Social Approach to the Epidemiological Characterization of COVID-19 Cases in the Tumbes Region, 2022

The aim of the study was to analyse the epidemiological characteristics of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Tumbes region between March 2020 and December 2022. Method: An ecological design with a descriptive approach was used for the study population, which consisted of 51,421 confirmed cases of COVID-19 registered as confirmed cases of COVID-19 residing in the provinces of Contralmirante Villar, Tumbes, and Zarumilla in the department of Tumbes. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported in SISOVID by the Ministry of Health and the registry of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in all age groups were recorded. The sociodemographic data collected was supplemented with information available on the web platform of the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI). The data were organised into databases, georeferenced and analysed using software such as RStudio, applying epidemiological indicators (incidence, prevalence, mortality and lethality). The spatial and epidemiological data were organised and analysed in a database prepared in Microsoft Excel, in order to consolidate the information through data filtering and organisation. Results: Among the main findings, a decrease in incidence was observed between 2021 (7,840/100,000 inhabitants) and 2022 (5,721/100,000 inhabitants), although prevalence increased from 15% to 20%. The mortality rate fell significantly from 2.57 per 1,000 inhabitants in 2021 to 0.33 in 2022. The highest fatality rates were concentrated among people over 60 years of age with comorbidities, especially men. Conclusion: The pandemic was unevenly distributed, affecting adults between 30 and 59 years of age, populations with pre- existing conditions, and densely populated urban areas the most. Spatial analysis made it possible to identify critical areas for improving the health response. It is recommended to strengthen epidemiological surveillance, improve access to health services in densely populated areas, and prioritise care for vulnerable groups such as older adults and indigenous peoples.