health services with Long Covid, with care directed only at isolated symptoms, without addressing the biopsychosocial care that people with this condition need.

Background: The long-term effects of mild COVID-19 on physical, cognitive, and mental health are not yet well understood., Objective: The purpose of this paper is to describe the protocol for the ongoing "Post-COVID Brazil" study 2, which aims to evaluate the factors associated with health-related quality of life and long-term cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular outcomes one year after a mild episode of symptomatic COVID-19., Methods: The "Post-COVID Brazil" study 2 is a prospective multicenter study that plans to enroll 1047 patients (NCT05197647). Centralized, structured telephone interviews are conducted at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after COVID-19 diagnosis. The primary outcome is the health-related quality-of-life utility score, assessed using the EuroQol-5D-3L (EQ-5D-3L) questionnaire at 12 months. Secondary endpoints include the EQ-5D-3L at 3, 6, and 9 months, as well as all-cause mortality, major cardiovascular events, hospitalization, return to work or education, persistent symptoms, new disabilities in instrumental activities of daily living, cognitive impairment, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. A p-value < 0.05 will be considered statistically significant for all analyses., Results: The primary endpoint will be presented as the overall frequency of the EQ-5D-3L domains 12 months after SARS-CoV-2 infection. Main analysis will explore the association of independent variables with the study outcomes., Conclusion: The "Post-COVID Brazil" study 2 aims to clarify the impact of long COVID on the quality of life and cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular outcomes of Brazilian patients who have had mild COVID-19.

The scope of this work was to assess the association between the duration of remote work and a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 among individuals employed in Brazil. Data from the PNAD COVID19 (2020) survey were consulted. The variables in the work situation described included: absence from work due to physical distancing, work segment (work sector and formality: formal or informal private, military, statutory civil servant, CLT public sector, informal public sector, employer, self-employed/unpaid worker) and duration of remote work (no remote work for 1-2 months, 3-4 months, 5-7 months, respectively). The association between duration of remote work (exposure) and positive diagnosis for COVID-19 (outcome) was estimated by Cox regression, with adjustment for sociodemographic variables and work segment. The positive diagnosis of COVID-19 increased from 2.1% to 4.8% between July and November, and the frequency of remote work decreased from 11.6% to 9.5% between May and November. The risk of a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 was lower for people working remotely for 3-4 months, (HR=0.79; CI95%=0.67;0.92) and 5-7 months (HR=0.57; CI95%=0.48;0.67) compared to those who did not work remotely. There was a slight decrease in the percentage of remote work employees, and a longer duration reduced the risk of a positive diagnosis for COVID-19.

Innovation is an essential element for development and growth, but it consists of a long process of knowledge accumulation, so technology transfer is used to accelerate this process. This study mapped the particularities of the technology transfer process for the COVID-19 vaccine between AstraZeneca and the Institute of Technology in Immunobiologicals (Bio-Manguinhos), Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, and identified enablers, obstacles, and gaps. Our analysis investigated the process from selection of the most suitable partner to incorporation of the new technology based on a comprehensive literature review on this topic, combined with a case study. The results showed that, although many actions still have to be performed to maximize technology capacity gains, the lessons learned from the technology transfer process will be used in future and ongoing agreements.

This article aims to describe the geographical distribution of hospital mortality from COVID-19 in children and adolescents during the 2020-2021 pandemic in Brazil. Ecological, census study (SIVEP GRIPE) with individuals up to 19 years of age, hospitalized with SARS due to COVID-19 or SARS not specified in Brazilian municipalities, stratified in two ways: 1) in the five macro-regions and 2) in three urban agglomerations: capital, municipalities of the metropolitan region and non-capital municipalities. There were 44 hospitalizations/100,000 inhabitants due to COVID-19 and 241/100,000 when including unspecified SARS (estimated underreporting of 81.8%). There were 1,888 deaths by COVID-19 and 4,471 deaths if added to unspecified SARS, estimating 57.8% of unreported deaths. Hospital mortality was 2.3 times higher in the macro-regions when considering only the cases of COVID-19, with the exception of the North and Center-West regions. Higher hospital mortality was also recorded in non-capital municipalities. The urban setting was associated with higher SARS hospital mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Living in the North and Northeast macro-regions, and far from the capitals offered a higher risk of mortality for children and adolescents who required hospitalization.

