Covid-19 morbidity and mortality indicators in children and adolescents in the state of Ceará

Abstract

Objective: to describe the morbidity and mortality indicators of covid-19 in children and adolescents in the State of Ceará. Methods this is an observational, analytical, cross-sectional study that evaluated secondary data regarding notifications of covid-19 in children and adolescents in the state of Ceará from 2020 to 2022. Data collection took place through the database of the Integration of Information of the Secretariat of Health of the State of Ceará. Microsoft Excel was used for data processing, they were organized in tables and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The research did not require approval from the Research Ethics Committee.  Results: it was observed, for both females and males, that the year 2021 had the highest number of reported, confirmed cases and deaths, and the most affected age groups were those from zero to four years and adolescents from 15 to 19 years old. For the incidence indicators, females had a higher incidence of confirmed cases in the age group of 15 to 19 years. Mortality indicators were higher among male children aged zero to four years in the years 2021 and 2022. Conclusions: The findings of this study reinforce that some groups may be at greater risk of poor outcomes. This makes it necessary to identify factors associated with unsatisfactory outcomes in children and adolescents with covid-19.