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Volume 22
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10.3390/ijerph22050669
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Review

COVID-19 Disease and Economic Burden to Healthcare Systems in Adults in Six Latin American Countries Before Nationwide Vaccination Program: Ministry of Health Database Assessment and Literature Review

by
Natalia Espinola
1,*,
Cecilia I. Loudet
1,
Rosario Luxardo
1,
Carolina Moreno
1,
Moe H. Kyaw
2,
Julia Spinardi
3,
Carlos Fernando Mendoza
4,
Carolina M. Carballo
5,
Ana Carolina Dantas
5,
Maria Gabriela Abalos
4,
Jamile Ballivian
1,
Emiliano Navarro
1 and
Ariel Bardach
1,6
1
Department of Health Technology Assessment and Health Economics, Institute for Clinical Effectiveness and Health Policy (IECS), Buenos Aires City C1414, Argentina
2
Vaccine, Medical, Pfizer Inc., New York, NY 10001, USA
3
Vaccine, Medical, Emerging Markets, Pfizer Inc., Itapevi 06696-000, Brazil
4
Vaccine HTA, Value and Evidence, Pfizer Inc., Mexico City 05120, Mexico
5
Vaccines, Medical, Pfizer Inc., Buenos Aires City C1437, Argentina
6
Centro de Investigaciones Epidemiológicas y Salud Pública (CIESP-IECS), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires City C1425FQD, Argentina
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22(5), 669; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22050669
Submission received: 27 December 2024 / Revised: 6 March 2025 / Accepted: 28 March 2025 / Published: 24 April 2025
Versions Notes

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic imposed a substantial burden on healthcare systems worldwide, yet reliable data on COVID-19 morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs in Latin America remain limited. This study explored the disease and economic burden of COVID-19 in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru during the pre-vaccination period. Using national databases and a systematic review of the literature, we analyzed data on adults aged 18 and older, reporting cases, death rates, years of life lost, excess mortality, and direct medical costs. Before vaccination programs began, the average COVID-19 incidence rate was 6741 per 100,000 adults. Of these, 91% were mild cases, 7% moderate/severe, and 2% critical. Among 2,201,816 hospitalizations, 27.8% required intensive care, and 17.5% required mechanical ventilation. Excess mortality ranged from 76 to 557 per 100,000, and years of life lost spanned 241,089 to 3,312,346. Direct medical costs ranged from USD 258 million to USD 10,437 million, representing 2–5% of national health expenditures. The findings highlight significant variability across countries and provide crucial insights to help policymakers to make informed decisions and allocate resources effectively to improve national strategies around surveillance, preventive and treatment strategies to control the spread of COVID-19 disease in the future.
Keywords: adults; COVID-19; disease burden; economic burden; Latin American adults; COVID-19; disease burden; economic burden; Latin American

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Espinola, N.; Loudet, C.I.; Luxardo, R.; Moreno, C.; Kyaw, M.H.; Spinardi, J.; Mendoza, C.F.; Carballo, C.M.; Dantas, A.C.; Abalos, M.G.; et al. COVID-19 Disease and Economic Burden to Healthcare Systems in Adults in Six Latin American Countries Before Nationwide Vaccination Program: Ministry of Health Database Assessment and Literature Review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2025, 22, 669. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22050669

AMA Style

Espinola N, Loudet CI, Luxardo R, Moreno C, Kyaw MH, Spinardi J, Mendoza CF, Carballo CM, Dantas AC, Abalos MG, et al. COVID-19 Disease and Economic Burden to Healthcare Systems in Adults in Six Latin American Countries Before Nationwide Vaccination Program: Ministry of Health Database Assessment and Literature Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2025; 22(5):669. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22050669

Chicago/Turabian Style

Espinola, Natalia, Cecilia I. Loudet, Rosario Luxardo, Carolina Moreno, Moe H. Kyaw, Julia Spinardi, Carlos Fernando Mendoza, Carolina M. Carballo, Ana Carolina Dantas, Maria Gabriela Abalos, and et al. 2025. "COVID-19 Disease and Economic Burden to Healthcare Systems in Adults in Six Latin American Countries Before Nationwide Vaccination Program: Ministry of Health Database Assessment and Literature Review" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 22, no. 5: 669. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22050669

APA Style

Espinola, N., Loudet, C. I., Luxardo, R., Moreno, C., Kyaw, M. H., Spinardi, J., Mendoza, C. F., Carballo, C. M., Dantas, A. C., Abalos, M. G., Ballivian, J., Navarro, E., & Bardach, A. (2025). COVID-19 Disease and Economic Burden to Healthcare Systems in Adults in Six Latin American Countries Before Nationwide Vaccination Program: Ministry of Health Database Assessment and Literature Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 22(5), 669. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph22050669

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