Molecular testing and analysis of disease spreading during the emergence of COVID-19 in Macaé, the Brazilian National Capital of Oil

Feitosa, Natália Martins; da Costa Rodrigues, Bruno; Petry, Ana Cristina; Nocchi, Keity Jaqueline Chagas Vilela; de Moraes Brindeiro, Rodrigo; Zilberberg, Carla; Monteiro-de-Barros, Cintia; Mury, Flavia Borges; de Souza-Menezes, Jackson; Nepomuceno-Silva, José Luciano; da Silva, Manuela Leal; de Medeiros, Marcio José; de Souza Gestinari, Raquel; da Silva de Alvarenga, Alessandra; Pozzobon, Allan Pierre Bonetti; Silva, Carina Azevedo Oliveira; das Graças dos Santos, Daniele; Silvestre, Diego Henrique; de Sousa, Graziele Fonseca; de Almeida, Janimayri Forastieri; da Silva, Jhenifer Nascimento; Brandão, Layza Mendes; de Oliveira Drummond, Leandro; Neto, Lupis Ribeiro Gomes; de Mello Carpes, Raphael; dos Santos, Renata Coutinho; Portal, Taynan Motta; Tanuri, Amilcar; Nunes-da-Fonseca, Rodrigo

The Brazilian strategy to overcome the spread of COVID-19 has been particularly criticized due to the lack of a national coordinating effort and an appropriate testing program. Here, a successful approach to control the spread of COVID-19 transmission is described by the engagement of public (university and governance) and private sectors (hospitals and oil companies) in Macaé, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a city known as the National Oil Capital. In 2020 between the 17th and 38th epidemiological week, over two percent of the 206,728 citizens were subjected to symptom analysis and RT-qPCR testing by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, with positive individuals being notified up to 48 h after swab collection. Geocodification and spatial cluster analysis were used to limit COVID-19 spreading in Macaé. Within the first semester after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Brazil, Macaé recorded 1.8% of fatalities associated with COVID-19 up to the 38th epidemiological week, which was at least five times lower than the state capital (10.6%). Overall, considering the successful experience of this joint effort of private and public engagement in Macaé, our data suggest that the development of a similar strategy countrywise could have contributed to a better control of the COVID-19 spread in Brazil. Quarantine decree by the local administration, comprehensive molecular testing coupled to scientific analysis of COVID-19 spreading, prevented the catastrophic consequences of the pandemic as seen in other populous cities within the state of Rio de Janeiro and elsewhere in Brazil.