OBJECTIVE: To describe the profile and temporal variation of hospital admissions and deaths due to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) caused by COVID-19 in Piauí, Brazil, according to place of hospitalization. METHODS: We performed a descriptive study using data from the Influenza Surveillance Information System between 2020 and 2021. Case fatality ratio among hospital records with outcome and respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were calculated. RESULTS: We included 12,649 individuals who were mostly male (57.1%), Black (61.2%) and had one or two comorbidities (30.5%). Case fatality ratio among hospital records with outcome was higher in the state's interior region than in its capital, with proportion of 44.1% (95%CI 42.0;46.3) for those who were hospitalized, 82.3% (95%CI 79.7;84.8) for those admitted to intensive care units and 96.6% (95%CI 94.9;97.8) for those undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation. CONCLUSION: The study enabled characterization of the profile of SARS hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in Piauí and demonstrated high case fatality ratio, among hospital records with outcome, which remained high during the study period, especially in the interior of the state.
Profile of hospital admissions and deaths due to severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by COVID-19 in Piauí, Brazil: a descriptive study, 2020-2021./ Perfil de internações e óbitos hospitalares por síndrome respiratória aguda grave causada por COVID-19 no Piauí: estudo descritivo, 2020-2021