Clinical outcomes of hospitalised COVID-19 patients at Mthatha Regional Hospital, Eastern Cape, South Africa: A retrospective study

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of confirmed COVID-19 patients in the early months of the pandemic in Tanzania: a multicenter cohort study

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Data on COVID-19 in Tanzania are scant

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Clinical outcomes for 121 patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 were examined

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Three-quarters of all COVID-19 patients were aged < 60 years

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High ICU admission rates and death rates were observed

Background

A prospective cohort study of the clinical presentations and management outcomes of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients in the early months of the pandemic was performed at two hospitals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Methods

Between April 1 and May 31, 2020, laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients seen at two tertiary facilities were consecutively enrolled in the study and followed up for 21 days.

Results

121 COVID-19 patients were enrolled; 112 (92.6%) were admitted while nine (7.4%) were seen as outpatients. The median (IQR) age of patients was 41 (30–54) years; 72 (59.5%) were male. The median (IQR) reported days from hospital admission to recovery and to death were 10 (6–18) and 5.5 (3–9), respectively. Forty-four (36.4%) patients had at least one underlying condition. Of the 112 admissions, 17 (15.2%) went to ICU, of whom 14 (82.3%) died. At the end of follow-up, 93 (76.9%) recovered, 18 (14.9%) died, seven (5.8%) remained asymptomatic, and one (0.8%) remained ill.

Conclusion

Three-quarters of all COVID-19 patients were less than 60 years, reflecting Africa's young population . High ICU admissions and mortality were observed.

HIV and COVID-19: review of clinical course and outcomes

Background:Understanding the relationship between HIV and SARS-CoV-2 has important public health implications.Objective:To summarize current research on COVID-19 among people with HIV (PWH) as published through 15 July 2021.Methods: We conducted a search of PubMed, Scopus, preprint databases (medRxiv, bioRxiv), and the references of publications found using key terms relevant to COVID-19 ('COVID-19' OR 'SARS-CoV-2' OR 'coronavirus') AND to HIV ('HIV' OR 'Human Immunodeficiency Virus' OR 'AIDS' OR 'Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome'). We summarized all articles that reported data or opinions on SARS-CoV-2 and HIV coinfection.Conclusions: Although many initial case series and cohort studies found no increased risk for SARS-CoV-2 infection or severe COVID-19 outcomes among PWH, recent studies have signaled an increased risk for severe COVID-19 disease progression even in the setting of well-controlled HIV. Whether this is due to the increased prevalence of comorbidities in PWH and other social determinants of health is unknown. These conflicting findings highlight the continued need for COVID-19 related research among PWH that addresses COVID-19 disease course as well as exacerbation of existing comorbidities already disproportionately represented among PWH.