Relationship between the response of health services and the incidence of COVID-19, Ocotepeque, Honduras

Abstract

Background: The response of health services is of vital importance in the face of the emerging needs of the population, since it can determine the impact of a new infection, such as the COVID-19. Objective: To analyze the response of public health services to the pandemic and determine its relationship with the incidence of COVID-19, Departmental Health Region of Ocotepeque, Honduras, 2020-2021. Methods: Quantitative study, with ecological design. The analysis unit included the 16 municipalities of the Department of Ocotepeque, Honduras. Information on the variables of morbidity and mortality, detection capacity and health infrastructure were obtained from the database of the Regional Health Surveillance Unit. Results: The Departmental Health Region of Ocotepeque presented a cumulative incidence of 199.7 cases of COVID-19 per 10,000 inhabitants during the study period. The laboratory detection capacity presented a strong positive logarithmic correlation with the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 reported in the municipalities (Spearman’s Rho=0.91; p<0.01). Home health care (Spearman’s Rho=0.09; p=0.729) and the availability of their own triage center (p=0.181) were not factors related to the incidence of the disease registered in the municipalities. Discussion: Only laboratory detection capacity showed an ecological correlation with the recorder incidence of COVID-19. Additional research is needed to sustain or redefine the role of home health care and triage centers as detection and containment strategies for pandemic diseases in the context of low- and middle-income countries.