LAUSR

Objective The aim of this work is to determine whether variables such as health expenditure, total number of physicians, available beds or restrictive public health policies are determinants of the number of deaths due to Covid-19 in European Union (EU) countries. Study design Statistical study. Evaluation of variables associated with Covid-19 mortality in the EU. Methods The association of these variables is analyzed by means of multiple regression. Three groups of countries are distinguished according to the percentage of population over 65 years of age (terciles), to determine whether the variables affect the mortality rate according to the concentration of adult population. Results In the first tercile, a higher number of physicians will contribute to lower mortality rates. In countries in the second tercile, the number of physicians is not relevant, but healthcare expenditure or the number of beds is. In the older age group, neither variable is significant. Conclusions The recruitment of more physicians may contribute to a reduction in deaths in countries with a lower proportion of adult population.