Characterized by symptoms that remain or appear for the first time within three months of SARS-CoV-2 infection, long COVID can manifest itself in different ways, including in non-hospitalized or asymptomatic cases. Thus, this study offers an overview of long COVID in Brazil, especially of its diagnosis, symptoms, and challenges for new health management. Data from a study that investigated long COVID in people affected by COVID-19 were used. These original data stem from a survey with adult Brazilians (aged 18 years or older) who had COVID-19 that collected information from March 14 to April 14, 2022, by a questionnaire on social media. The questionnaire addressed sociodemographic characteristics, history of COVID-19 infections, vaccination against the disease, investigation of health status and quality of life before and after COVID-19, and search and access to treatment. Of the 1,728 respondents, 720 were considered eligible for analysis, of which 496 (69%) had long COVID. Individuals with long COVID reported clinical manifestations such as anxiety (80%), memory loss (78%), generalized pain (77%), lack of attention (75%), fatigue (73%), hair loss (71%), sleep changes (70%), mood swings (62%), malaise (60%), and joint pain (59%). Most sought health services during and after the acute phase of COVID-19 (94 and 80%, respectively), representing the need to structure the healthcare system for these patients.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with hypercoagulability. It remains uncertain whether ongoing anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients who later contract COVID-19 improves clinical outcomes., Objectives: To compare chronic oral anticoagulation with no previous anticoagulation in patients with AF who contracted a COVID-19 infection concerning the outcomes of all-cause mortality, COVID-19 mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and hospitalization., Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library for eligible studies from inception to December 2022. We included studies comparing COVID-19 outcomes in patients with versus without prior chronic anticoagulation for AF. Risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were pooled with a random-effects model. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Quality assessment and risk of bias were performed according to Cochrane recommendations., Results: Ten studies comprising 1,177,858 patients with COVID-19 and AF were identified, of whom 893,772 (75.9%) were on prior chronic anticoagulation for AF. In patients with COVID-19, being on chronic anticoagulation for AF significantly reduced all-cause mortality (RR 0.75; 95% CI 0.57 to 0.99; p = 0.048; I2 = 89%) and COVID-19-related mortality (RR 0.76; 95% CI 0.72 to 0.79; p < 0.001; I2 = 0%) when compared with no prior anticoagulation. In contrast, there was no difference between groups regarding hospitalization (RR 1.08; 95% CI 0.82 to 1.41; p = 0.587; I2 = 95%) or ICU admission (RR 0.86; 95% CI 0.68 to 1.09; p = 0.216; I2 = 69%)., Conclusions: In this meta-analysis, chronic anticoagulation for patients with AF who contracted COVID-19 was associated with significantly lower rates of all-cause mortality and COVID-19-related mortality as compared with no previous anticoagulation.

Objective: To analyze the determinants for non-vaccination against COVID-19 in pregnant women in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil., Methods: An epidemiological study with a cross-sectional design was conducted using data from the project titled "Childbirth and Breastfeeding in Children of Mothers Infected by SARS-CoV-2," developed during the pandemic in the city of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil., Results: The study sample consisted of 360 pregnant women, of whom 77.89% received the COVID-19 vaccine. External, social, and institutional determinants can influence lower adherence to COVID-19 vaccination, especially the absence of employment during pregnancy, difficult access to prenatal consultations, and a compromised or deficient support network., Conclusions: In light of this scenario, greater encouragement for health education is necessary, especially during prenatal care, resulting in lower rates of morbidity and mortality and favorable perinatal outcomes.

