Socioeconomic conditions and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Canal do Cunha Sub-Basin region, Rio de Janeiro municipality

Abstract

Along COVID-19 pandemics, Rio de Janeiro (MRJ) has figured among the Brazilian cities with the highest mortality rates. In this study, we explored COVID-19 incidence and mortality in areas with a predominance of subnormal population clusters (SNC) in MRJ. We analyzed 36 neighborhoods of Canal do Cunha Sub-basin (CCSB) and the associations between demographic, socioeconomic, and epidemiological features, and the cumulative incidence, mortality, and lethality rates, and Moran's spatial statistics were performed. The incidence rate in CCSB neighborhoods was 621.5/10,000 inhabitants. Complexo do Alemão, Mangueira, and Maré had the highest proportions of cases and deaths. And the lowest incidence (33.6/10,000 inhabitants), mortality (8.3/10,000 inhabitants), but with the highest lethality rate (24.7%) was recorded in Complexo do Alemão. There was a negative correlation between mortality and the proportion of inhabitants in neighborhoods with ASN (rho= -0.433; p=0.023). In spatial statistics, there was an inverse correlation for the incidence (Moran index, -0.155863; p=0.02). It is concluded that incidence and mortality in SNC areas are significantly related to their sociodemographic structures, highlighting the need for a tailored policy-driven to vulnerable territories. Non-pharmacological recommendations and suitable Primary Health Care in slums áreas play a relevant role in reducing viral transmission, mortality, and health inequities.