Abstract

The Coronavirus disease 2019, is a global pandemic that has brought a significant health challenge all over the world. Oman reported its first case of COVID-19 on 24 February 2020. Understanding patient characteristics and demand on the healthcare system is essential to ensuring Oman can continue to provide high quality care. The aim of this study is to describe the burden of COVID-19 and associated factors for more severe disease in Al-Buraimi Governorate, Oman. We retrieved demographic and clinical data from electronic medical records for all COVID-19 laboratory-confirmed patients in Al-Buraimi Governorate from February 1 to August 31, 2020. We assessed the factors for hospitalization and outcome (recovery/death) using descriptive statistics, chi-square test/fisher exact test, spearman’s correlation, and multivariable logistic regression model in Epi info 7, Microsoft excel and SPSS software (p ≤ 0.05 significance level). A total of 977 COVID-19 patients were identified, with a prevalence rate of 8.4 per 1000 in Al-Buraimi Governorate. The male: female ratio was 3.1:1. Of COVID-19 patients, 11.7% were hospitalized, and 1.5% died. Diabetes (12.2%) and hypertension (10.8%) were the most prevalent chronic conditions among COVID-19 patients. Older patients (>60 years old) and those with comorbidities (chronic kidney disease, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension) were prone to hospitalization (p <0.001), intensive care (p <0.001), and death (p <0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis found that these risk factors were significantly associated with hospital admission (OR= 5.905, 95% CI 3.923–8.889; p <0.001), ICU admission (OR= 4.363, 95% CI 1.952–9.750; p <0.001), and death (OR= 6.785, 95% CI 2.295–20.062; p<0.001). A higher incidence of cases were observed among men and Omanis. Public health messaging for COVID-19 prevention should be tailored to inform these groups to slow the spread. Our findings are consistent with other studies, and local healthcare providers should be informed of the risk for severe disease among older patients and those with comorbidities, importance of early diagnosis, and prompt treatment.

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