Multidimensional approach to illness caused by COVID-19 in a poor community in Rio de Janeiro, 2020-2021

COVID-19 is a disease characterized by a flu syndrome, with the main symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath, runny nose. Infected respiratory secretion is one of the main characteristics of transmissibility that increases the risk of infection in crowded places and in vulnerable populations such as slums. To describe the spatial distribution of COVID-19 cases between March 16, 2020 and October 6, 2021 and identify a set of symptoms that may be predictive of SARS-CoV-2 cases in the period from 09/17/2020 to 05/05/2021 in the territory of Manguinhos in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro. Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive exploratory study. For the first objective, the technique of spatial analysis was used using dot maps and Kernel, with the incidence rates calculated by sex, age and sub-regions. In the second objective, Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) using Fuzzy Sets (fsQCA) was used to explain the outcomes "being a positive case" and "not being a positive case". Clusters of cases were detected in the west, north-central and south-central regions of Manguinhos. High incidence rates were also observed in the north-central, south-central and southwest subregions. In the high-incidence subregions, the percentage of people dependent on government financial aid varied between 13% and 21%. The term solution "loss of taste or smell and no headache" showed the highest degree of association with the positive result (consistency = 0.81). The term solution "absence of loss of taste or smell combined with absence of fever" showed the highest degree of association (consistency = 0.79) and is what proportionately best explains the negative result. The sub-regions with the highest concentration of cases in the territory of Manguinhos coincide with the regions with the highest incidence rates, but not with the poorest regions of the territory. The explanation of the outcomes "being a positive case" and "not being a positive case", may be useful for the presumptive clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 in scenarios where access to diagnostic tests is not available, in addition, the technique used consists of an innovative method for complex problems in Public Health, the fsQCA. (AU)