SARS-CoV2 infection rates in two phases of the COVID-19 outbreak and the correlation of the cycle threshold of the two genes used in the diagnosis and pneumonia in Charoenkrung Pracharak Hospital

Abstract

SARS-CoV2 infection rates in two phases of the COVID-19 outbreak

and the correlation of the cycle threshold of the two genes used in the diagnosis and pneumonia.

in Charoenkrung Pracharak Hospital

Kitchaporn Kotipan

Medical Technology Department, CharoenKrung Pracharak Hospital,

Medical Service Department, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, Thailand

Abstract

                According to information from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health The outbreak of COVID-19 in Thailand has occurred in two waves, with the first wave being a large group of infected people (cluster) from a fresh market in Samut Sakhon province, from December 2020 to March 2021, and in the latter wave, a large group of infections was found involving entertainment venues in Bangkok, since April 2021, the epidemic continues to the present. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome–Coronavirus-2 : SARS-CoV-2 was tested using real-time RT-PCR (r RT-PCR) technique by Molecular Biology Laboratory, Charoenkrung Pracharak Hospital. The objective of this study was to know the rate of infection in each outbreak. and distribution of the age of the infected. In addition, the correlation of pneumonia with the test results was also determined. From the total number of 23,037 cases from December 2020 to May 2021, the rate of COVID-19 infection was 5.85 %, with the first wave of 8,128 cases being 0.29% and in the second wave of 14,909 cases, 8.89 %, with infection rates in those aged ≤60 years, in the first and second waves, 0.34% and 9.17%, respectively (statistically different, p value < 0.05). Similarly, with the elderly >60 years with an infection rate of 0.17% and 7.66 %, respectively (p value <0.05). It was found that the female: male ratio was 1.2:1 and the age range at the most cases of COVID-19 were found in 21-30 years. The first outbreak found aged 7-78, about two-thirds were of working age group, aged 21-50, while the latter outbreak spreads a wider age range from less than a year to age 96 and about half one is of working age

                The diagnosis of COVID-19 infection, ORF-1ab and N genes, were assayed using r RT-PCR technique and analyzed the effect of the cycle threshold (Ct) of these two genes. of the later epidemic, slightly lower on average. The mean Ct of ORF-1ab was 26 (13-36) and 25 (13-40), respectively (p value = 0.38), and the mean N-gene Ct was not significantly different. were 23 (11-33) and 22 (10-38), respectively (p value = 0.13). The investigator compared the results of chest X-ray examinations with the results of Ct values. The results showed that the Ct values of ORF-1ab in 38 patients without pneumonia and those who were prone or have lung conditions with pneumonia (158 cases) were 24.83 (13.44-38.04) and 25.80 (15.43-38.41), respectively (p value = 0.39), and mean N-gene Ct was 21.67 (11.13-34.05) and 22.27 (12.92-34.66. ), respectively (p value = 0.58). It was concluded that Ct results were not associated with pneumonia