Introduction: In the face of the new health emergency due to SARS-COV-2, the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) Spanish acronym, implements the Institutional Strategic Plan for Contingency Care due to COVID-19, which defines the modes of action in preparation and response in the presence and sustained SARS-COV-2 disease transmission cases Data envelopment analysis makes it possible to estimate the technical efficiency of service production systems.

Objective: to estimate the technical efficiency of the hospital units of the Eastern Mexico State Regional Decentralized Administrative Operation Body of the IMSS (Spanish acronym) in the response to the SARS-COV-2 health contingency from March 2020 to March 2021.

Methods: The COOPER Methodological Ordering was applied to define the input-oriented BCC model and estimate the hospitals’ technical efficiency in the treatment response of COVID-19 during 1st and 2nd periods of highest incidence. Inputs: Hospitalized and Covid-19 beds. Outputs: improvement/death ratio.

Results: in the study period, 30,656 were hospitalized and 1,324 Covid-19 beds were managed in 10 hospitals. Improvement 15,067; death 15,589 (improvement/death ratio: 0.97). Average technical efficiency: 82%.

Conclusions: 8 of 10 hospitals in technical efficiency. Data envelopment analysis enables health managers to estimate the production capacity of health services and decision-making in the event of a public health emergency.