Background: New-onset atrial fibrillation (NOAF) occurs in patients hospitalized due to COVID-19. It is still unknown whether clinical and laboratory data assessed upon hospital admission have predictive value for NOAF., Objectives: To analyze, upon hospital admission, variables with predictive potential for the occurrence of NOAF in patients with COVID-19 pneumonia., Methods: Observational, retrospective, case-control study. Electronic medical reports of consecutive patients, 60 years of age or older, hospitalized due to COVID-19 pneumonia between March 1st and July 15th, 2020, were reviewed. Non-paired Student or chi-squared tests compared variables. A Cox proportional hazard model was employed to identify independent predictors of NOAF. P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: Among 667 patients hospitalized due to COVID-19, 201 (30.1%) fulfilled the inclusion criteria. NOAF was documented in 29 patients (14.4%), composing group 1. Group 2 was composed of 162 patients without NOAF. Ten patients were excluded due to the AF rhythm upon hospital admission. In groups 1 and 2, there were differences in overall in-hospital survival rate (24.1 % vs. 67.9%; p<0.001), length of stay in ICU (11.1 ± 10.5 days vs. 4.9 ± 7.5 days; p=0.004) and need for mechanical ventilation rate (82.9% vs. 32.7%; p<0.001). In the Cox model, age > 71 y/o (HR=6.8; p<0.001), total leukocyte count ≤ 7,720 cels.μL-¹ (HR=6.6; p<0.001), serum [Na+] ≤ 137 mEq.L-¹ (HR=5.0; p=0.001), SAPS3 score > 55 (HR=5.6; p=0.002), and disorientation (HR=2.5; p=0.04) on admission were independent predictors of NOAF., Conclusion: NOAF is a common arrhythmia in elderly hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia. Clinical and laboratory parameters evaluated on admission have a predictive value for the occurrence of NOAF during hospitalization.

This article presents the results of a study on health professionals' perceptions of childhood vaccine hesitancy related to COVID-19. Based on the theoretical construct of vaccine hesitancy, a qualitative study was conducted with 86 primary health care (PHC) workers in four municipalities in four Brazilian states and in the Federal District. A thematic analysis was performed and three categories were obtained: fear, misinformation about vaccines, and the role of health professionals. Fear as a reason for vaccine hesitancy has led to reflections on the Brazilian Federal Government's management of the pandemic, especially regarding governability and the consequences of the use of digital platforms on the population. Fear was related to the vaccine still being perceived as experimental; to the adverse reactions it may cause; to the lack of long-term studies; to the false perception of reduced risk of COVID-19 in children; and to the Federal Government's behavior, which creates uncertainty about the effects of the vaccine. Vaccine misinformation was related to fake news about the vaccine and its reactions; the phenomenon of infodemic and misinformation; and the lack of guidance and knowledge about vaccines. Finally, the article discusses the fundamental role of PHC workers in increasing vaccination coverage due to the trust among the population and proximity to the territories, factors that enable the reversal of fear and misinformation about vaccines. Throughout the study, authors' sought to show the convergences between the content of the themes outlined and the determinants of vaccine hesitancy and to consider possibilities for rebuilding high adherence to childhood vaccines.

Quilombola communities have felt the effects of racism deepened by COVID-19, whose repercussions are amplified in contexts of racial inequalities, characterizing it as a syndemic. The term refers to the synergy of biological, economic, environmental, political, and social elements that enhance coexisting conditions and states, impacting life and affecting health. Thus, our study seeks to analyze the repercussions of the COVID-19 syndemic based on the perceptions of quilombola community leaders in Mato Grosso, Brazil. In a qualitative study, three leaders were interviewed in May 2022, using a semi-structured script and treating the data through thematic analysis. The COVID-19 syndemic highlighted the structural precariousness of transport, roads, sanitation, and access to water, food, and health services. Isolation, deaths, and fears had psychosocial repercussions, but little attention was paid to mental health. Anti-racist proposals call for: repairing precariousness by recognizing the State's debt to the black population; valuing experiences, way of life, cosmovision, and Afro-centered ancestral civilizational values. Finally, the aim is to strengthen, reaffirm, and implement anti-racist actions, such as the Statute of Racial Equality and the PNSIPN, in all possible spaces, policies, and institutions.

Mortality caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted indicators of Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) worldwide. This study aimed to estimate the YPLL due to mortality caused by COVID-19, according to sex, age group, and race/color in Brazil, from March 2020 to December 2021. Deaths caused by COVID-19 were characterized, in which the rates and ratios of standardized YPLL rates, the average number of years of potential life lost (ANYPLL), and the average age at death (AAD) were estimated and compared. Overall, 13,776,969.50 potential years of life were lost, which resulted in an average loss of 22.5 potential years not lived. A greater loss of potential years of life was identified in men (58.12%) and in the age groups from 0 to 59 years in the black (58.92%) and indigenous (63.35%) populations, while in the age groups of 60 years and over, a greater loss of YPLL was observed in the white (45.89%) and yellow (53.22%) populations. Women recorded the highest ADD, with the exception of indigenous women. White men (1.63), brown men (1.59), and black men (1.61) had the highest rates when compared to white women. Although COVID-19 has a greater impact on the elderly, it was the black and indigenous populations under the age of 60 who had the greatest loss of potential years of life.

