A sharp increase in the number of COVID-19 cases and case fatality rates after lifting the lockdown in Kurdistan region of Iraq

J Kermanshah Univ Med Sci

Musa

Naqid

et al. 2020

Self Cite

Introduction: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) causes a severe acute respiratory syndrome and is known as coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which was first discovered in December, 2019 in Wuhan, China. The question of whether the COVID-19 patients that recover from the disease acquire immunity or are still susceptible to reinfection remains unanswered. Case Presentation: In this study, we presented the case of a 46-year-old male who recovered from the first round of COVID-19 infection. After symptom resolution, two consecutives negative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests confirmed the negativity of the patient. Seven weeks after the first infection, the patient presented with fever and dry cough, and the infection was confirmed using real-time RT-PCR. The reinfection was associated with more severe symptoms, which required antiviral treatment. Conclusions: Our study indicated the possibility of COVID-19 reinfection. If the occurrence of reinfections is confirmed, it may implicate changes in the vaccine and community-based disease prevention strategies. Further studies are required to confirm the possibility of COVID-19 reinfection.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

The First Case of COVID-19 Reinfection in Duhok City, Kurdistan Region of Iraq: A Case Report

J Kermanshah Univ Med Sci

Musa

Naqid

et al. 2020

Self Cite

“…[ 6 ] Such measures included the shutdown of cities, closure of educational institutions, shopping mall, workplaces, and roads. [ 5 ] In addition, the present study found that higher knowledge score about the infection was significantly associated with a higher likelihood of positive attitude and good practice during the period of COVID-19 outbreak. The practices of university students toward the virus were extremely cautious as the majority of the recruited sample (93%) avoided crowded places and more than a half of participants (57.3%) wore masks when going out the home during the period of the outbreak.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 51%

“…These measures include the suspension of public transport; the closure of educational institutions; the prevention of public gatherings and events such as daily and Friday prayers, Church gathering, weddings, and funerals; the isolation of infected people; and the quarantine of suspected cases. [ 5 ] Since March 15, 2020, the Kurdistan authorities have locked down the region, and people were required to stay home. [ 6 ] Community health prevention program cannot be successful without health education programs which increase the commitment to control measures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward COVID-19 virus among university students in Kurdistan region, Iraq: Online cross-sectional study

Naqid

Jacksi

et al. 2020

J Family Med Prim Care

Background and Aim: The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus infection COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, 2020. Adherence to infection control measures is potentially influenced by people's knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) about the infection. This project was performed to assess the KAP toward COVID-19 of university students in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. Materials and Methods: An online cross-sectional study was performed in April 2020 to evaluate KAP about coronavirus infection among university students in Kurdistan Region, Iraq. A total of 1959 students were recruited in this study and ages ranged from 18 to 55 years old. Results: Among the respondents, 55.03% were female, 93.8% were from Duhok province, and the majority of participants (93.4%) were undergraduate students. The overall correct answer rate of the knowledge questions toward COVID-19 was 75.8% with an average score of 9.1 ± 2.1 SD out of 12. Participants showed better knowledge of infection prevention with around 86.2% correct answers, while the lowermost subscale scores were (67.7%) for questions toward the mode of the transmission of the infection. We found a significant difference in knowledge scores across genders, marital status, program of study, and among different colleges/institutes ( P < 0.001). The majority of participants agreed that the local authority will control the infection successfully (69.8%) and showed confidence that the battle against the virus will be won by Kurdistan Regional Government (86.7%). The majority of the recruited sample (93.0%) had not been in any area with crowd and 57.3% used facemasks when leaving out, recently. Conclusion: Students demonstrated good knowledge, appropriate practice, and positive attitude about the infection. These findings indicated that local health education plans to improve people's knowledge about the infection are valuable in protecting the community. The results may be helpful in tailoring an educational program for better containment of the infection and halting the spread of the virus.

“…The government’s actions in this regard were then limited to the giving of instructions, and those who did not follow the instructions were not penalized. The number of COVID-19 cases increased sharply until November 2020, when a sharp decrease in the number of cases was observed [3,4]. Our study shows that the number of cases decreased significantly in the following months.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

“…The implementation of these measures began on March 1, 2020, and continued until May 21, 2020. After the measured were relaxed, a sharp increase in morbidity and mortality was recorded [3,4]. Despite this, there was an unwillingness in society to follow the social-distancing instructions [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 antibody seroprevalence in Duhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq: A population-based study

Balatay

Jamal

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Objective This population-based study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in Duhok City, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Methods We analyzed the national COVID-19 database that contains data regarding COVID-19 testing, management, and clinical outcomes in Duhok. For this study, different subdistricts within each district of Duhok were considered distinct clusters. Blood samples were collected from and questionnaires were administered to eligible and consenting participants who were members of different families from the subdistricts. Immunoassays were conducted to detect antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, and the associations between certain variables were investigated. Results The average number cases of COVID-19 before November 2020 was 23141 ± 4364, which was significantly higher than the average number of cases between November 2020 and February 2021 (3737 ± 2634; P = 0.001). A total of 743 individuals agreed to participate and were enrolled in the study. Among the participants, 465/743 (62.58%) were found to have antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Among the participants with antibodies, 262/465 (56.34%) denied having any history of COVID-19-related symptoms. The most common symptom was fever (81.77%), followed by myalgia (81.28%). We found that antibody levels increased steadily with age (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.117; P = 0.012). A significant association was found between antibody levels and the presence of symptoms (P = 0.023; odds ratio = 1.0023; 95% confidence interval = 1.0002-1.0061). Conclusions A significant reduction in the number of COVID-19 cases was observed. This might be due to the high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in Duhok. However, infection-prevention measures should be followed as it remains unclear whether acquired immunity is protective against reinfection. It expected that the infection rates during the next wave will not be as high as the first wave due to the high infection rate in the society.