Covid-19 in South America: clinical and epidemiological characteristics among 381 patients during the early phase of the pandemic in Santiago, Chile

Abstract

Background Understanding the characteristics of the Covid-19 pandemic in different geographical regions, ethnic and socioeconomic settings are of emerging importance. This study presents the demographic and clinical features of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients in a large private healthcare center in Santiago, Chile, during the first month of the pandemic. Methods We analyzed the demographics, laboratory and clinical characteristics including severity and outcome of all patients diagnosed with Covid-19 during the first month of the pandemic. SARS-2-CoV infection was confirmed by RT-PCR in nosopharyngeal samples. The primary outcome was a composite of ICU admission or all-cause, in-hospital mortality. Clinical and laboratory parameters of hospitalized patients were analyzed regarding their association with the primary outcome. Results From March 3 to April 4, 2020, 3679 individuals were tested for SARS-CoV-2 in our hospital. Of those, 381 had Covid-19 and were included into this analysis. Most patients (99.2%) were Chileans, 12% returning from recent travel. The median age was 39 years (IQR 31–49) and 52% were female. A total of 88 patients (23.1%) were hospitalized; 18 (3.7%) required ICU and/or died. The overall mortality was 0.7%. Increased body mass index (BMI) and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) were independently associated with ICU care or death. Conclusion During the first weeks of the pandemic in Chile, most Covid-19 patients were young, with low rates of hospitalization, ICU requirement, and fatality. BMI and CRP on admission were predictors for severity. Our data provide important information on the clinical course and outcome of Covid-19 in a Latin American setting.

Evolution and Epidemic Spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Colombia: A Year into the Pandemic

“…Similar to other Latin American countries, such as Brazil, Chile and Ecuador, [ 2 , 13 , 49 ], our results confirm that the highest rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Colombia occurs mainly in younger age groups (median age of 38 years), and that most fatal cases affect the elder population. These results contribute to the understanding of the epidemiological behavior of SARS-CoV-2 across different population groups and emphasize the need for prioritizing vaccination in particularly vulnerable at-risk groups, such as the elderly ( Table S1 ) [ 34 ].…”

“…The aggressive transmission dynamics witnessed across highly endemic regions has prompted interest to investigate emerging trends in SARS-CoV-2 genetic diversity [ 5 , 6 ] and implement genomic surveillance studies that could provide the basis to build and apply epidemic models, estimate viral spread ( R t value), and facilitate the rapid identification of positive cases to help mitigate virus dispersion as exercised in other countries [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ], including several in South America [ 2 , 13 ]. R t represents the effective reproduction rate of the virus calculated for each region in a specific time.…”

Is loss of smell an early predictor of COVID-19 severity: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…In total, 34 studies provided information on the severity of COVID-19 disease. Of them, four studies were preprints (Al Harthi et al 2020 ; Bertlich et al 2020 ; Papizadeh et al 2020 ; Patel et al 2020 ), and 30 articles were published studies (Aggarwal et al 2020 ; Alasia et al 2021 ; Alizadehsani et al 2021 ; Allenbach et al 2020 ; Amanat et al 2021 ; Borobia et al 2020 ; Delorme et al 2021 ; Elimian et al 2020 ; Ermis et al 2021 ; García-Azorín et al 2021 ; Ghaffari et al 2021 ; Goyal et al 2021 ; Izquierdo et al 2020 ; Kadiane-Oussou et al 2020 ; Kocayığıt et al 2021 ; Lechien et al 2021 ; Liotta et al 2020 ; Mao et al 2020 ; McElvaney et al 2020 ; Muñoz-Rodríguez et al 2021 ; Printza et al 2021 ; Romero-Sánchez et al 2020 ; Salepci et al 2021 ; Sobhani et al 2021 2021 ; Song et al 2021 ; Studart-Neto et al 2020 ; Sun et al 2021 ; Tomlins et al 2020 ; Vaira et al 2020 ; Vial et al 2020 ). The OD were present in 482 severely ill and 2640 non-severely ill patients with COVID-19.…”

Identification of Coinfections by Viral and Bacterial Pathogens in COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients in Peru: Molecular Diagnosis and Clinical Characteristics

“…There are few reports in South America of cases of coinfection in patients upon admission. For example, Vial et al [ 16 ] reported one case of coinfection with Streptococcus pneumoniae in Chile. In Brazil, it was documented that one patient presented Lautropia , Prevotella, and Haemophilus [ 17 ].…”