DISPATCHESS evere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread rapidly worldwide during 2020-2021, but incidence has been highly variable in different countries and is diffi cult to estimate. In Portugal, which has ≈10.3 million inhabitants, the burden of disease, cases, and deaths was similar to or less than that for neighboring countries during the fi rst wave of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, through September 2020 (Appendix Figure, https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/ EID/article/27/11/21-0636-App1.pdf). However, it is diffi cult to estimate the true extent of SARS-CoV-2 infections in Portugal, although a previous study of clinical patients indicated a seropositivity <2.9% (1). We report a national, cross-sectional, epidemiologic survey that used quota sampling to quantify more accurately the cumulative number of infected persons in Portugal. The StudyWe used a convenience quota sampling, quasi-proportional to the population of Portugal in 9 strata: age group (<18, 18-54, and >55 years of age), each subdivided by population density of place of residence (<60, 60-500, and >500 persons/km 2 ) (Appendix). After a widespread media campaign, we recruited participants by using voluntary registration on a website specifi cally designed for this study. We obtained informed consent from all participants >16 years of age and from legal guardians for participants <18 years of age. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Centro Académico de Medicina de Lisboa (#350/20, July 30, 2020).Blood collections and serologic tests were performed by Centro de Medicina Laboratorial Germano de Sousa (Lisbon, Portugal) by using standard procedures. We determined total antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 by using a chemiluminescent immunoassay test (COV2T; Advia Centaur Siemens, https:// www.siemens-healthineers.com), which targets the spike protein. This antibody test has a sensitivity of 98.1% and a specifi city of 99.9% (2), which we used to correct the seroprevalence estimates by using the Rogan-Gladen estimator (3). We used sample weights and poststratifi ed by sex to adjust the seroprevalence, extrapolating from the strata to the whole population (Appendix Tables 1-4). Participants completed a questionnaire with demographic, clinical, and epidemiologic questions regarding SARS-CoV-2 exposure (Appendix). We use standard statistical analyses to compare results at an α = 0.05 signifi cance.We enrolled 13,398 participants (55.3% women, age range 1-92 years) (Appendix Figure 2). Our sample refl ected approximately the characteristics of the
Women of all ages can be exposed to violence both within and outside of the home, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to analyze violence against women (VAW) before and during the first year of the pandemic in Portugal. Crimes perpetrated against female victims from 17 years old and younger to 65 years old and older were analyzed by comparing requests for help in 2019 and 2020. A total of 12,045 requests for help for VAW were received by the Portuguese Association for Victim Support and analyzed in the current study. The findings reveal a 16% increase in requests for help in 2020 and a 95% increase when the lockdown was implemented. That said, the most reported, intimate partner violence (IPV), showed a decrease of 5% in 2020. Furthermore, compared to 2019, requests for help concerning criminal offenses involving psychological violence in non-IPV contexts increased 79% in 2020, especially for victims 17 years old or younger (116%), and attempted femicide/femicide requests for help increased 53%. We are still in the early stages of understanding how the pandemic will affect this situation. Future directions concerning support of female victims during the pandemic are outlined.
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