Severe acute respiratory syndrome for COVID-19 by RT-PCR test during its intensifying phase, Gujarat, India

ABSTRACT

Background: The COVID-19 disease is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS CoV-2) originated from Wuhan, China, a pandemic. By knowing different demographic and clinical data, one can have a better idea about the progress and fate of disease, which will help others to plan accordingly to manage patients in terms of decreasing morbidity and mortality caused by it. Aims and Objectives: The study was done to describe the RT-PCR diagnostic profiles of SARS-CoV-2 patients in Gujarat from three districts (Arvalli, Sabarkantha, and Gandhinagar) and their correlation with respect to age, sex, travel history, symptoms, and underlying conditions. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with COVID-19, who were screened for SARS-CoV-2 from April 16 to May 25, 2020, from three districts of Gujarat (Arvalli, Sabarkantha, and Gandhinagar). Positive cases were confirmed by qRT-PCR and analyzed for epidemiological, demographic, and clinical characterization among different groups. Results: Of 4000 suspects screened, a total of 199 patients were confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Among them, middle-aged group (5.4%) and young adult patients (4.3%) were infected with SARS-CoV-2. The median age was 33 years, including 143 males and 56 females. The positivity rate from breathlessness was 8 (28.5%), nasal discharge 2 (25%), and nausea/vomiting 2 (25%) followed by fever 28 (20%) among total cases in respective categories. Among asymptomatic 3536 patients, 146 patients were confirmed for SARS-CoV. Among 256 patients with comorbidities, 14 patients were confirmed for SARS-CoV. Conclusion: Clinical investigation in initial SARS-CoV-2 patients in the western Indian region revealed that young adult male was more susceptible than female. Symptoms such as fever, cough, and sore throat reports are useful for screening the SARS-CoV-2.