Abstract
BackgroundGlobal cases of COVID-19 continue to rise, causing havoc to several economies. So far, Ghana has recorded 48,643 confirmed cases with 320 associated deaths. Although summaries of data are usually provided by the Ministry of Health, detailed epidemiological profile of cases are limited. This study sought to describe the socio-demographic features, pattern of COVID-19 spread and the viral load dynamics among subjects residing in northern, middle and part of the southern belt of Ghana.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional retrospective study that reviewed records of samples collected from February to July, 2020. Respiratory specimens such as sputum, deep-cough saliva and nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from suspected COVID-19 subjects in 12 regions of Ghana for laboratory analysis and confirmation by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).ResultsA total of 72,434 samples were collected during the review period, with majority of the sampled individuals being females (37,464; 51.9%). The prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 identified in the study population was 13.2% [95%CI: 12.9, 13.4). Males were mostly infected (4,897; 51.5%) compared to females. Individuals between the ages 21–30 years recorded the highest number of infections (3,144, 33.4%). Symptomatic subjects had higher viral loads (1479.7 copies/μl; IQR = 40.6–178919) than asymptomatic subjects (49.9; IQR = 5.5–3641.6). There was significant association between gender or age and infection with SARS-CoV-2 (p<0.05). Among all the suspected clinical presentations, anosmia was the strongest predictor of SARS-CoV-2 infection (Adj. OR (95%CI): 24.39 (20.18, 29.49). We observed an average reproductive number of 1.36 with a minimum of 1.28 and maximum of 1.43. The virus trajectory shows a gradual reduction of the virus reproductive number.ConclusionThis study has described the epidemiological profile of COVID-19 cases in northern, middle and part of the southern belt of Ghana, with males and younger individuals at greater risk of contracting the disease. Health professionals should be conscious of individuals presenting with anosmia since this was seen as the strongest predictor of virus infection.
Highlights
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2), is the etiological agent for the COVID-19 disease which is currently a pandemic
Respiratory specimens such as sputum, deep-cough saliva and nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from suspected COVID-19 subjects in 12 regions of Ghana for laboratory analysis and confirmation by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)
Among all the suspected clinical presentations, anosmia was the strongest predictor of SARS-CoV-2 infection
Summary
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-COV-2), is the etiological agent for the COVID-19 disease which is currently a pandemic. This virus continues to spread globally with an average infection rate of 2.5, leaving over 20 million people infected with more than 700,000 associated deaths reported [1]. As of November 04, 2020, there were 1,814,642 reported cases in Africa which has resulted in over 40,000 deaths [5] compared to 9,383,979 and 10,866,134 cases resulting in 232,635 and 277,125 deaths in the United States (US) and Europe, respectively [5, 6] Ghana confirmed her first two cases of COVID-19 on 12th March, 2020 [7] and the case counts have risen to 48,643 with 320 deaths as of 4th November, 2020 [8]. This study sought to describe the socio-demographic features, pattern of COVID-19 spread and the viral load dynamics among subjects residing in northern, middle and part of the southern belt of Ghana
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