COVID-19 outbreaks at shelters for women victims of gender-based violence from Ecuador

Vallejo-Janeta, Alexander Paolo; Morales-Jadan, Diana; Freire-Paspuel, Byron; Lozada, Tannya; Cherrez-Bohorquez, Cesar; Garcia-Bereguiain, Miguel Angel

BACKGROUND: Limited testing capacity was one of the constraints to contain the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in Ecuador, specially in risk populations such as people living in humanitarian shelters. OBJECTIVE: "United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees" office in Ecuador in collaboration with "Universidad de Las Américas", performed a surveillance screening at shelters for women victims of gender violence granting access to RT-qPCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis since July 2020, few weeks after the general population lockdown was lifted. RESULTS: From 411 people tested, 52 tests were SARS-CoV-2 positive, yielding an overall high attack rate of 12.65%. Moreover, COVID-19 outbreaks were found in 9 out of 11 shelters included on the study. While attacks rates vary among shelters, no association was found with occupancy. CONCLUSION: This study is key to clarify the epidemiological situation in this highly vulnerable population in Latin America, and remark the importance of massive testing beyond symptomatic population to prevent the spread of COVID-19.