Signs, symptoms and comorbidities of COVID-19 infection in informal workers in Medellin, Colombia, 2021.

Introduction: Despite numerous studies on COVID-19, there is still limited evidence regarding its behavior in subsistence workers. Objectives: To describe how sociodemographic conditions, signs, symptoms, and comorbidities are related to COVID-19 infection among informal workers in Medellin, Colombia, in 2021. Methods: This cross-sectional study used primary data obtained from a broader project. A total of 656 workers were recruited through snowball sampling. The study assessed sociodemographic variables, infection characteristics, signs, symptoms, and comorbidities. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed. Results: The prevalence of COVID-19 diagnosis was significantly higher (p < 0.05) among individuals who had contact with a probable or confirmed case, underwent testing due to contact with a confirmed case, had a coworker or family member with COVID-19, had contact with an infected family member and who did not receive medical care. The presence of fever, dry cough, dyspnea, myalgia, nausea and/or vomiting, abdominal pain, ageusia/dysgeusia, anosmia, consultation for infection symptoms, COVID-19 testing, and previous diagnosis of diabetes were also associated with COVID-19. Contact with an infected family member and who did not receive medical care, as well as consultation for infection symptoms also explained a higher rate of COVID-19 diagnosis. Conclusions: During the pandemic, confinement and cohabitation conditions may have facilitated the spread of infection, increasing the socio-labor and environmental vulnerability of the working population under study.