The Epidemiology Characteristics of Positive COVID-19 patients in a Caribbean Territory.

BackgroundThe purpose of the study is to determine the epidemiology of COVID-19 in a Caribbean Territory by the characterisation of patients in terms of, the numbers, socio demographics and associated co-morbidities. This comparison was done between local cases and imported cases. There have been no prior studies on COVID-19 in the Caribbean and as such this paper attempts to discuss the patterns associated with COVID-19 patients in the Caribbean. MethodsThis study determined the epidemiology of COVID-19 in a Caribbean territory using retrospective data. Analysis was performed using Excel and SPSS 22.0. ResultsThe majority of patients were female (61.9%) vs male (38.0%). The majority of the population were between 45 -64 yrs (43.4%) followed by above 65 at 28.8%. Cough was the most common presenting complaint at 44.9%, with fever being second 37.1%. The majority of female participants had a travel history at 61.9%, while males were 38.0 %. The occurrence of cough was high among both local cases (46.4%) and imported cases (47.6%). ConclusionsThese patterns can inform clinicians and other health care workers on the unique findings associated with COVID-19 positive patients especially those in the Caribbean region