Laboratory-Based Surveillance of COVID-19 in South Batinah, Oman, March–July 2020

OBJECTIVE: The successful response to COVID-19 would require an effective public health surveillance and management, technical expertise, and smart mobilization of many resources. This study aimed to analyze COVID-19 epidemiological profile with respect to the changing case definitions and testing performance. METHODS: Data were extracted from the electronic notification system (Tarassud) from 1 January to 13 July 2020. The information used was primarily composed of details regarding samples, age, sex, nationality, residence and hospital admission. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were used to determine the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: A total of 20,377 COVID-19 tests were performed from 15 March to 13 July 2020. Most (4885; 87.2%) positive tests were among Omanis, and 3602 (64.3%) were in males. The median age of people tested was 30 (standard deviation 16.5) years (interquartile range 22, 38). The odds of acquiring infection increased with age. The ORs of infection for groups of 30–39, 40–49 and over 50 years of age were 2.75 (95% CI 2.42–3.13), 3.29 (95% CI 2.85–3.79) and 3.34 (95% CI 2.89–3.87), respectively. Likewise, admission rates increased with age; the ORs for the groups 40–49 and ≥ 50 years of age were 4.45 (95% CI1.35–14.67) and 16.53 (95% CI 5.18–52.75), respectively. Multivariate analysis identified Barka 1.4 (95% CI 1.33–2.27) and Al Musanaah 1.4 (95% CI 1.07–1.84) as having the highest risk of transmission. Of 5604 people with positive results, 160 (2.9%) required hospital admission, and males had higher odds of admission, with an OR of 1.5 (95% CI 1.05–2.13). The average delay in the release of test results further increased after the fourth and fifth case definitions were adopted (2.04 and 2.56 days, respectively). CONCLUSION: Age was a significant factor associated with infection and hospital admission. Transmission occurred mainly among Omanis, and Barka and Al Musanaah reported the highest rates of transmission. Prioritization of testing accessibility should continually be assessed for high-risk groups, particularly when resources become limited.