Abstract
Objective: To identify the association of risk factors for COVID-19 with vulnerability in elderly people living in long-term care facilities. Methods: This is a descriptive, exploratory study, with a quantitative approach, carried out in eight LTCFs in the metropolitan region of Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Elderly people aged 60 years or over, able to participate in the study were included. In order to obtain the data, the identification protocol for vulnerable elderly people used in the Health Record of the Elderly was used. For analysis, SPSS software version 21.0 was used and Pearson's Chi-square and Chance Ratio tests were applied. Results: It was found that there was an association of the number of vulnerability items (up to 3 items) in the elderly who presented up to 3 risk factors for COVID-19 (p = 0.008), with a odds ratio of 2.2. Conclusion: The predominance of risk factors for COVID-19 indicates greater vulnerability to the evolution of the severe form of CO-VID-19, associated with a higher risk of mortality, which evidences the need for monitoring the health of the elderly.