Avaliação das intervenções de enfrentamento à covid-19 no estado do Ceará: uma abordagem da avaliação de impacto à saúde

Abstract

Coronaviruses (CoVs) are viruses that infect mainly birds and mammals, capable of infecting mammals more easily and, therefore, can cause infection in humans, which mainly affects the upper respiratory tract. However, CoVs can also compromise the lower respiratory tract, with progression to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). (GUO et al., 2020). In Ceará, even without the support of the Federal Government, the Secretary of Health of the State (SESA) adopted several coping measures and presented different behaviors of the virus in the population during the pandemic period with peaks of contamination and deaths, which resulted in adjustments in the tireless measures and attempts to contain the virus. In this way, the objective was to evaluate the interventions to face COVID-19 in the municipalities of the State of Ceará, based on the Health Impact Assessment (AIS) approach. This is an evaluative research under a quantitative and qualitative approach to be carried out in municipalities in the state of Ceará. For this, the following inclusion criteria were adopted: municipalities that had positive cases and deaths from COVID-19 and presented interventions through a Contingency Plan or official documents about measures to combat the disease. In this sense, when applying the criteria, all municipalities were included. Quantitative data were grouped into a database, using the Microsoft Office Excel 2010 application. Qualitative data were analyzed using Minayo's Thematic Analysis (2008) and with the aid of a specific analysis instrument for categorization of interventions and actions adopted in two contingency plans published in February and December 2020 by Ceará. The research was carried out in accordance with Resolution no 466/2012 of the National Health Council and received a favorable opinion from the Research Ethics Committee of the State University Vale do Acaraú, under Opinion number: 5.131.907. Ceará had a total of 350,539 confirmed cases, with a peak in May, with 69,594 cases, maintaining a decline until October, with 20,606 cases. Still, Ceará had a total of 11,022 deaths, with a peak also in the month of May, with 4,262 deaths, maintaining a decline until November, with 309 deaths, increasing again in December From the analysis of epidemiological data combined with the analyzes contingency plans, it was possible to determine some impacts on the health of the population of Ceará, such as the increase in beds, mechanical ventilators, expansion of SAMU ambulances and UPAs, in addition to the use of new technologies and professional training. In this sense, it is concluded that the interventions evidenced by the study resulted in positive impacts to the state and its population, in view of the perceived evolution both in interventions through decision-making and in the results of its actions.