Variation in the epidemiological indicators of COVID-19 a part of the emergency policies adopted in south american countries

Abstract

Objective: To determine the variation of the epidemiological indicators of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) based on the public health emergency policies adopted by the South American countries. Material and methods: Ecological study where information is collected from 12 South American countries regarding the number of total cases per day, number of new cases, growth rate and case fatality rate with respect to COVID-19, until March 28, 2020. The emergency policies affected by the states were registered, which was verified by the residents of the affected countries. The data was stored in an Excel database and analysed in the STATA software. Results: The first countries to adopt emergency policies in South America adopted it when not many days have passed since the first confirmed case of COVID-19. Likewise, those countries that adopted measures in less than 11 days adopted a lower coefficient of growth of total cases and a lower-case fatality rate. Finally, the average growth rate in South America showed a considerable decrease during the first week, and then remained slightly constant until the selected date. Conclusion: The countries that adopted emergency policies 11 days or more from the first case of COVID-19 were those that presented a coefficient of growth of total cases and a higher case fatality rate. The growth of cases in South America has decreased since the first cases were registered.