A Rede Genômica Fiocruz é formada por especialistas de todas as unidades da Fundação no país e de institutos parceiros que se empenham diariamente em gerar dados mais robustos sobre o comportamento do SARS-Cov-2 e contribuir para um melhor preparo do país no enfrentamento da pandemia em termos de diagnóstico mais precisos e vacinas eficazes. Saiba mais sobre a Rede Genômica Fiocruz em: http://www.genomahcov.fiocruz.br/Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surveillance, in Brazil, initiated shortly after its description, in China. Our aim was to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and additional pathogens in samples from the initial phase of the outbreak in Brazil, from late February to late March. From 707 samples analysed, 29 (4.1%) were SARS-CoV-2 positive. Fever and cough were their most prevalent symptoms. Co-detection of rhinovirus was observed in 2 (6.9%) cases. Additional pathogens were identified in 66.1% of the SARS-CoV-2 negative cases, mainly rhinovirus and influenza A(H1N1) pdm09. Thus, we emphasise the importance of differential diagnosis in COVID-19 suspected cases.