DESLOCAMENTO DOS CASOS GRAVES E RECURSOS DE SAÚDE DISPONÍVEIS EM MUNICÍPIOS RURAIS REMOTOS DO AMAZONAS DURANTE A PANDEMIA DE COVID-19

This study analyzed the availability of equipment and human resources and the relocations in cases of Covid-19 hospitalizations in remote rural municipalities in the State of Amazonas, Brazil. An exploratory, retrospective study was conducted, involving literature investigation and secondary data on the structure for Covid-19 care, hospitalizations for severe cases, and transfers to other municipalities during 2021. The data were spatialized in maps, identifying the structure and human resources of remote rural municipalities for facing Covid-19. The results showed that 384 patients hospitalized for Covid-19 were transferred to other municipalities in the year 2021, with 65% of them going to Manaus, even from other health regions. By the end of 2021, the structure of the reference municipalities, except for Manaus, was still not fully prepared to handle severe Covid-19 cases. The findings reveal limitations in the equity of health resource distribution in Amazonas and the strategies adopted, highlighting the need for improvements in health service responses in emergencies.