Elona Kureta1, Luljeta Alla1, Rovena Daja1, Majlinda Dhimolea1, Iris Hatibi1,
Albana Fico1, Silvia Bino1
1Institute of Public Health, Tirana, Albania.
Aim: COVID-19disease is a major health problem causing severe acute respiratory illness in humans. The purpose of this study is to describe the spread of Covid -19 indifferent risk groups such as health care workers, prisoners, police force and workers in manufacturesbased on the epidemiological triad place- person-time.
Methods: This is a descriptive study. Data were obtained from the case-based Surveillance System for Covid-19 collected at the Institute of Public Health. The analysis was performed in EpiInfo 7 and Excel 2017.
Results: A total of 2947 suspected cases of Covid-19 were reported among the police force group. Confirmed cases were 1030 or 35%.They represent only 1.7 % of total cases with Covid-19 in Albania.The highest number of confirmed cases belong to Tirana with 195 cases or 19%. 36.4% of confirmed cases were reported during November. Among the prisoners, were reported 361 suspected cases with Covid-19 and only 124 or 34.3% were laboratory confirmed. The highest number of confirmed cases were from Fushe-Kruja prison 44 cases or 35.5% from total. Most of the confirmed cases were reported during December (42 cases or 34%).
A total of 2136 samples taken from manufactorieswere tested. Laboratory confirmed cases resulted 657 (30.7%).The largest number of confirmed cases belong to Kruja with 34.2% of the total followed by Gjirokastra with 10% of the casestested.
Among 9468 health care workers (HCW)tested only 2347or 44.8% are confirmed. The incidence of Covid 19 among HCW was 1020per 10.000 person. Only 22 deaths has occured during this period among them. Most of the cases were registered in MTHCC in Tirana.
Conclusions: This pandemic affected the entire population. The virus was rapidly spreading among different risk groups due to close contacts and noncompliance with the protocols. Health care workers were the most affected group mostly in Tirana as they are in close contacts with the patients with Covid-19. Vaccination, implementation of hospital infection control measures, case isolation and quarantine of all their close contactsare the main measures to prevent further spread of the disease.
Keywords:contact tracing, COVID-19, outbreak investigation, pandemic.