[Clinical progression of the first wave of novel coronavirus infection in Ostrava]

The first case of coronavirus infection in the Moravian-Silesian Region was diagnosed on March 12, 2020. The study aimed to describe the first wave and clinical manifestation of the coronavirus epidemic at the Department of Infectious Diseases in Ostrava.

The sample comprised a total of 195 patients requiring hospitalization at the Department of Infectious Diseases in Ostrava between March 1 and August 31, 2020. The virus was diagnosed using polymerase chain reaction from nasopharyngeal swabs in 192 patients and from the bronchoalveolar lavage in one patient. In the other two patients, serological tests were applied using virus neutralization assays and ELISA specific antibodies.

The sample included 100 men and 95 women. The mean age was 69.5 years. The most common diagnosis was pneumonia, observed in 123 patients (63 %). Respiratory symptoms without pneumonia were seen in 37 patients (19 %); loss of smell and taste in 14 patients (7 %); cardiovascular complications in 9 patients (5 %); acute psychosis in 2 patients (1 %); and diarrhea and vomiting in 25 patients (13 %). The remaining 23 patients (12 %) did not present any symptoms. The mean length of hospital stay was 11 days. The most frequent comorbidity was cardiovascular disease (70 %). A total of 39 patients died (20 %); their mean age was 77 years. Mechanical ventilation was started in 16 patients, of whom 7 died (43 %). The treatment was mostly symptomatic. Hydroxychloroquine was administered to 21 patients (11 %), favipiravir to 26 patients (13 %) and remdesivir to 13 patients (6 %).

Respiratory complications predominated in the majority of patients with coronavirus infection. In most cases, the treatment was symptomatic. One-fifth of the patients, mostly elderly ones, died.