Mariam Murad, Stephen L Atkin, Pearl Wasif, Alwaleed Abdulaziz Behzad, Aamal M J Abdulla Husain, Roisin Leahy, Florence Lefebvre d'Hellencourt, Jean Joury, Mohamed Abdel Aziz, Srinivas Rao Valluri, Hammam Haridy, Julia Spinardi, Moe H Kyaw, Manaf Al-Qahtani
{"title":"Burden of acute and long-term COVID-19: a nationwide study in Bahrain.","authors":"Mariam Murad, Stephen L Atkin, Pearl Wasif, Alwaleed Abdulaziz Behzad, Aamal M J Abdulla Husain, Roisin Leahy, Florence Lefebvre d'Hellencourt, Jean Joury, Mohamed Abdel Aziz, Srinivas Rao Valluri, Hammam Haridy, Julia Spinardi, Moe H Kyaw, Manaf Al-Qahtani","doi":"10.3389/fpubh.2025.1539453","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may lead to long-term sequelae. This study aimed to understand the acute and post-acute burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection and to identify high-risk groups for post-COVID-19 conditions (PCC).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A retrospective observational study of the Bahraini population was conducted between 1 May 2021 and 30 April 2023, utilizing the national administrative database. PCC cases were defined according to WHO guidelines. All COVID-19 cases were confirmed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of 13,067 COVID-19 cases, 12,022 of them experienced acute COVID-19, and 1,045 of them developed PCC. Individuals with PCC tended to be older women with risk factors and instances of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. The incidence rates per 100,000 individuals during the Alpha pandemic surge (2020), Delta pandemic surge (2021), and Omicron pandemic surge (2022) were 2.2, 137.2, and 222.5 for acute COVID-19, and 0.27, 10.5, and 19.3, respectively, for PCC cases. The death rates per 100,000 individuals during the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron pandemic surges were 3, 112, and 76, respectively, for acute COVID-19 and 1, 10, and 8, respectively, for PCC. The death rate was highest among those aged 65 and older during the Delta pandemic surge.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings suggest the need for a timely national vaccination program prior to new COVID-19 surges to prevent complications related to SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly in the older adult and in non-older adult individuals with risk factors.</p>","PeriodicalId":12548,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Public Health","volume":"13 ","pages":"1539453"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11958954/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Frontiers in Public Health","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1539453","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may lead to long-term sequelae. This study aimed to understand the acute and post-acute burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection and to identify high-risk groups for post-COVID-19 conditions (PCC).
Methods: A retrospective observational study of the Bahraini population was conducted between 1 May 2021 and 30 April 2023, utilizing the national administrative database. PCC cases were defined according to WHO guidelines. All COVID-19 cases were confirmed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Results: Of 13,067 COVID-19 cases, 12,022 of them experienced acute COVID-19, and 1,045 of them developed PCC. Individuals with PCC tended to be older women with risk factors and instances of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection. The incidence rates per 100,000 individuals during the Alpha pandemic surge (2020), Delta pandemic surge (2021), and Omicron pandemic surge (2022) were 2.2, 137.2, and 222.5 for acute COVID-19, and 0.27, 10.5, and 19.3, respectively, for PCC cases. The death rates per 100,000 individuals during the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron pandemic surges were 3, 112, and 76, respectively, for acute COVID-19 and 1, 10, and 8, respectively, for PCC. The death rate was highest among those aged 65 and older during the Delta pandemic surge.
Conclusion: These findings suggest the need for a timely national vaccination program prior to new COVID-19 surges to prevent complications related to SARS-CoV-2 infection, particularly in the older adult and in non-older adult individuals with risk factors.
期刊介绍:
Frontiers in Public Health is a multidisciplinary open-access journal which publishes rigorously peer-reviewed research and is at the forefront of disseminating and communicating scientific knowledge and impactful discoveries to researchers, academics, clinicians, policy makers and the public worldwide. The journal aims at overcoming current fragmentation in research and publication, promoting consistency in pursuing relevant scientific themes, and supporting finding dissemination and translation into practice.
Frontiers in Public Health is organized into Specialty Sections that cover different areas of research in the field. Please refer to the author guidelines for details on article types and the submission process.