Epidemiological Predictors of Positive SARS-CoV-2 Polymerase Chain Reaction Test in Three Cohorts: Hospitalized Patients, Healthcare Workers, and Military Population, Serbia, 2020

Abstract

(1) Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its resulting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a fast-moving pandemic. Diagnostic testing, aimed to identify patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, plays a key role in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic in different populations. (2) Methods: This retrospective cohort study aimed to investigate predictors associated with positive polymerase chain reaction (pcr) SARS-CoV-2 test results in hospitalized patients, healthcare workers (HCWs), and military personnel (MP) during 2020, before the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines. Persons with a positive test result were compared with persons with a negative test result in three cohorts during the study period. (3) Results: A total of 6912 respondents were tested, and 1334 (19.3%) of them had positive PCR SARS-CoV-2 test results. Contact with a known COVID-19 case within 14 days (p < 0.001; OR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.25–1.76), fever (p < 0.001; OR: 3.66; 95% CI: 3.04–4.41), cough (p < 0.001; OR: 1.91; 95%CI: 1.59–2.30), headache (p = 0.028; OR: 1.24; 95%CI: 1.02–1.50), and myalgia/arthralgia (p < 0.001; OR: 1.99; 95%CI: 1.65–2.42) were independently associated with positive PCR SARS-CoV-2 test results in the cohort of MP. Furthermore, fever (p < 0.001; OR: 2.75; 95% CI: 1.83–4.13), cough (p < 0.001; OR: 2.04; 95%CI: 1.32–3.13), headache (p = 0.008; OR: 1.76; 95%CI: 1.15–2.68), and myalgia/arthralgia (p = 0.039; OR: 1.58; 95%CI: 1.02–2.45) were independently associated with positive PCR SARS-CoV-2 test results in the cohort of HCWs. Moreover, independent predictors of positive PCR SARS-CoV-2 test results in hospitalized patients were contact with a known COVID-19 case within 14 days (p < 0.001; OR: 2.56; 95%CI: 1.71–3.83), fever (p < 0.001; OR: 1.89; 95%CI: 1.38–2.59), pneumonia (p = 0.041; OR: 1.45; 95%CI: 1.01–2.09), and neurological diseases (p = 0.009; OR: 0.375; 95%CI: 0.18–0.78). (4) Conclusions: According to data gathered from cohorts of hospitalized patients, HCWs, and MP, before the widespread availability of COVID-19 vaccines in Serbia, we can conclude that predictors of positive PCR SARS-CoV-2 test results in MP and HCWs were similar. Accurate estimates of COVID-19 in different population groups are important for health authorities.

The Relationship between Physical Activity Level and Sociodemographic Factors in Romanian Adults in the Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Period

“…The first multinomial logistic regression analysis was conducted to explore the relationship between variables Q9 (testing for COVID-19) and Q10 (history of clinical signs of COVID- 19). In this analysis, the dependent variable was Q10, which represents the history of clinical signs of COVID-19, categorized into four levels.…”

“…In the broader context of global testing efforts, it is worth noting that the lack of systematic testing across the world has posed challenges to the accuracy of epidemiological data, particularly during the initial stages of the outbreak [19]. Within this framework, the observation that individuals who received positive test results were more prone to indicate greater severity of symptoms compared to those who yielded negative outcomes [20] further accentuates the significance of comprehensive testing approaches.…”

Vaccine Effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2 Infection during the Circulation of Alpha, Delta, or Omicron Variants: A Retrospective Cohort Study in a Tertiary Hospital in Serbia

“…As in our previous survey, conducted during 2020, [ 16 ] epidemiological data on the following variables were gathered: demographic data (sex, age), exposure risk factors (treatment in a hospital with COVID-19 cases, contact with a known COVID-19 case within the previous 14 days), clinical signs and symptoms (fever, sore throat, cough, headache, myalgia/arthralgia, fatigue, gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea/vomiting/diarrhoea), and pneumonia (chest X-rays or computed tomography)), and data about comorbidities (no chronic diseases, chronic cardiac disease, cardiomyopathies, hypertension, chronic pulmonary diseases, chronic liver disease, diabetes mellitus, neurological diseases, malignancy, immunodeficiency, chronic kidney disease). The medical technician entered the collected data into a specially created access database daily, under the control of hospital epidemiologist.…”