Epidemiology and outcome of COVID-19 among 260 confirmed cases admitted at Guder Hospital, Western Ethiopia, 2020: a descriptive study of the first ten months

Abstract Background: Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is a highly transmittable and pathogenic viral infection that emerged in Wuhan, China, and spread around the world. No evidence is available about the epidemiological, clinical features, and outcomes of admitted patients in the study area. This study aimed to provide insight into the epidemiological characteristics and outcome of confirmed COVID-19 infection among admitted cases at Guder Hospital, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia.Methods: In this descriptive study, all confirmed cases of COVID-19 admitted to Guder Hospital from May 16 to December 31, 2020, were included. Cases were confirmed by real-time PCR and analyzed using SPSS version 22. The data were collected from January 15-20, 2021. Results: A total of 260 confirmed patients were admitted, including 180 men and 80 women. Of these cases, 184 (70.8%) were asymptomatic at admission. The mean age of the patients was 35.5 [SD 15] years. Adults aged 15 and above years accounted for 254 (97.7%). Meantime in the hospital was 14.3 [SD 3] days. On admission, the frequent symptom was cough (43[16.5%]). The case fatality rate among the admitted cases was 12 (4.6%). Of these deaths, seven (58.3%) were females aged 45-59 years, and eight had known comorbidity. Conclusion: The COVID-19 infection is more likely to affect adult males and death is common in females with comorbidities. The disease remains largely asymptomatic among the admitted cases. A further analytical investigation is needed to explore the risk of mortality and its determinants among admitted cases with COVID-19 infection.