The situation of detecting COVID-19 virus variants and clinical symptoms of infected patients at Nakornping Hospital, Chiang Mai during 2021–2023
Keywords:
Coronavirus 2019, COVID-19 virus strain, severe symptoms, mutationAbstract
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has a variable incubation period and severity of infection, depending on the virus's mutations. Infected individuals may experience no symptoms or only mild symptoms, while others may develop severe symptoms, potentially leading to death.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the SARS-CoV-2 strains, trends in clinical symptoms, and severity levels among individuals infected with various strains circulating in Chiang Mai Province.
Method: A retrospective analysis of medical records, laboratory databases, and information systems for 357 COVID-19 patients with confirmed variant identification and documented symptom histories at Nakornping Hospital from June 2021 to August 2023.
Results: The Alpha variant of COVID-19 was detected before June 2021 and disappeared by November 2021. The Delta variant emerged in June 2021 and disappeared by May 2022. The Omicron variant was first detected in December 2021 and remains present to date. When analyzing symptoms, the five most common symptoms among infected individuals were fever (45%), cough (43%), sore throat (33%), headache (18%), and runny nose (18%). Patients infected with the Omicron variant exhibited more severe symptoms compared to those with the Alpha and Delta variants, with mortality rates of 26.8%, 9%, and 9%, respectively. Additionally, the Omicron variant has undergone mutations resulting in subvariants with varying severity based on mutation sites. The BA.2 subvariant was particularly severe, with a high mortality rate of 34%. Over time, the Omicron variant continued to mutate, especially in the latter part of 2023, during which the number of COVID-19 infections detected decreased.
Conclusion: Alpha, Delta, and Omicron strains were identified as spreading in Chiang Mai province. Most infected individuals experienced symptoms such as fever, cough, headache, runny nose, and sore throat. The BA.2 substrains of Omicron were associated with a higher risk of death compared to other strains.
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