AEPD Journal

Abstract

The State of Amazonas, North of Brazil, was one of the most affected by COVID-19 pandemic, quickly becoming one of the national epicenters of the sanitary crisis. The aim of this study was to analyze epidemiological aspects of severe acute respiratory syndrome/COVID-19 patients admitted to a public hospital in the triple border region, Brazil, Colombia and Peru, from 2020 to 2022. This is an epidemiological, cross-sectional study, using secondary data from patients who were hospitalized from April 2020 to April 2022 in Tabatinga, Amazon region. The period was divided into the pre-vaccination (April 2020 to March 2021) and during vaccination period (April 2021 to April 2022). There were 538 hospitalizations for COVID-19, of which 57.1% were male, 52.6% mixed-race and 91.1% Brazilian; the median age was 50.5 years. The majority received a clinical-epidemiological diagnosis. In the pre-vaccination period, 32.1% of hospitalizations required Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Orotracheal Intubation (OTI), compared to 5% in the vaccination period (Prevalence Ratio-PR 6.5; 95%CI:3.6-11.8). Lethality rate was 36.7% in the first period, compared to 9.5% when immunization had already started (PR 3.9; 95%CI:2.5- 6.0). After the introduction of vaccines, there was a change in the age profile of hospitalized patients, with a median of 58 years in the pre-vaccination period and 8 years in the vaccination period (p<0.001). Greater severity was observed among non-Brazilian patients, with 35% of them requiring intensive care. In the vaccination period, there was a drop in lethality, the need for ICU admission and the total number of hospitalizations.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; Border Areas; Immunization Programs; COVID-19 Vaccines; Epidemiological studies.