A retrospective study on epidemiological and clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in Baluchistan (Pakistan) and its future perspectives

Abstract

Background: The rise of a viral respiratory sickness was recognized in China and later known as COVID-19. The current study reports the epidemiological and clinical attributes of COVID-19 in Baluchistan. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological parameters and route of transmission of COVID-19 positivity that will help the health department develop future strategies to handle deadly pandemics. Methodology: This study was performed by gathering information from patients with their socioeconomics, epidemiological status, history of comorbidity, and clinical signs of the disease. The data was collected from the COVID-19 dashboard. A correlation test was applied to evaluate the connection between clinical pathological parameters. Results: A sum of 3999 clinical records was analyzed. Total 70.8% of patients were positive, and 29.2% were negative. The most affected group was aged 22-42, however, disease severity increased with age. Most positive patients had a high fever, severe cough, sore throat, body ache, shortness of breath and comorbidity on clinical pathological grounds. The earliest reported cases of the infection were connected to travelers returning to Pakistan from Iran. The spread among men was higher as compared to women. Conclusion: This report will display a linkage between the studies of disease transmission and clinical features which thus can be helpful to forestall the local transmission of similar infections in future. The epidemiological literature on this topic from Baluchistan is scarce.