Indian Journal of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (Jan 2020)
The epidemiological and trending pattern of nCOVID-19 in the state of Rajasthan, India
Abstract
PURPOSE: The present study was undertaken to investigate the behavioral distribution pattern and progression of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across age and gender in the state of Rajasthan, India, inherently distinctive and native to localized part of the globe giving requisite information and paraphernalia to designate advisory board of the state to design and frame customized policy for demands of the state as per the trending pattern relative to age and sex distribution, profile of new infected cases, recovery rate, and case fatality rate. METHODS: The present ongoing study assessed patients admitted till April 22, 2020, across the state of Rajasthan, India, with reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed COVID-19 test. Analyses of the patients included characteristic age and gender distribution through the geographic identities of state along with the time trending pattern of newly infected patients, recovered patients, and case fatality rate. RESULTS: A total of 1888 sample patient population of RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 was evaluated, with the majority of sample patient population being in young adult age group with a mean age of 34.42 years. Nearly 11.65% of the patients were below 15 years of age, 34.79% were in the age range of 16–30 years, 25.90% were in the age group of 31–45 years, and 17.69% were in the age group of 46–60 years, with only 9.95% of the patient population being in the age group of above 60 years. Interestingly, 11.65% of patients with COVID-19 were in the pediatric age group. The percent of affected females (37.35%) was much less than that compared to males (62.65%), with an average sex ratio of 0.59. Across the sample patient population of 1888, 543 patients recovered fully, 25 patients died, and 1320 cases were active in the said time frame, with an average recovery rate of 28.76% and a case fatality rate of 1.32%, and the remaining 69.91% of the patient population made up the active case group. The timeline and the trending pattern of COVID-19 in the state of Rajasthan was suggestive of an increasing rise of number of new cases with antecedent mortality, though a reassuring concomitant rise in the recovery rate of patients could also be appreciated. The infective COVID-19 dictum of spread through contact could very well be appreciated in select geographic hotspots and/or zones, and 108 sample patient population was from out of Rajasthan. CONCLUSION: It was interesting to observe that majority of the resident population of the state of Rajasthan that was COVID-19 positive was in the young adult age group of 30–50 years inclusive of pediatric patients, an observation that is different from reports as documented from across the world. Male population seemed to be more prone to infection. The time frame in which the evaluation was done is suggestive of an increasing trend in the number of new cases with antecedent case fatality, though recovery was also on the rise indicative of a potential decreasing load. The geographic mapping of COVID-19 patients could be established through contact tracing.
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