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Observational Study
. 2021 Mar 26;100(12):e25219.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000025219.

Epidemiology of asymptomatic and symptomatic Coronavirus Disease 2019 confirmed cases in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: Observational study

Farida Al Hosani  1 , Bashir Aden  2 , Shammah Al Memari  1 , Shereena Al Mazrouei  1 , Suad Ajab  3 , Muhammad Abid  3 , Ahmed R Alsuwaidi  4 , Michal Grivna  3 , Marília Silva Paulo  3 , Mohamud Sheek-Hussein  3
Affiliations
Observational Study

Epidemiology of asymptomatic and symptomatic Coronavirus Disease 2019 confirmed cases in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: Observational study

Farida Al Hosani et al. Medicine (Baltimore). .

Abstract

This study was conducted to describe demographics, clinical features, and outcomes of 3827 confirmed cases of Coronavirus Disease 2019 between March 12 and April 22, 2020 in the Emirates of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).Data were extracted from the Infectious Diseases Notification Surveillance System of the Department of Health. The descriptive analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences v26 and reported according to Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement.We analyzed 3827 cases; 82% were men, 18% women, 14% UAE citizens, and 86% were of other nationalities. Most cases (72%) had lower exposure to low-risk occupations of infectious disease as per the classification of the department of health while high exposure risk occupations, which included healthcare worker accounts only for 3%. While 43% of cases were asymptomatic, 57% displayed symptoms, which were mostly mild. Only 12% of patients had comorbidities, which were significantly higher in men (9%) than women (3%). Among those who have comorbid conditions; hypertension (27%) and diabetes (21%) were the most common comorbidities. Viral pneumonia (11%) was the most common sequela documented in records. Only 51 patients (4%) required admission to the intensive care units, and 4 patients died (0.1%).The significant number of asymptomatic patients was identified by active case finding and contact tracing from the early period of the epidemic. A small percentage of severe, critical cases, and death reported in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi which may have been due to public health measures implemented for early detection, contact tracing, and treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Age and sex distribution of COVID-19 confirmed cases in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi between March 12 and April 22, 2020 (n = 3827). COVID-19 = Coronavirus Disease 2019.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Date of notification and number of COVID-19 confirmed cases reported in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi between March 12 and April 22, 2020 (n = 3827). COVID-19 = Coronavirus Disease 2019.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Types of single symptom reported of COVID-19 confirmed cases in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi between March 12 and April 22, 2020 (n = 532). COVID-19 = Coronavirus Disease 2019.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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