Introduction:

SARS-CoV-2 infection has in, most cases, a mild course, although acute respiratory distress syndrome is associated with higher mortality.

Objective:

To determine overall mortality in hospitalized or intensive care unit (ICU)-admitted COVID-19 patients.

Methods:

Inferential analysis from a database of the General Directorate of Epidemiology of Mexico. SARS-CoV-2-positive patients, hospitalized within the January 2020-December 2021 period, were included. General characteristics were described and a binary regression model was created to determine associations with mortality.

Results:

116,446 patients who required hospital admission were identified. Overall mortality was 44%; in-hospital mortality, 33%; and ICU mortality, 33%. Mortality of patients with mechanical ventilation and hospital admission was 87%, and with ICU admission, 75%. In the public sector, hospital admissions at the Mexican Institute of Social Security and the Ministry of Health predominated, with OR = 2.24 (p = 0.004) and OR = 2.55 (p = 0.001), respectively, for mortality.

Conclusion:

Mortality was higher in the public sector, and this could be due to the overcrowding of services, which determined a scarcity of resources.