Factors associated with the death of healthcare workers due to COVID-19 in the state of Amapá, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Frontline healthcare workers providing care for COVID-19 are more likely to get infected and die compared with other professionals. Deaths or sick leaves due to COVID-19 can affect the smooth operation of health services in areas with shortage of workers.

Objectives: To analyze factors associated with the death of healthcare workers due to COVID-19 in the state of Amapá, Brazil.

Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study using COVID-19 data from Amapá between March 2020 and January 2021. The association of independent variables (sex, race/color, age group, region of residence, comorbidity) with death was analyzed by logistic regression.

Results: Data from 1,258 workers were analyzed. The majority were women (67.7%; 852/1,258), multiracial (66.9%; 759/1,135), aged between 18 and 64 (98.3%; 1,226/1,247), with no comorbidity (86.6%; 1,090/1,258), from the Macapá metropolitan area (56.7%; 713/1,258). The mortality rate was 1.59%. Factors associated with death were: age group = 65 years (odds ratio = 10.43; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.78-39.11), comorbidity (odds ratio = 4.52; 95%CI = 1.74-11.74), and residence in the Macapá metropolitan area (odds ratio = 4.37; 95%CI = 1.25-15.29).

Conclusions: The recognition of factors that may have caused the death of healthcare workers in Amapá can support the recommendation of protective measures for the most susceptible, such as switching to activities with lower exposure to the virus or teleworking.

Keywords: coronavirus infections; epidemiology; healthcare workers; occupational health; regression analysis.

Figure 1. Flowchart of data analyzed in the study on deaths of healthcare workers due to COVID-19 in Amapá, Brazil, March 2020 to January 2021 (n = 1,258).