Notified cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations in children and adolescentes living in the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2020-2021.

Abstract

Introduction: In June 2023, there were 37.6 million cumulative cases of COVID-19 in Brazil. One of the severe forms of COVID-19 in children and adolescents is Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Objectives: To describe the incidence of COVID-19 cases, hospital admissions and case fatality rates due to SARS in children and adolescents in the state of Rio de Janeiro, in 2020-2021, and to analyze the trend of hospitalizations due to COVID related SARS after the introduction of vaccination in the 12-17 age-group in 2021. Method: Case series and time trend studies, using data from the Sistema e-SUS notifica (eSUS-VE) and from Sistema de Informação de Vigilância Epidemiológica da Gripe (SIVEP-Gripe). The weekly trend of hospitalizations was analyzed using Joinpoint Regression Analysis. Results: There were 117.736 reported cases of COVID-19, of which 64.1% were among youngsters aged 10-19 years. The predominance of this group lasted for most of the period, with a gradual reversal after the introduction of immunization. The most accentuated peak of incidence occurred after the identification of the Delta variant in the country. Of the 3.476 SARS hospitalizations due to COVID-19, 38.9% required intensive care; of these, 18.6% needed mechanical ventilation. In-hospital case-fatality rate was 6.8% (95% CI 6.0–7.7). There was a 15.6% weekly reduction in hospitalizations of young people aged 10-19 years after the introduction of immunization; a more pronounced drop than in non-immunized groups. Conclusions: There is still a need to reinforce the recommendation to extend the vaccination campaign to the entire pediatric population in Rio de Janeiro.