Economic burden due to COVID-19 in a Colombian Caribbean state, 2020 and 2021

• Main Authors: Fernando Salcedo-Mejía (Author), Lina Moyano-Tamara (Author), Josefina Zakzuk (Author), Ana Milena Lozano (Author), Héctor Serrano-Coll (Author), Bertha Gastelbondo (Author), Salim Mattar Velilla (Author), Nelson Rafael Alvis Zakzuk (Author), Nelson J. Alvis-Zakzuk (Author), Nelson Alvis Guzmán (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Ministério da Saúde do Brasil, 2024-07-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Abstract Objective: To estimate the economic burden associated with COVID-19 in Córdoba, Colombia, 2020 and 2021. Methods: Economic burden study. Direct costs were analyzed from the third-party payer perspective using healthcare administrative databases and interviews from a cohort of confirmed COVID-19 cases from Córdoba. Costing aggregation was performed by the bottom-up method. Indirect costs were estimated using the productivity loss approach. Contrast tests and statistical models were estimated at 5% significance. Results: We studied 1,800 COVID-19 cases. The average economic cost of COVID-19 per episode was estimated at US$ 2,519 (95%CI 1,980;3,047). The direct medical cost component accounted for 92.9% of the total; out-of-pocket and indirect costs accounted for 2% and 5.1%, respectively. Conclusion: COVID-19 economic cost was mainly due to direct medical costs. This study provided evidence of the economic burden faced by households due to COVID-19, with the most vulnerable households bearing much of the burden on their income.

Item Description

2237-9622
10.1590/s2237-96222024v33e2023830.en