Early Epidemiological analysis of CoVID-19:  First report from South of Iran (original) (raw)

First Cases of SARS-CoV-2 in Iran, 2020: Case Series Report

Iranian Journal of Public Health, 2020

In Jan 2020, the outbreak of the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China spread increasingly to other countries worldwide which WHO declared it as a public health emergency of international concern. Iran was included in the affected countries. Throat swab specimens were collected and tested by using real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) kit targeting the E region for screening and RNA dependent RNA polymerase for confirmation. Conventional RT-PCR was conducted for the N region and the PCR products were sequenced by Sanger sequencing. The first seven cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections were identified in Qom, Iran. This report describes the clinical and epidemiological features of the first cases of SARS-CoV-2 confirmed in Iran. Future research should focus on finding the routes of transmission for this virus, including the possibility of transmission from foreign tourists to identify the possible origin of SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Iran.

Epidemiologic comparison of the first and second waves of coronavirus disease in Babol, North of Iran

Caspian Journal of Internal Medicine, 2020

Background: A few studies compared the epidemiologic features of the first and second waves of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. This research was carried out to compare the 1 st and the 2 nd waves of the epidemics in the northern Iran. Methods: In this observational research, demographic, clinical and laboratory characteristics of the patients with COVID-19, admitted to four government hospitals affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences during the 1 st and the 2 nd waves of COVID-19 epidemics have been compared. The period from May 21, 2020 to September 21, 2020 was considered as the second wave of the epidemics while from February 19, 2020 to May 20, 2020, as the first wave of the outbreak in this region. Results: Out of 6691 total hospitalized cases, 4374 (65.37%), including 1532 (49.6%) people in the first wave and 2842 (78.9%) in the second wave had RT-PCR test for disease confirmation. Among those who were examined with RT-PCR test, 2322 patients (53.1%) including 728 (31.4%) persons in the first wave and 1594 (68.6%) in the second wave were positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. 414 (56.9%) of the confirmed cases in the first wave and 767 (48.1%) in the second wave were males (p<0.001). Gastrointestinal symptoms were more incidental in the second wave of the disease. However, severe respiratory conditions were more common during the first wave (p<0.001). Crude mortality rate was lower in the second wave of the outbreak (p<0.001). Conclusion: Different epidemiologic characteristics were found in the second wave of COVID-19 outbreak in comparison with the first wave of the epidemics in northerrn Iran.

SARS‐CoV‐2 variants circulating in the Fars province, southern Iran, December 2020–March 2021: A cross‐sectional study

Health Science Reports

2.2 | Study area and sample size Samples of these individuals were taken from six different health centers in Fars province and then transferred to PACMRC. Based on the 11% of COVID-19 infection rate at the time of the study in PACMRC, a minimal sample size of 151 was estimated (95% confidence interval [CI], 5% margin of error). However, at least 1373 samples were required to achieve such a population, but 1895 samples were tested. Of the 1895 samples, 187 were positive for

Seroprevalence of SARS-Cov-2 Virus Infection In Kermanshah, Iran: A Population-based Cross-Sectional Study

The Open Public Health Journal

Background: The aim of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a general population from Kermanshah province, Iran. Methods: The present study was a population-based cross-sectional design conducted in Kermanshah province in 2020. Sampling was performed in a multi-stage process, and 1967 participants were considered, and also 174 interviewers were assigned to collect data online. Then, 5 mL of blood sample was taken from every participant. The blood samples were centrifuged with the ELISA method to detect SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG and IgM antibodies in serum samples. Seropositive prevalence was adjusted by means of survey analysis. Case fatality rate (CFR) and infection fatality rate (IFR) were estimated. Results: A total of 1967 people from 14 cities of the province participated in the study. The mean age of participants was 35.7±16.9, and 50.4% were female. The lowest and highest seroprevalence was found in the cities of Paveh (2.3% [0.3- 4.2]) and H...

SARS-CoV-2 Transmission Among Healthcare Workers in Iran: An Urgent Need for Early Identification and Management

Infectious Disorders - Drug Targets, 2022

Introduction: With the increasing rate of COVID-19, particularly in developing countries such as Iran, a high number of frontline service providers, including doctors and nurses, have died, making frontline healthcare workers (HCWs) more vulnerable to psychological disorders and fear and anxiety of secondary transmission to others, especially their family members. In this study, we aimed to report the incidence of COVID-19 infection among HCWs in an Iranian referral pediatrics hospital between April 2020 and July 2020. Material and Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, HCWs and hospital staff working at Children's Medical Center, Tehran, Iran, with positive SARS-CoV-2 real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results were evaluated between April 2020 and July 2020. Results: Sixty-one out of the 1085 personnel (5.6%) including 14 pediatricians (23%), 24 nurses (39%), 9 paramedics (15%), and 14 HCWs without direct patient contact (23%) had a nasopharyngeal ...

SARS-Cov-2 and COVID-19, Basic and Clinical Aspects of the Human Pandemic: A Review

Iranian Journal of Public Health

In the last two decades, we have witnessed three major epidemics of the coronavirus human disease namely, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome, and more recently an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Iran, a country of nearly 84 million, in the Middle East, severely involved with the COVID-19 disease. A documented multidimensional approach to COVID-19 disease is therefore mandatory to provide a well-balanced platform for the concerned medical community in our county and beyond. In this review, we highlight the disease status in Iran and attempt to provide a multilateral view of the fundamental and clinical aspects of the disease including the clinical features of the confirmed cases, virology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, and laboratory methods needed for diagnosis.

Disease waves of SARS-CoV-2 in Iran closely mirror global pandemic trends

2021

SARS-CoV-2 genome surveillance projects provide a good measure of transmission and monitor the circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants at regional and global scales. Iran is one of the most affected countries still involved with the virus circulating in at least five significant disease waves, as of September 2021. Complete genome sequencing of 50 viral isolates in an early phase of outbreak in Iran, shed light on the origins and circulating lineages at that time. As part of a genomic surveillance program, we provided an additional 319 complete genomes from October 2020 onwards. The current study is the report of complete SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences of Iran in the March 2020-May 2021 time interval. We aimed to characterize the genetic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 in Iran over one year. Overall, 35 different lineages and 8 clades were detected. Temporal dynamics of the prominent SARS-CoV-2 clades/lineages circulating in Iran is comparable to the global perspective and introduces the 19A clade (B....

Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in Patients with Severe Pneumonia in Khuzestan Province, Iran

Iranian Journal of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 2020

The emergence of a highly pathogenic virus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) accounts for severe pneumonia throughout the world. More than 7 million world population have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, and the number of deaths is increasing every day. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency of SARS-CoV-2 in hospitalized patients with acute respiratory infection (ARI). During an outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2, the nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs were collected from 909 hospitalized patients with severe pneumonia, including 517 (56.9%) males and 392 (43.1%) females. All the collected samples were from different cities of Khuzestan province from 19 February to- 27 March 2020. The RNA was extracted from samples and subjected to real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for the detection of the SARS-CoV-2. Simultaneously, the computerized tomography (CT) scan was tested for the presence of ground-glass opacity in the lung among the patients. ...