English

Abstract

BACKGROUND The Covid-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a public health challenge being faced by the world currently. International and national responses to combat the Covid-19 pandemic have been very prompt with the setting up of dedicated Covid-19 hospitals. In the state of Odisha, situated in the eastern part of India, Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), set up the first dedicated Covid hospital of the state. This study intends to chronicle the clinical profile, radiological presentations, laboratory findings, and clinical outcome of patients admitted to the KIMS Covid hospital. METHODS A retrospective analysis of the clinical and laboratory data of patients admitted with Covid-19 diagnosis at the dedicated Covid-19 hospital from 5th April 2020 to 4th June 2020 was done. RESULTS A total number of 272 Covid-19 cases were included in this study. Majority of the patients were males (83.57 %) and most of the patients (79.04 %) were asymptomatic. The mortality rate was 1.9 %. Fever (18.38 %), cough (17.27 %), dyspnoea (16.91 %) and myalgia (14.7 %) were the major symptoms observed. Severity was mild in 78.94 % cases. Delayed viral clearance was seen in 13 % cases. The typical features of novel SARS-CoV-2 infection was seen in 12 - 13 % cases in computed tomography (CT) images of thorax. c-reactive protein (CRP) was raised as a biomarker of inflammation. Of the 5 deaths encountered, 2 had diabetes mellitus, 2 were hypertensive and 1 had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). CONCLUSIONS Covid-19 may have a delayed viral clearance beyond two weeks. A discordance between CT images and the clinical condition may also be observed. Diabetes, hypertension, and high blood CRP levels were significantly associated with mortality. KEYWORDS Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, Clinical Profile, Radiological Findings, Comorbidities, Fatality