Evaluation of demographic and clinical characteristics of healthcare professionals with COVID-19 in Northwest Syria Region

ABSTRACT

Objective: In our study, we aimed to investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of healthcare workers with COVID-19 in Northwest Syria during the pandemic, which is a vulnerable area in terms of public health. Methods: In this study, the demographic and clinical characteristics of the healthcare workers who had COVID-19 infection and applied to the ACU (Assistance Coordination Unit) laboratories that were supported by the World Health Organization in the Northwestern Syria Region were retrospectively 40 investigated. Results: F2596 healthcare workers were included into the study. 38.5% (n=1000) of the participants were female and 61.5% (n=1596) were male. The average age of the participants was 33.4∓8.9. According to the profession, the majority of them were nurses (n=1037). In addition, among all, there were 380 (14.6%) doctors, 335 (12.9%) community health workers and 196 (7.6%) cleaners. In Northwest Syria, 953 health workers from Aleppo Region and 1643 from Idlib Region were included in our study. COVID-19 infected healthcare workers were identified as 277 people in Azez, 214 people in Al Bab and 206 people in Afrin located in the Aleppo Region;770 people in Idlib center and 675 people in Harim ocated in the Idlib Region. Among those included in the study, 275 (10.6%) were asymptomatic and 2321 (89.4%) were symptomatic. Most of them (n=2235, 86.1%) had mild symptoms. The most common symptoms were fever (n=1702, 65.6%), dry cough (n=1435, 55.5%) and fatigue (n = 1230, 47.4%). Conclusion: In our study, we have presented a cross-sectional analysis of almost all COVID-19 infected healthcare workers in northwest Syria in the second half of 2020. In the light of the data of our study, in Northwest Syria, where the internal turmoil continues;insufficient physical conditions of the places where the healthcare services are provided, uncontrolled movement of the crowded population, the failure to comply with isolation measures and the insufficient number of healthcare workers may have paved the way for the high infection rate among the healthcare workers. Among the limitations of our study, we can mention the fact that the diagnosis of COVID-19 infection was evaluated according to the results of the PCR test, but the data of the employees with COVID-19 positive findings in lung CT scans are not available in the digital database. © 2021. All rights reserved