Research Information System
Current Journal of Medical Research, vol.2, no.3, pp.8-14, 2022 (Peer-Reviewed Journal)
Objective: Following the emergence of the first cases in Wuhan, China,
in late December 2019, the World Health Organization declared the
Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) a pandemic which affected the
entire world and continues to have an impact. This research aimed to
contribute to the epidemiological and present guideline data of the pandemic
by evaluating the COVID-19 RT-PCR test results.
Material and Methods: The results of the SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR
test, which were studied in the Microbiology Laboratory of the Izmir Katip
Celebi University Ataturk Training and Research Hospital between
14.09.2020-30.06.2021, were retrospectively analyzed according to the
months and reasons for admission(probable case, pre-operative screening).
Results: The total of probable cases and pre-operative tests was
140.249. The ratio of females to males in test requests was 48.4%/51.6%.
The test request rates by age groups were 2.1%, 64.2%, and 33.7% for
0-18 years, 19-50 years, and 51-99 years, respectively. November 2020,
December 2020, and April 2021 were the months with the highest number
of test requests. The rates of positive results from probable cases and
pre-operative tests examined in these months were 26.8%, 25.7%, and
16.5%, respectively. The test positivity rate for probable case testing was
19.3% (21.300/110.381), and the positivity rate for female and male cases
was 49.5/50.5% (10.546/10.754). The test positivity rate in asymptomatic
cases, tested pre-operatively per screening rules in the pre-operative period,
was 4% (1.200/29.868), and the test positivity rate of pre-operative
positivity for females and males was 51.6/48.4% (619/584) respectively.
As a result of analyzing the ten-month period in our region, COVID-19
infection is more common in males and the age range of 19-50 years, and
it also spreads faster in November and April.
Conclusion: An important point to be considered to prevent the spread
of infection during the pandemic process is the follow-up of asymptomatic
cases.