Distribution of hospital beds and socioeconomic impacts of Covid-19 In functional Region 7, RS, Brazil

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this article is to verify the situation of the distribution of hospitals, the supply of hospital beds and mechanical ventilation in the municipalities of Functional Region 7 (RF-7) of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil) and to infer possible socioeconomic impacts of the new Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) - Coronavirus, known as COVID-19. Methods: Data from DATASUS from May 2020 were used for the availability of hospital access and equipment, IBGE data for age and population distribution. To infer the socioeconomic impacts, the number of coronavirus cases and the number of cases per 100,000 for the date of July 11, 2020 were used as dependent variables and, for covariables, the information from the 2010 Census of the Demography and Health constructs , Education, Housing, Income, Work and Vulnerability. Results: it is evident that many residents depend on travel to the hospital units, as well as in the smaller municipalities, there is a higher percentage of elderly population in relation to the total population. From the estimated regressions, it can be inferred that the socioeconomic factors associated with the spread of the virus tend to affect, more intensely, the Coredes Celeiro and Missões; and that the Education, Housing, Income and Labor dimensions have variables that directly impact the evolution of the pandemic in the region.Conclusions: the health crisis evidenced by the pandemic imposes challenges to public agents, therefore, to cope with it, strategies are needed that take into account the regional capacity of the health system and local socioeconomic differences, factors that may be stimulating the progress of COVID -19