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Published on: November 10, 2023
Trends in COVID-19: Incidence, mortality, and case fatality in Iraq
Nagham A Mawlood1, Riyadh K Lafta1
1From the Ministry of Health (Mawlood), from the Family and Community Medicine Department (Lafta), College of Medicine, Mustansiriya University, Baghdad, Iraq, and from the Global Health Department (Lafta), University of Washington, Seattle, United States of America.
Objectives:
To detect the epidemiological trend of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) in Iraq, the distribution of cases by age, gender, and governorates, and to assess its burden on the health system by estimating morbidity and mortality rates.
Methods:
This biometric study was carried out in 2021. The distribution, incidence, mortality, and case fatality rates in a 17-month period was sketched in a biometric design. A semi-structured questionnaire was distributed to a number of decision makers in the Ministry of Health regarding health system challenges that have been faced during this pandemic.
Results:
More than half (55.1%) of the cases were among males, and 67.5% were in the age group 30-60 years. Mortality was also predominant among males (62.7%), and 50.0% of the deaths were in the age group >50 years. The predominant age group for both genders was 30-60 years. Case fatality rate was 1.2%; again higher among males (1.3% versus 1.1%).
Conclusion:
The trend of COVID-19 in Iraq showed 2 peaks, August-October 2020 and March-July 2021, with males being more affected by morbidity, mortality, and fatality. The main challenge faced by the Iraqi health system was the rapid increase of COVID-19 cases with limited bed capacity and medical equipment.
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