Signs and symptoms of COVID-19 in persons deprived of liberty: Integrative review

Objective:To describe, according to the literature, the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 in Incarcerated Individuals. Method:This is an integrative literature review, in which a search was conducted in the Medline databases via PubMed, Virtual Health Library, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus on November 9, 2022, using the combination of descriptors and Boolean operators "sars-cov-2" OR "covid-19" AND "prisons" OR "prisoners" AND "signs" AND "symptoms". The search results were organized and analyzed using Excel and Rayyan software, and 14 studies were selected for this review. The level of evidence of these studies was evaluated using the GRADE method. A statistical analysis was performed with estimates of relative frequencies based on the absolute values reported in the text of each article. Unreported numbers were considered as zero. Results:The study showed that 42,279 incarcerated individuals were tested, of whom 95% were male and 5% were female. Regarding signs and symptoms, 2% were asymptomatic, 93% tested positive for RT-PCR, and 1% were symptomatic. The most frequent signs and symptoms were fever, cough, and headache, each present in 10% of cases. Shortness of breath was reported in 1% of cases, runny nose in 4%, sore throat in 8%, general malaise in 9%, diarrhea in 4%, myalgia in 1%, nausea and vomiting in 2%, and there were 1% fatal cases. Conclusion: Further research on this topic is necessary to expand the dissemination of significant results and contribute to the reduction and control of COVID-19 cases involving incarcerated individuals, as well as to the management of similar contagious and spreading diseases.