Skip to main content
Dryad

Brazilian municipal health policies during the COVID-19 pandemic

Data files

Dec 13, 2024 version files 2.65 MB

Abstract

Brazil was one of the countries most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the world considering the number of cases, deaths, and the duration of lockdowns. Between 2020 and 2022, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions (NPIs) were adopted at the municipal level, with 5,568 municipalities and the Federal District taking health-related actions. We present a new dataset revealing the complexity of this situation by reporting data based on thirty-seven surveys taken by mayors between 23 March 2021 and 24 March 2022.

The number of participating municipalities in each survey varied over time. The database indicates in which rounds each municipality participated. The minimum number of participating municipalities was 1,328 (23.8%), while the maximum reached 3,591 (64.49%), showing significant variation. The median was 2,461 (44.19%), and the mean of 2,482 (44.57%) suggests that, in general, municipal participation was close to the median, suggesting the data are representative. Finally, the first quartile was 2,063, and the third quartile was 2,831. The table titled “participation” presents the participation percentages for each of the rounds.

This dataset deals with the need to monitor and share information about fragmented policies designed to tackle health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Quantifying these initiatives and how they varied across municipalities can help us to understand the effectiveness of interventions in reducing virus transmission. We offer information over time on a series of measures to encourage social distancing, implement the vaccination programme, provide infrastructure to treat infected people, and facilitate how local governments would eventually ease these measures. This information can contribute to the institutional learning of health systems worldwide, assisting in future situations where a highly contagious virus challenges society.