Epidemiology of Household Transmission of COVID-19 among Patients Attending Outpatient Clinics of Teaching Hospital in Cairo, Egypt

Abstract

Abstract Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). People in closed settings with COVID-19 patients, such as household contacts, were more likely to become infected. Household studies can provide informative data for COVID-19 prevention and control. Aim to identify the epidemiological features of household transmission in a sample of patients attending the family medicine clinic of a tertiary hospital in Egypt, and to calculate the household COVID19 secondary clinical attack rate for the recruited patients. Materials and Methods An observational follow-up study was conducted among a sample of 180 primary probable COVID-19 cases attending a tertiary hospital in Cairo, Egypt and their 395 household contacts. The modified WHO case reporting form was used for follow-up of primary probable COVID-19 cases, and the modified WHO contact reporting form was used for their household contacts follow-up. Follow-up phone calls were conducted after 7, 10, and 14 days after attending to the hospital. Results The mean household Secondary clinical attack rate is 65.3 ± 29.9 (95 CI: 60.5% - 70.1%). There was a significant statistical association between reporting symptoms consistent with COVID-19 and sharing a room with the primary case, being not vaccinated, not using Personal protective equipment (PPE) as well as taking care of a primary case (p < 0.001). Conclusion and Recommendations Secondary clinical attack rate among the household contacts was high; more than the average reported rates globally. Vaccination and using PPE had important roles in lowering the risk of reporting symptoms consistent with COVID-19 among household contacts, yet the overall rate of using PPE was low and vaccination coverage was low compared to the rates reported globally. which necessitates more efforts to increase awareness of household transmission and how to safely care for a home-isolated COVID-19 case. The presence of co-morbidities increased the risk of hospitalization among symptomatic contacts This gives an alert to increase the awareness of cases with comorbidities about warning signs that necessitate early hospitalization for a better prognosis. about using PPE among household contacts with a COVID-19 case and also about the importance of vaccination against COVID- 19.