Novo coronavírus, velhas desigualdades: distribuição dos casos, óbitos e letalidade por SRAG decorrentes da covid-19 na Cidade do Recife

Abstract

The aim of the study was to reveal how the COVID-19 pandemic spread in the city of Recife, pinpointing the existence of inequalities in the rates of confirmed cases, mortality and lethality of the disease in the different socio-territorial configurations of the city. For the purpose of this study, data from the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) were used, as they were the only ones available on the intra-urban scale. A grouping of the city's neighborhoods was carried out in five strata, considering the percentage of the neighborhood area in precarious settlements using the ArcGis 10.1 software. It was found that the record of cases of SARS in relation to the resident population is higher in the set of neighborhoods with a lower proportion of precarious settlements. Conversely, lethality rate is higher in strata with a higher proportion of precarious settlements. There was also a correspondence between strata, per capita income distribution and the black population. The data reveal an inequality in the impact of the disease on the population of Recife, suggesting that the diagnosis by SARS still seems to be a privilege of part of the population residing in the wealthier areas, while the healing capacity of the populations of precarious settlements is reduced. The results help to understand the uneven impact of the disease in the different territories of the city, where it was observed that, in areas of precarious living conditions, there was less response from the health system.

Keywords

• Covid-19; Poverty Areas; Social Inequality