POSITIVITY OF TESTS FOR COVID-19 USING THE RT-PCR METHOD IN THE FEDERAL DISTRICT, FROM MARCH 2020 TO JUNE 2022

• DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.1593112310027

• Palavras-chave: Covid-19; Polymerase Chain Reaction Via Reverse Transcriptase, epidemiology.

• Keywords: Covid-19; Polymerase Chain Reaction Via Reverse Transcriptase, epidemiology.

• Abstract:

  An effective and timely way to monitor the COVID-19 epidemic is to calculate the proportion of positive Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test results for SARS-CoV2 over time. This indicator is called positivity and is a predictor of trends in the covid-19 epidemic. High positivity may indicate lack of control of the epidemic. The objective of this study was to evaluate the electronic medical record database of the Health Department of the Federal District (SES-DF) regarding the quality, timeliness and proportion of positivity of RT-PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 in the Federal District (DF). A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out, with the evaluation of secondary data from patients who underwent RT-PCR tests in the public network of the Federal District, between March 2020 and June 2022. It was identified that during the analysis period, 472,281 RT PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2, with 141,310 (29.2%) positive tests. The median positivity over the months was 28%, reaching the maximum value in July 2020 (43%) and the minimum value in April 2022 (0.6%). The positivity results found in the DF showed a better epidemiological situation when compared to the national situation. System evaluation showed excellent data quality and timeliness. The analysis of the positivity indicator was fundamental for the management of economic resources, organization of management levels and helped in the decision-making of assistance measures. From an epidemiological point of view, it proved to be an important indicator of the epidemic.