ABSTRACT
Introduction: As of 29 July 2022, SARS-CoV-2 has infected 4.7 million Malaysians. Reinfection, defined as a new infection 90 days from initial infection is now rising due to the emergence of new variants. Studies have shown that healthcare workers (HCW) are 3.4 times more likely to test positive for COVID-19. This study aims to describe the reinfection rate of COVID-19 and protection effectiveness (PE) from past infection among HCWs in public hospitals in Malaysia. Method(s): A prospective cohort study was conducted from March 2021. HCWs were followed up to determine the post BNT162b2 vaccination humoral response to SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, participants were prompted to self-report a positive COVID-19 result. Reinfection rates were calculated using the total number of patients who had a prior infection as denominator. Infection rates were analysed at a predetermined period throughout our follow-up. Protection offered by prior infection was calculated as one minus the ratio of infection rate for COVID-19 positive patients and COVID-19 naive patients (1 - RR x 100%). Result(s): In this cohort, the cumulative incidence rate for SARS-CoV-2 is 44.6% (246/551). Reinfection rate is 6.5% (16/246). The PE at 3 and 6 months were 100% respectively while the PE at 9 and 12 months were 72.1% and 56.2%. Conclusion(s): Past infection offers 100% protection against reinfection up to 6 months but this protection steadily declines with the emergence of Omicron variant, even among vaccinated and boosted individuals. As variant-specific vaccines are still in development, reducing exposure and compliance to COVID-19 prevention guidelines are imperative to avoid infection.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: COVID-19 was the most feared infectious disease in the last few years which caused a high number of mortalities. Hospital Sungai Buloh was the main COVID-19 referral centre since the pandemic started. A large database of COVID-19 patients was available for this study and used to describe the rate of mortality among patients who were 40 years and above;who were admitted to Hospital Sungai Buloh during periods of Delta and Omicron predominance. Material(s) and Method(s): Medical records of COVID-19 patients who were admitted in Hospital Sungai Buloh during the period of Delta and Omicron predominance were reviewed retrospectively and analyzed. Result(s): Patient mortality during the period of Delta predominance from May-July 2021 (755 patients) was higher com[pared to the period of Omicron predominance from January-April 2022 (180 cases). Majority of the deceased patients were male (59.1%). Conclusion(s): This descriptive study serves as a baseline research for more studies in future using the same dataset. More data cleaning is required to produce more results.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, numerous variants of SARS-CoV-2 have emerged that have been found to differ in transmissibility and severity. Assessments of the severity of the SARS-CoV-2 delta and omicron variant are vital to evaluate the public health influence related to its rapid global dissemination. Material(s) and Method(s): Medical records of COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized in Hospital Sungai Buloh during the period of Delta and Omicron predominance were reviewed retrospectively and analyzed. Result(s): Delta wave was studied between May 2021 and July 2021, among the 5815 individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection, the highest number of cases were seen in May which was 2410 (41.4%) cases followed by 1762 (30.3%) in June and 1643 (28.2%) cases in July. Individuals were vaccinated, and vaccination was associated with a lower risk of hospitalization compared with cases with no doses or only one dose of vaccine. Compared with delta infection, omicron infection was lesser. The Omicron wave was studied between January 2022 and March 2022. Among the 2820 individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection, the highest number of cases were seen in March which was 1173 (41.5%), followed by 985 (34.9%) cases in February and 662 (23.4%) cases in January. The booster vaccine was started to be administered during this period and reduced equally the risk of symptomatic and asymptomatic infection. Conclusion(s): This descriptive study aids as a baseline study for more studies in the future using the same dataset. Laborious data cleaning is currently in the process to produce more forceful and steadfast results.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Hospital Sungai Buloh is the main COVID-19 referral centre since the pandemic started. Having a large database of COVID-19 patients, this study describes the demographic characteristics of patients who were admitted to Hospital Sungai Buloh during periods of Delta and Omicron predominance. Material(s) and Method(s): Medical records of COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized in Hospital Sungai Buloh during the period of Delta and Omicron predominance were reviewed retrospectively and analyzed. Result(s): Patient admissions during the period of Delta predominance from May-July 2021 (5815 patients) are higher than during the period of Omicron predominance from January-April 2022 (3144 subjects). Among 8959 COVID-19 patients, 55.6% of them were in the age group 60-79 years old (4977 patients). Majority were male (50.7%), Malaysian (98.5%) and diagnosed as Category 4 COVID-19 upon admission (48.6%). A total of 935 (10.4%) patients died during hospitalisation. Conclusion(s): This descriptive study serves as a baseline research for more studies in future using the same dataset. Rigorous data cleaning is currently being performed to produce more robust and reliable results.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 outbreak continues to evolve with the number of cases increasing in Malaysia, placing a significant burden on general practitioners (GPs) to assess and manage suspected cases. GPs must be well equipped with knowledge to set up their clinics, use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) appropriately, adopt standard protocols on triaging and referrals, as well as educate patients about PPE. The correct use of PPE will help GPs balance between personal safety and appropriate levels of public concern.