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Observational Study
. 2022 Sep 6:67:1604768.
doi: 10.3389/ijph.2022.1604768. eCollection 2022.

Case Fatality Rate of COVID-19 and its Relationship to Sociodemographic Characteristics in Ecuador, 2020

Karla Margarita Flores Sacoto  1   2 , Galo Antonio Sanchez Del Hierro  2   3 , Felipe Gonzalo Moreno-Piedrahita Hernández  2   3 , Jose Xavier Jarrin Estupiñan  2
Affiliations
Observational Study

Case Fatality Rate of COVID-19 and its Relationship to Sociodemographic Characteristics in Ecuador, 2020

Karla Margarita Flores Sacoto et al. Int J Public Health. .

Abstract

Objective: To analyze sociodemographic factors' influence on COVID-19 case fatality rate (CFR) in Ecuador on a subnational level. Methods: Publicly available register-based observational study. A retrospective cohort of COVID-19 infections between epidemiological weeks 8-53 in the Ecuadorian public healthcare system was determined from available records. Statistical analyses were conducted to evaluate CFR trends according to factors such as sex, age, location, and healthcare provider. Results: Overall CFR was 9.4%; by canton, median CFR was 5.2%, with some cantons with much higher rates, like Santa Elena (39.1%). Overall CFR decreased during the period, from 16.6% (week 8) to 2.63% (week 53). Being in a rural area was an independent protective factor. Patients over 65 had a hazard ratio of 11.38 (95% CI [11.05, 11.72]). Sex, ethnicity, and treatment from public facilities were also associated with death risk. Conclusion: CFR is a proxy indicator of COVID-19 impact in Ecuador, and this location-based analysis provides new information on the disease's specific impact subnationally. Overall COVID-19 CFR during the entire period was high, suggesting the need to improve COVID-19 care in Ecuador.

Keywords: COVID-19; Ecuador; SARS-CoV-2; epidemiological model; mortality; socio-demographic factors.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Case selection flowchart from the reported cases, Ecuador.2020.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Timeline of 251,765 COVID-19 related cases stratified by sex and age during epidemiological weeks 8–53, Ecuador. 2020.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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