Características iniciales de las políticas de control de la pandemia de Covid-19 en América Latina

Introduction: The Covid-19 pandemic has forced every country in the world to design and implement control policies in a very short time. Identifying the characteristics of these policies is fundamental to achieving control and managing the effects of the pandemic on the health systems of Latin America, a region that has been especially affected in terms of both incidence and mortality. Objective: To characterize the policies implemented by Latin American countries for the control of the Covid-19 pandemic, especially in aspects related to the preparation and implementation phases. Methods: Analysis of the "Government Response Stringency Index (GRSI)" developed at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, in 19 Latin American countries. Results: Eight countries in the region were identified that implemented control policies in the first stage of the pandemic, between 35 and 56 days before the registration of the first case of Covid-19. The average value of the GRSI from the registration of the first case until May 17, 2020, allowed the classification of the countries into three groups according to the stringency of the policies: low, intermediate, and high. Discussion: By relating the GRSI to the evolution of the pandemic, it was possible to see that the countries that had achieved control at the time of the analysis (Costa Rica and Uruguay) had implemented policies of intermediate stringency. Conclusion: The effects of control policies are related to the structural conditions of the region's health systems.