Examining socioeconomic factors to understand the hospital case-fatality rates of COVID-19 in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil

TL;DR

This study investigates how socioeconomic disparities, especially income levels, influence COVID-19 hospital case-fatality rates in Sao Paulo, revealing higher mortality among men, the elderly, and lower-income populations.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the spatial socioeconomic factors affecting COVID-19 HCFRs, emphasizing the role of income in mortality risk adjustment for demographic variables.

Findings

Higher HCFRs observed in men and older adults.

Per capita income negatively correlates with HCFRs.

Socioeconomic inequalities impact COVID-19 mortality rates.

Abstract

Understanding differences in hospital case-fatality rates (HCFRs) of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may help evaluate its severity and the capacity of the healthcare system to reduce mortality. We examined the variability in HCFRs of COVID-19 in relation to spatial inequalities in socioeconomic factors across the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. We found that HCFRs were higher for men and for individuals aged 60 years and older. Our models identified per capita income as a significant factor that is negatively associated with the HCFRs of COVID-19, even after adjusting by age, sex and presence of risk factors.