COVID-19 in Cuban children and adolescents
Keywords:
COVID-19, children and adolescents, diffusion, epidemiologyAbstract
Introduction: Due to the health emergency of COVID-19, the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales de la Universidad de la Habana, developed a project included in the collaboration actions with the United Nations Children's Fund and the Subgrupo de expertos de Salud Mental y apoyo psicosocial of the Ministerio de Salud Pública.
Objective: To document epidemiological characteristics and the temporal and territorial spread of the COVID-19 epidemic in Cuban children and adolescents.
Methods: They were used the databases of the Dirección de Vigilancia en Salud del Ministerio de Salud Pública y del Centro de Población y Desarrollo. They were elaborated databases of confirmed cases from 0 to 18 years with 10 fields. They were used SPSS 20.0, Excel 2019 and MapInfo 12.5 Pro programs for processing. They were applied descriptive statistics methods, qualitative and quantitative data analysis and cartographic techniques.
Results: The percentage of cases in children and adolescent remained at values lower than the numbers of the population in pediatric age, and was only surpassed during two epidemic waves. The epidemic was distinguished by the overrepresentation of the 12 to 18 years age group, until the end of 2022, when this condition passed to children under two years of age not included in the pediatric vaccination. They were recorded lowest incidences in municipalities in the eastern region, and the highest in municipalities with provincial capitals and others less populated and with connectivity limitations.
Conclusions: The evolution of the COVID-19 epidemic in children and adolescents shows the complex network of determinations of biological, social, psycho-social and political nature that participated in its temporal and territorial heterogeneity. It was provided evidence on the effectiveness of vaccination at pediatric age as a decisive factor in the reduction of cases.Downloads
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