A SOCIAL MEDIA-BASED SURVEY AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS TO EVALUATE THE INCIDENCE OF COVID19-LIKE PNEUMONIA FROM NOVEMBER 2019 IN INDIA

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has been responsible for over 500,000 deaths and 12 million infections as of July 2020. Though the number of cases in India is growing, the rate of rise rising in infections and the relative mortality rate has been lower than predicted. While many hypotheses have been laid out as possible reasons, a few physicians noticed a significant peak in COVID19-like respiratory infections through November – January 2020, and. They attributed this as the reason behind the lower mortality rate as a result of some kind of pre-existing immunity to the virus. A social media survey instrument was used to gather inputs from doctors and other individuals in the healthcare industry to understand the volume of doctors who noticed rising COVID19-like viral URTI cases during November – January 2020. The survey specifically asked about symptoms associated with coronavirus infections and about any rise in cases noted by treating physicians. 174 individuals answered the survey (46% treating physicians and 54% other healthcare professionals). The survey covered 41 cities in India and reported a growth of cases from before November 2019 to a peak in January 2020. Physicians surveyed, reported a rise in upper respiratory cases up to 50% during that time. 91% of all individuals surveyed had some or all of the symptoms associated with coronavirus infection. These findings may indicate the presence of an earlier strain of coronavirus or similar virus and be a contributing factor to the slower initial spread and lowered mortality noted in India. Further epidemiological studies are needed to draw any definitive conclusions.