COVID-19 Infection Rate and Cofactor in Non-Patients under Investigation: Rethinking the COVID-19 Screening Policy COVID-19 Infection Rate in Non-PUIs
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine the infection rate and cofactors of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in individuals who are not patients under investigation (non-PUIs) at a tertiary hospital.
METHODS: In this cross-sectional descriptive study conducted between October 2022 and April 2023, the infection rate of COVID-19 in non-PUIs was determined, and the general characteristics, underlying diseases, occupations, number of vaccinations, and signs and symptoms were studied.
RESULTS: The infection rate in non-PUIs was 9.9% (n = 31), and 90.1% (n = 282) were negative. The signs and symptoms significantly associated with COVID-19 positivity were fever (odds ratio (OR) 22.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.26-94.68), malaise (OR 19.10, 95% CI 8.10-45.06), myalgia (OR 16.61, 95% CI 6.14-44.95), sore throat (OR 11.71, 95% CI 4.62-29.67), tiredness (OR 10.00, 95% CI 4.26-23.42), headache (OR 7.94, 95% CI 3.55-17.77), diarrhea (OR 7.42, 95% CI 3.02-18.23), cough (OR 7.39, 95% CI 3.17-17.21), rhinorrhea (OR 6.40, 95% CI 2.82-14.49), phlegm (OR 3.94, 95% CI 1.81-8.58), and vaccination with 0-2 shots (OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.01-4.90). Anosmia (OR 1.67, 95% CI 0.54-5.18), rash (OR 1.86, 95% CI 0.72-4.92), and dizziness (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.36-3.28) were not significantly associated (p > 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Symptom-based screening among pre-admission patients not meeting PUI criteria may help detect overlooked COVID-19 cases. Key symptoms associated with infection included fever, cough, sore throat, phlegm, and myalgia. Additionally, individuals who received fewer than three vaccine doses had higher infection rates. These findings support the need to refine screening protocols to include clinical and vaccination risk factors in non-PUI populations.
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