Prevalence of COVID-19 in Densely Populated Areas in Zahedan, Iran, 2020

Abstract

Introduction and purpose: The epidemiological identification of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) helps health policymakers to make appropriate decisions, which in return, contributes to controlling the epidemic. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of this disease in areas of high population density in Zahedan, southeastern Iran. Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study (descriptive-analytical) was performed on 230 people working and living in densely populated areas of Zahedan from May to June 2020. Data were collected based on a researcher-made questionnaire and the results of the RT-PCR test using throat and nasal swabs from the upper respiratory tract. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS-v16 software. Results: Based on the results, out of 230 participants in the study, 186 (80.9%) were male and 44 (19.1%) were female. The mean age of the subjects was obtained at 36.36 12±12.36 years. Less than 50% of people used personal protective equipment (e.g., masks, gloves, disinfectant solution). The prevalence of COVID-19 was 4.3% in this study and had a statistically significant relationship with such symptoms as fever and chills, headache, nausea, exhaustion, and loss of sense of smell (P<0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of the disease was not high in these areas, and because the disease is highly contagious, health politicians must take special decisions and measures to prevent its spread.

Keywords

• covid-19
• densely populated areas
• prevalence
• zahedan