The COVID-19 pandemic and the nursing sector in Argentine Northwest. Incidences and particularities in Jujuy province

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed in Argentina the centrality of the nursing sector´s work. This activity acquired greater visibility and underwent a series of changes in the fight against a virus that exhibited different modalities and mortality rates in Argentina's extensive territory. This article analyzes the incidences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nursing sector in Jujuy province. We highlight its effects on the professional work and domestic lives of nurses, which are generally similar throughout the country, and also emphasize the sector's local specificities experienced during the pandemic. The study focuses on the temporality of the disease, the characteristics of the health system, the training institutions, and the way the main demands of the nursing sector were expressed in Jujuy. From this perspective, we highlight the effects of the pandemic on the nursing sector in Jujuy province, located in the Argentina northwest, where the COVID-19 pandemic practically collapsed the health system.