Evaluation of Disease-related Characteristics in COVID-19 Infected Population of Karachi, Pakistan: An Online Survey
Aisha Aziz
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jinnah University for Women, Karachi, Pakistan.
Marium Sarfaraz
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jinnah University for Women, Karachi, Pakistan.
Saba Majeed *
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ziauddin University, Pakistan.
Madiha Maboos
Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jinnah University for Women, Pakistan.
Qurratul Ain Leghari
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan.
Mahrukh Khurshid
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Jinnah University for Women, Karachi, Pakistan.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Aims: COVID-19 pandemic brought the medical community into action, to introduce safe and effective strategies to combat the disease. Pakistan has also experienced a significant increase in COVID-positive cases. The objective of this study is to assess the disease-related characteristics and evaluate different treatment responses in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. Data was collected from January to September 2021.
Methodology: An online survey was circulated and analyzed using SPSS and results were reported as frequency and percentages. 1000 questionnaires were distributed, of which 257 responses were received.
Results: The majority of the population 90.3% survived however, a few 9.7% deaths were reported. Fever (65.7%) and cough (53.6%) were the most frequently observed symptoms. Ninety percent (n=230) of the patients required no hospital admission. The results show that 16.3% received anti-viral treatment, mainly Remdesivir. This study will help in assessing the COVID-19 patient’s response to different treatment strategies. It will also provide an insight into the psychological impact of COVID-19.
Conclusion: This study showed encouraging data regarding the disease characteristics of COVID-19 observed in the population.
Keywords: COVID-19, coronavirus, Karachi, Pakistan, Pandemic, SARS-CoV-2