Rapid scientific communication in times of pandemic

The research aimed to analyze the online attention received by preprints about covid-19 shared on Twitter between the years 2020 to September 2021. Literature review, document research, content analysis and altmetric analysis procedures were used. The preprints were retrieved from the Dimensions database and classified by thematic categories, with eight being classified in the Clinical Studies category, three in the Others category, 14 in the Prevention category, six in the Transmission category, five in the Treatment – ​​Drugs category and four in the Variants category. 100,968 tweets were registered in the Clinical Studies category, 56,361 in the Others category, 269,347 in the Prevention category, 81,135 in the Transmission category, 61,720 in the Treatment – ​​Drugs category and 57,655 in the Variants category. It was concluded that altmetry has provided a greater understanding of the impact of research on covid-19 and on the debate held in public space about the pandemic and its consequences based on the understanding of online attention directed at these studies.