Deaths due to COVID-19 in a state of northeastern Brazil: spatiotemporal distribution, sociodemographic and clinical and operational characteristics

• Published in: Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Vol. 116; no. 2; pp. 163 - 172
• Main Authors: da Silva, Weslei Melo, Brito, Paula dos Santos, de Sousa, Giana Gislanne da Silva, Santos, Livia Fernanda Siqueira, da Silva, Janiel Conceição, Costa, Ana Cristina Pereira de Jesus, Pascoal, Livia Maia, Santos, Floriacy Stabnow, Graepp Fontoura, Iolanda, Lobato, Jaisane Santos Melo, Fontoura, Volmar Morais, Pereira, Ana Lucia Fernandes, dos Santos, Leonardo Hunaldo, Santos Neto, Marcelino
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Oxford University Press 01-02-2022
• Subjects: Aged; Brazil - epidemiology; Cities; COVID-19; Humans; Male; Original; SARS-CoV-2; Spatio-Temporal Analysis; Brazil; Cities; COVID-19; mortality; epidemiology; spatiotemporal analysis; coronavirus infections
• ISSN: 0035-9203; 1878-3503
• DOI: 10.1093/trstmh/trab098

Abstract
Background
The detection of spatiotemporal clusters of deaths by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is essential for health systems and services, as it contributes to the allocation of resources and helps in effective decision making aimed at disease control and surveillance. Thus we aim to analyse the spatiotemporal distribution and describe sociodemographic and clinical and operational characteristics of COVID-19-related deaths in a Brazilian state.
Methods
A descriptive and ecological study was carried out in the state of Maranhão. The study population consisted of deaths by COVID-19 in the period from 29 March to 31 July 2020. The detection of spatiotemporal clusters was performed by spatiotemporal scan analysis.
Results
A total of 3001 deaths were analysed with an average age of 69 y, predominantly in males, of brown ethnicity, with arterial hypertension and diabetes, diagnosed mainly by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in public laboratories. The crude mortality rates the municipalities ranged from 0.00 to 102.24 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants and three spatiotemporal clusters of high relative risk were detected, with a mortality rate ranging from 20.25 to 91.49 deaths per 100 000 inhabitants per month. The headquarters was the metropolitan region of São Luís and municipalities with better socio-economic and health development.
Conclusions
The heterogeneous spatiotemporal distribution and the sociodemographic and clinical and operational characteristics of deaths by COVID-19 point to the need for interventions.