The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, or COVID-19) has been detrimental to human health, economy, and wellbeing. Little information is known on the epidemiology and outcome of the disease in a localized community within Iraq. We carried out an audit of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Kirkuk General Hospital. Data from the 20th of June to the 31st of July, 2020, were collected and analyzed. Suspected COVID-19 cases were confirmed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Data on clinical symptoms, age, and treatment protocols were analyzed concerning the outcome. Our study included a total of 200 individual confirmed COVID-19 patients. The majority of cases 55% (n = 110) displayed severe symptoms, while 32.5% (65 cases) and 12.5% (25 cases) of patients displayed moderate to mild symptoms, respectively. The rate of death in the referred patients was 5%. Most patients admitted to the hospital for treatment recovered and were discharged from the hospital within 5 to 30 days post-diagnosis. Statistical analysis revealed that patients treated with oseltamivir, hydroxychloroquine, and azithromycin in combination with vitamins C and D have shorter hospital stay compared to patients receiving the same therapeutic protocol in combination with steroids. Moreover, a higher mortality rate (4.5%) was observed in patients treated with oseltamivir, hydroxychloroquine, ceftriaxone, and steroids. This study highlights a significant relationship between age, secondary ailments, and the choice of medications as simple predictors of the outcome of COVID-19.
To evaluate the behaviour of Pharmacy College students as a representative sample of undergraduate students in terms of the use of antibiotics in Mosul city, Iraq. A questionnaire was adopted from previous studies with minor modifications to suit the current study sample and distributed to undergraduate students from all stages of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Mosul, in Nineveh province, north of Iraq. The study sample included 429 students. The results were statistically analyzed using GraphPad prism 7 and Excel 2013. the study showed that 51.28 % (n=220) of the participants practiced self-medication with antibiotics over the past 6 months. Retail pharmacies were the most common source for obtaining the antibiotics (87.4%), followed by the nurse clinics (7.9%), and lastly from the leftovers (4.7%). The main reasons for self-medication with antibiotics were the belief of having good knowledge about antibiotic use, followed by assuming that practicing self-medication with antibiotics would save time and money or due to inadequate improvement following proper medical consultation and lack of the nearby health care providers. The major diseases being treated was URTIs. The most used antibiotic for self-medication was Amoxicillin and to a lesser extent Azithromycin Amoxicillin/Clavulanic Acid and Cefixime. Undergraduate students included in this survey had inadequate knowledge concerning antibiotics and a high rate of self-medication. This study calls attention to the need for focused educational intervention and rigorous authoritarian and governmental ruling regarding the issue of inappropriate antibiotic use and sale in community pharmacies.
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