Consequences of the pandemic caused by the SARS-Cov-2 virus on the lives of Brazilian students in Paraguay, August 2020

Abstract

Lack of effective treatment, vaccine and transmission, the SARS-Cov-2 virus is causing a pandemic never before seen in modern times affecting most of the countries of the world. Several quarantine models have been implemented, which establish limitations on the opening and operation of various types of businesses and educational institutions, including universities. The objective was to describe the effects of the pandemic on the lives of Brazilian university students in Paraguay. It was a mixed descriptive field study using the survey collection technique through the questionnaire through the Google Forms platform, it was disseminated to groups of medical students through the WhatsApp application. The number of participants was 131. The corresponding ethical criteria were adopted. 9.2% of students have already contracted Covid-19, in most cases, students infected with the virus had mild symptoms, such as muscle pain and cough, causing severe symptoms in less than 10% of those infected. The drugs most used by the were azithromycin and ivermectin. 38.9% of the students had relatives with Covid-19 and 6.9% of the survey participants had lost a relative. Most students and their families face financial difficulties. Most students 55.7% agree with online classes. Those who intend to continue the next semester if the classes are online is 69.5%. The results are similar to those reported in international studies that show that few people have severe symptoms and that the number of deaths is similarly proportional. The most worrying data are about the financial difficulties that most students go through, which could limit the completion of their studies.