Health system collapse 45 days after the detection of COVID-19 in Ceará, Northeast Brazil: a preliminary analysis.

Introduction: COVID-19 emerged in late 2019 and quickly became a serious public health problem worldwide. This study aim to describe the epidemiological course of cases and deaths due to COVID-19 and their impact on hospital bed occupancy rates in the first 45 days of the epidemic in the state of Ceará, Northeastern Brazil.

Methods: The study used an ecological design with data gathered from multiple government and health care sources.