Epidemiological and Clinical Features of SARS-CoV-2: A Retrospective Study from East Karachi, Pakistan

Tahir, Shumaila; Tahir, Syeda Anjala; Bin Arif, Taha; Majid, Bushra; Majid, Zainab; Malik, Farheen; Ahmed, Ashfaque; Memon, Arslan; Ahmed, Jawad

Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread to almost every country on the globe, and each country is reporting the symptomatic presentation of their patients to give better insight into the various clinical presentations of SARS-CoV-2. However, the epidemiological literature from Pakistan is scanty. Methods We retrospectively analyzed data from 412 patients who were residents of East Karachi and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 between February 26 to April 24, 2020. Patients' demographics, symptoms, travel and contact history, and outcomes were recorded. All statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, IBM Corp, Armonk, NY). Results Most of the patients were male (64.6%), the majority (43.3%) belonging to the 21- to 40-year age group. Most of the patients (65.5%) were residents of Gulshan Iqbal. A total of 15.8% of the patients were admitted to the hospital, and 3.9% of patients expired. The three most common presenting symptoms were fever (74.8%), cough (60.4%), and flu (35.5%). The majority of patients (89.3%) gave a history of contact with SARS-CoV-2 patients. Conclusion The number of SARS-CoV-2 cases is rapidly increasing in Karachi, Pakistan. There is a need to educate the population about the most common sign and symptoms of the virus so that individuals can identify these symptoms and get themselves tested. The concerned authorities should devise an adequate and effective plan to flatten the infectivity curve.