Objective: to evaluate the association of the risk classification categories with the Modified Early Warning Score and the outcomes of COVID-19 patients in the emergency service., Method: a crosssectional study carried out with 372 patients hospitalized with a COVID-19 diagnosis and treated at the Risk Classification Welcoming area from the Emergency Room. In this study, the patients' Modified Early Warning Score was categorized into without and with clinical deterioration, from 0 to 4 and from 5 to 9, respectively. Clinical deterioration was considered to be acute respiratory failure, shock and cardiopulmonary arrest., Results: the mean Modified Early Warning Score was 3.34. In relation to the patients' clinical deterioration, it was observed that, in 43%, the time for deterioration was less than 24 hours and that 65.9% occurred in the Emergency Room. The most frequent deterioration was acute respiratory failure (69.9%) and the outcome was hospital discharge (70.3%)., Conclusion: COVID-19 patients who had a Modified Early Warning Scores > 4 were associated with the urgent, very urgent and emergency risk classification categories, had more clinical deterioration, such as respiratory failure and shock, and evolved more to death, which shows that the Risk Classification Protocol correctly prioritized patients at risk of life.

Background: Despite no evidence showing benefits of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine with or without azithromycin for COVID-19 treatment, these medications have been largely prescribed in Brazil., Objectives: To assess outcomes, including in-hospital mortality, electrocardiographic abnormalities, hospital length-of-stay, admission to the intensive care unit, and need for dialysis and mechanical ventilation, in hospitalized COVID-19 patients who received chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine, and to compare outcomes between those patients and their matched controls., Methods: A retrospective multicenter cohort study that included consecutive laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients from 37 Brazilian hospitals from March to September 2020. Propensity score was used to select matching controls by age, sex, cardiovascular comorbidities, and in-hospital use of corticosteroid. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: From 7,850 COVID-19 patients, 673 (8.6%) received hydroxychloroquine and 67 (0.9%) chloroquine. The median age in the study group was 60 years (46 - 71) and 59.1% were women. During hospitalization, 3.2% of patients presented side effects and 2.2% required therapy discontinuation. Electrocardiographic abnormalities were more prevalent in the chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine group (13.2% vs. 8.2%, p=0.01), and the long corrected QT interval was the main difference (3.6% vs. 0.4%, p<0.001). The median hospital length of stay was longer in the HCQ/CQ + AZT group than in controls (9.0 [5.0, 18.0] vs. 8.0 [4.0, 14.0] days). There was no statistical differences between groups in intensive care unit admission (35.1% vs. 32.0%; p=0.282), invasive mechanical ventilation support (27.0% vs. 22.3%; p=0.074) or mortality (18.9% vs. 18.0%; p=0.682)., Conclusion: COVID-19 patients treated with chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine had a longer hospital length of stay, when compared to matched controls. Intensive care unit admission, invasive mechanical ventilation, dialysis and in-hospital mortality were similar.

Objective: To describe the mortality profile and analyze the spatiotemporal distribution of COVID-19 mortality among international migrants residing in Brazil from 2020 to 2022., Methods: This is a descriptive and ecological cross-sectional study using secondary data. Absolute and relative frequencies of the sociodemographic profile and mortality coefficients (MCs) were analyzed. Excess risk and global and local spatial autocorrelation were calculated., Results: A total of 7,737 deaths were recorded during the period, with the highest frequency in 2021 (3,952). Brazil's overall MC was 515/100,000, with higher MCs in the Southeast (751/100,000) and Midwest (525/100,000) macroregions. The predominant death profile was for males (5,041); those aged ≥ 81 years (3,612); those of White race/skin color (5,685); married (3,406); born in Portugal (2,437). Global spatial autocorrelation was identified in 2022, and local spatial autocorrelation throughout the period., Conclusion: The high MC indicates a need for health policy interventions in regions with high migrant population concentrations.

Objective: to analyze occurrence of self-harm, sociodemographic profile of victims and referrals in the first 24 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in São Paulo., Method: cross-sectional study carried out by the Notifiable Diseases Information System with data on self-harm in São Paulo. The period outlined was March 2020 to February 2022. R (4.0.2) software and chi-square test were used., Results: there were 15,946 incidents. Victims were young, white, single, heterosexual women. There was high incidence of people with previous mental disorders more than once and without clear motivation. The method used was poisoning/intoxication. There was a considerable number of referrals to the health network, although not totalitarian., Conclusion: the years of greater insecurity in relation to the pandemic have given rise to self-harm cases with peculiar characteristics. Agile health policies must be applied in atypical conditions, such as pandemics, especially for adolescents/young people with previous mental disorders.

