Epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 cases among Indians residing in Kuwait
East. Mediterr. health j
; 27(8): 745-754, 2021-08.
Article
in English
| WHOIRIS | ID: gwh-353213
Responsible library:
CH1.1
ABSTRACT
Background:
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has rapidly spread to most countries around the world. Disproportionate spread of COVID-19 among the Indian community in Kuwait prompted heightened surveillance in this community.Aims:
To study the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 patients and their contacts among the Indian community in Kuwait.Methods:
Data collection was done as a part of contact tracing efforts undertaken by the Kuwaiti Ministry of Health.Results:
We analysed contact-tracing data for the initial 1348 laboratory-confirmed Indian patients and 6357 contacts (5681 close and 676 casual). The mean (standard deviation) age of the patients was 39.43 (10.5) years and 76.5% of the cases were asymptomatic or had only mild symptoms. Asymptomatic patients were significantly older [40.05 (10.42) years] than patients with severe symptoms [37.54 (10.54) years] (P = 0.024). About 70% of the patients were living in shared accommodation. Most of the close contacts were living in the same household, as compared with casual contacts, who were primarily workplace contacts (P < 0.001). Among the different occupations, healthcare workers had the highest proportion of cases (18.4%). Among the 216 pairs of cases with a clear relationship between the index and secondary cases, the mean serial interval was estimated to be 3.89 (3.69) days, with a median of 3 and interquartile range of 1–5 days.Conclusion:
An early increase in the number of COVID-19 cases among the Indian community could be primarily attributed to crowded living conditions and the high proportion of healthcare workers in this community.Keywords
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Collection:
Databases of international organizations
Database:
WHOIRIS
Main subject:
Contact Tracing
/
Health Personnel
/
COVID-19
/
India
/
Kuwait
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Journal:
East. Mediterr. health j
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
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