Demographics, clinical characteristics and outcomes among 197 patients with COVID‐19 in the Gold Coast area

Abstract

Background Clinical characteristics and outcomes of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patients have been varied internationally but have not been studied in an Australian cohort. Aim To describe characteristics and outcomes of approximately the first 200 documented COVID‐19 cases during the first outbreak in the Gold Coast. Methods Retrospective observational cohort study of COVID‐19 patients managed by Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service (GCHHS). Demographics, clinical characteristics and outcomes data were collected. Results One hundred and ninety‐seven patients were included (mean age 45 years); 52.3% were female and 9.1% were healthcare workers. Most were overseas travellers (53.8%), contacts of a local confirmed case (25.4%) or cruise ship passengers (17.3%). The commonest comorbidities were hypertension (14.2%) and asthma (11.2%). The commonest symptoms were cough (74.1%), fever (58.9%), sore throat (48.7%), headache (48.7%) and rhinorrhoea (46.2%). Sixty‐three patients were hospitalised and the rest admitted to a ‘virtual ward’. Of 63 hospitalised patients, 5 (7.9%) required intensive care unit (ICU) admission and 3 (4.8%) required intubation. No patients died. Due to low numbers of accurate exposure dates, the incubation period could not be reliably calculated for a significant proportion of the cohort. Average duration of symptoms was 14 days, time from first symptom to hospitalisation was 5.3 days and time from first symptom to ICU admission was 11.6 days. The majority (88%) experienced mild disease and achieved complete symptom resolution (97%). Nasopharyngeal swab polymerase chain reaction was the main diagnostic method (99%). Twenty‐four patients received anti‐viral pharmacotherapy, with 87.5% getting hydroxychloroquine. Conclusions The present study provides characteristics and outcomes of the first 197 patients with COVID‐19 in the Gold Coast.

Incubation Period of COVID-19 Caused by Unique SARS-CoV-2 Strains

“…Most of the studies (93 [65.5%]) were conducted between January and March 2020 and most were conducted in China (108 [76.1%]). One study used case data from multiple countries around the world, 6 studies were conducted in South Korea, 4 in France, 3 in Japan, 2 in Singapore, 2 in India, 2 in Vietnam, and 2 in Australia . One hundred nineteen studies (83.8%) included patients infected with the wild-type strain, 5 (3.5%) with the multiple strains, and 11 (7.7%) with an unknown strain (eTable 4 in the Supplement).…”

“…Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 142 articles (8112 patients) were selected for analysis. 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , …”

“…One study used case data from multiple countries around the world, 81 6 studies were conducted in South Korea, 37 , 46 , 51 , 52 , 59 , 124 4 in France, 25 , 29 , 35 , 113 3 in Japan, 80 , 105 2 in Singapore, 87 , 111 2 in India, 16 , 78 , 83 , 103 2 in Vietnam, 21 , 58 and 2 in Australia. 45 , 99 One hundred nineteen studies (83.8%) included patients infected with the wild-type strain, 5 (3.5%) with the multiple strains, 17 , 26 , 35 , 80 , 112 and 11 (7.7%) with an unknown strain 84 , 93 , 99 , 106 , 116 , 126 , 135 , 142 , 148 , 150 , 157 (eTable 4 in the Supplement ).…”

“…We identified 5012 records through PubMed, EMBASE, and Science Direct database searches, and documented the study selection process in a flowchart and showed the total numbers of retrieved references and the numbers of included and excluded studies (Figure 1). Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 142 articles (8112 patients) were selected for analysis …”

Demographics, comorbidities and risk factors for severe disease from the early SARS‐CoV‐2 infection cases in Queensland, Australia

“…In the total cohort not including those admitted to the ICU, >50% were older than 40 years, which is reflected in other COVID-19 population studies in Australia and worldwide. 5,[13][14][15][16] Comparatively, in the ICU-admitted cohort, 75% were 60 years or older. Previous COVID-19 research suggests that patients admitted to the ICU are predominantly older adults, and older age has been recognised as a risk factor for severe disease, poor outcomes and death.…”