Objective: To characterize nursing care management strategies for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic., Method: A descriptive, qualitative study conducted with 22 nurse professionals at a University Hospital in Southern Brazil. Data collection through interviews in June and August 2021, analyzed according to Bardin's Content Analysis and the theoretical framework of complex thinking., Results: The identified strategies were organized into four categories: Reorganization of health services; People management and emergency admission; Multiprofessional articulation; and Bedside nursing care., Final Considerations: Professional performance revealed a complex interplay between leadership and care management practices, even in the face of working condition restrictions, and were understood as crucial in the pandemic scenario.

Objective: to analyze the association between participation in training activities and the adherence to and use of personal protective equipment by workers and professionals involved in Health Residency Programs in Primary Health Care during the COVID-19 pandemic., Methods: a cross-sectional study in Brazil between August/2020 and March/2021. We utilized the EPI-APS COVID-19 instrument and its adapted version for resident professionals., Results: 455 PHC workers and 102 residents participated in the study. Among them, 54.5% and 55.9%, respectively, engaged in training activities. We observed an association between participation in training activities and the proper use of gloves (p<0.001), gowns (p=0.009), goggles/face shields (p=0.002), and overall adherence (p<0.001) among PHC workers, and the proper use of surgical masks (p=0.028) among residents. Adherence rates of ≥75% were identified in 6.9% of PHC workers and none among the residents., Conclusion: training activities are associated with increased adherence to and proper use of PPE.

Objective: To understand the clinical and epidemiological characteristics, outcomes, and nursing care of adult patients affected by COVID-19 in the Intensive Care Unit., Methods: This is a quantitative, retrospective, and descriptive study. The study participants were clinical and epidemiological statistical reports. Variables analyzed included age, gender, race, comorbidities, signs and symptoms, length of hospital stay, use of mechanical ventilation, medications, infections, monitoring, invasive devices, positioning, diet, comfort, and clinical outcomes., Results: The majority of individuals were men, of white race, with a mean age of 63 years, hypertensive, diabetic, and obese. The average length of hospital stay was 16 days. Most required invasive mechanical ventilation, vasopressor drugs, sedoanalgesia, and neuromuscular blockers., Conclusion: Nursing care is related to monitoring, ventilation, medication administration, installation of devices, prone positioning, diet administration, and providing comfort.

Introduction: Acute kidney injury (AKI) in the setting of COVID-19 is associated with worse clinical and renal outcomes, with limited long-term data., Aim: To evaluate critically ill COVID-19 patients with AKI that required nephrologist consultation (NC-AKI) in a tertiary hospital., Methods: Prospective single-center cohort of critically ill COVID-19 adult patients with NC-AKI from May 1st, 2020, to April 30th, 2021. Kidney replacement therapy (KRT), recovery of kidney function, and death at 90-day and 1-year follow-up were evaluated., Results: 360 patients were included, 60.6% were male, median age was 66.0 (57.0-72.0) years, 38.1% had diabetes, and 68.6% had hypertension. AKI stages 1, 2, and 3 were detected in 3.6%, 5.6%, and 90.8% of patients, respectively. KRT was indicated in 90% of patients. At the 90-day follow-up, 88.1% of patients died and 10.0% had recovered kidney function. Female gender (p = 0.047), older age (p = 0.047), AKI stage 3 (p = 0.005), requirement of KRT (p < 0.0001), mechanical ventilation (p < 0.0001), and superimposed bacterial infection (p < 0.0001) were significantly associated death within 90 days. At 1 year, mortality was 89.3%. Amongst surviving patients, 72% recovered kidney function, although with significantly lower eGFR compared to baseline (85.5 ± 23.6 vs. 65.9 ± 24.8 mL/min, p = 0.003)., Conclusion: Critically ill COVID-19 patients with NC-AKI presented a high frequency of AKI stage 3 and KRT requirement, with a high 90-day mortality. Surviving patients had high rates of recovery of kidney function, with a lower eGFR at one-year follow-up compared to baseline.