Background In Brazil, a substantial number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases and deaths have been reported. It has become the second most affected country worldwide, as of June 9, 2020. Official Brazilian government sources present contradictory data on the impact of the disease; thus, it is possible that the actual number of infected individuals and deaths in Brazil is far larger than those officially reported. It is very likely that the actual spread of the disease has been underestimated. Objective This study investigates the underreporting of cases and deaths related to COVID-19 in the most affected cities in Brazil, based on public data available from official Brazilian government internet portals, to identify the actual impact of the pandemic. Methods We used data from historical deaths due to respiratory problems and other natural causes from two public portals: DATASUS (Department of Informatics of the Unified Healthcare System) (2010-2018) and the Brazilian Transparency Portal of Civil Registry (2019-2020). These data were used to build time-series models (modular regressions) to predict the expected mortality patterns for 2020. The forecasts were used to estimate the possible number of deaths that were incorrectly registered during the pandemic and posted on government internet portals in the most affected cities in the country. Results Our model found a significant difference between the real and expected values. The number of deaths due to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was considerably higher in all cities, with increases between 493% and 5820%. This sudden increase may be associated with errors in reporting. An average underreporting of 40.68% (range 25.9%-62.7%) is estimated for COVID-19–related deaths. Conclusions The significant rates of underreporting of deaths analyzed in our study demonstrate that officially released numbers are much lower than actual numbers, making it impossible for the authorities to implement a more effective pandemic response. Based on analyses carried out using different fatality rates, it can be inferred that Brazil’s epidemic is worsening, and the actual number of infectees could already be between 1 to 5.4 million.

No abstract

In this paper 1 , we describe an evaluation study of a selfarchiving service for the Brazilian Digital Library of Computing (BDBComp). We conducted an extensive usability experiment with several potential users, including graduate students, professors, and archivists/librarians. The results of the study are described and analyzed, following sound statistical principles.

Background Since the beginning of the new coronavirus pandemic, there has been much information about the disease and the virus has been in the spotlight, shared and commented upon on the Internet. However, much of this information is infodemics and can interfere with the advancement of the disease and that way that populations act. Thus, Brazil is a country that requires attention, as despite the fact that in almost two years of pandemic it has shown a devastating numbers of deaths and number of cases, and generates false, distorted and malicious news about the pandemic. This work intends to understand the attitudes of the Brazilian population using infodemic queries from the Google Trends search tool and social and income variables. Methods Data from infodemic research carried out on Google Trends, between January 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021, with socioeconomic data, such as income and education, were unified in a single database: standardization and exploratory and multivalued techniques based on grouping were used in the study. Results In the analysis of the search trend of infodemic terms, it is clear that the categories of Prevention and Beliefs should stand out in Brazil, where there is a diverse culture. It is followed by the COVID-19 Treatment category, with treatments that were not those recommended by the authorities. Income transfer programs and information on socioeconomic variables did not have much impact on infodemic surveys, but it was observed that states where President Bolsonaro has more supporters had researched more infodemic information. Conclusions In a country as geographically large as Brazil, it is important that political authorities go to great lengths to disseminate reliable information and monitor the infodemic in the media and on the internet. It was concluded that the denial of the pandemic and the influence of political leaders influenced the search for infodemic information, contributing to a disorganization in the control of the disease and prevention measures.

Due to COVID-19, a huge amount of incorrect information has been disseminated on the internet, which may interfere with the disease’s advance. This study analyzes the behavior of the Brazilian population during the pandemic, employing queries of infodemic data searched on Google Trends and relating them to socioeconomic and political indicators in the country. The z-score technique was used to standardize the data; and for multivalued analysis, dendrograms and the Elbow method detected similar patterns among Brazilian states. The result was divided into three analyses. In the analysis of the research trend of infodemic terms, the themes “Prevention and Beliefs” and “Treatment” prevailed. In the exploratory analysis, socioeconomic indicators related to income and education, as well as government programs, showed no impact on infodemic searches; but the results suggest that the states that supported the Brazilian president in the 2018 election, where he obtained more than 50% of the votes, were the states that most searched for infodemic terms: a total of 46.58% more infodemic searches than in the other states. In the multivalued analysis, the socioeconomic indicators used showed similarities in the patterns, highlighting a cluster containing 77% of all Brazilian states. The study concludes that denial about the pandemic and the influence of political leadership can influence infodemic information searches, contributing to a disorganization in the control of disease control and prevention measures.

BACKGROUND The global impact of COVID-19 has been dreadful, undermining public health, considered to be the most severe, ever observed, as a respiratory disease, in the last years. It takes on a rapid dissemination, risking the health of a huge number of people, and consequently overburdening healthcare infrastructure, leading to eventual collapse. Nowadays, a country that draws a lot of attention is Brazil, which has shown expressive number of cases and deaths in comparison to other countries. Thus, there is a high chance that the actual number of infected in Brazil is far larger than those notified, and it is very likely that the actual growth of the disease is being underestimated. A proper estimation of the underreported or wrongly reported cases becomes paramount in order to have a better understanding of the actual epidemic scenario, allowing necessary and effective measures OBJECTIVE This study investigates the mortality underreporting related to COVID-19 in the most affected Brazilian cities in order to identify the real scenario of the pandemic in Brazil. METHODS This research used data from the historical series of deaths, due to respiratory problems and other natural causes, from two databases: DATASUS (2010 to 2018) and the Brazilian Transparency Portal of Civil Registry (2019 to 2020). These data were used to build time series models (modular regressions) able to predict the expected behavior of deaths in 2020. The predictions are used to estimate the possible number of death reports that were incorrectly registered during the pandemic in the most affected cities in the country. RESULTS The model found a significant disagreement between the real and expected values. The number of deaths due to SARS was considerably higher in all of the cities, presenting increases between 493% and 5820%. Considering the cities of the case study, an average underreporting of 40.68%, varying between 25.9% and 62.7%, is estimated for deaths related to COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS The quite significant rates of underreporting of deaths presented in our research allow us to realize that the officially released numbers to be much lower than the actual numbers, making it impossible for the authorities to take more effective actions. Considering the results and analyzes carried out with different fatality rates, it can be inferred that Brazil has a growing epidemic scenario and the real number of infected would already be between approximately 1,2 million and 5,4 millions, becoming new epicenter of the pandemic.