First wave of COVID‐19 in Venezuela: Epidemiological, clinical, and paraclinical characteristics of first cases

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has particularly affected countries with weakened health services in Latin America, where proper patient management could be a critical step to address the epidemic. In this study, we aimed to characterize and identify which epidemiological, clinical, and paraclinical risk factors defined COVID-19 infection from the first confirmed cases through the first epidemic wave in Venezuela. A retrospective analysis of consecutive suspected cases of COVID-19 admitted to a sentinel hospital was carried out, including 576 patient cases subsequently confirmed for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Of these, 162 (28.1%) patients met the definition criteria for severe/critical disease, and 414 (71.2%) were classified as mild/moderate disease.The mean age was 47 (SD 16) years, the majority of which were men (59.5%), and the most frequent comorbidity was arterial hypertension (23.3%). The most common symptoms included fever (88.7%), headache (65.6%), and dry cough (63.9%). Severe/ critical disease affected mostly older males with low schooling (p < 0.001). Similarly, higher levels of glycemia, urea, aminotransferases, total bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were observed in severe/critical disease patients compared to those with mild/moderate disease. Overall mortality was 7.6% (44/576), with 41.7% (28/68) dying in hospital. We identified risk factors related to COVID-19 infection, which could help healthcare providers take appropriate measures and prevent severe clinical outcomes. Our results suggest that the mortality registered by this disease in Venezuela during the first epidemic wave was underestimated. An increase in fatalities is expected to occur in the coming months

Profiles of Cough and Associated Risk Factors in Nonhospitalized Individuals With SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant Infection: Cross-Sectional Online Survey in China

“…Early reports showed that the prevalence of cough during COVID-19 infection ranged from 44% to 72.5% [15], with a higher prevalence associated with Omicron variant infection than with Delta variant infection [4], although one survey from the United Kingdom [3] indicated that the prevalence of cough was similar between infections with the Omicron and Delta variants. In this study, the prevalence of cough was 92.6%, which was higher than that reported in previous studies [2][3][4]7], especially those based on data collected prior to emergence of the Omicron variant [16][17][18], suggesting that the prevalence of cough might be higher with the Omicron variant than with previous variants. In addition to cough, other symptoms such as fever, fatigue, myalgia, nasal congestion, and sore throat were also common, and over 60% of individuals reported having severe symptoms in our study.…”

COVID-19 Vaccination and Mortality Reduction: A Prospective Cohort Study in Venezuela

“…This is similar to our results.High oxygen saturation, a valuable metric for classifying disease severity, was associated with lower mortality rates in both groups under study. Conversely, low oxygen saturation has been identi ed as a signi cant indicator of mortality risk [47,74]. Additionally, the administration of enoxaparin, a low molecular weight heparin, was found to decrease mortality risk within our cohort, consistent with previous research [75, 76].…”

Clinical-epidemiological characteristics and maternal-foetal outcomes in pregnant women hospitalised with COVID-19 in Venezuela: a retrospective study

“…An increased risk of abortions and stillbirth in patients with COVID-19 has been described in larger studies [17,50,51], a pattern observed in our study with a higher proportion within the dead pregnant women, similar to that described in a Latin-American study [21], with the exception of the proportion of stillbirth. A possible hypothesis that could explain these discrepancies is poor antenatal care due to the collapse of health care centres during the COVID-19 pandemic in Venezuela, as well as quarantine and community containment measures [52]. Additionally, the retrospective nature of our study, which only included hospitalised pregnant women, and the limited access to routine screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection among pregnant women, may have contributed to this percentage difference in mortality.…”