Epidemiological, structural and spatial scenario of the occurrence of Covid-19 in a health region, in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Introduction: Covid-19 can cause systemic complications, resulting in alarming numbers of deaths globally, overwhelming health systems. Objectives: Characterize the epidemiological profile, the spatial distribution of deaths from Covid-19 and the structural capacity of care services, in a health region in the State of Pará. Materials and methods: Ecological analytical study, based on public clinical-epidemiological data relating to to Covid-19 cases and deaths (period from 2020 to 2023). Descriptive and inferential statistical tests were applied to analyze the data. Results: 71,036 cases of Covid-19 were detected in the region under study, of which 1.2% resulted in death. The spatial distribution showed that Redenção had the highest number of cases per 1,000 inhabitants and was the municipality with the highest death rate (3.5/1,000 inhabitants). The city of Xinguara had the highest fatality rate (1.6%). Furthermore, it was observed that 2.4% of cases occurred in the indigenous population. A positive correlation was noted between the number of deaths/1,000 inhabitants and vaccination coverage (p=0.006). Conclusions: Covid-19 impacted the region under study, especially when compared to other pathologies. Considering the distribution of deaths, the structural capacity of health services in the Araguaia Region may be relevant. This research highlights the need to improve the autonomy of health services in the region, aiming to mitigate losses arising from public health emergencies.