Prevalence and Otorhinological Symptoms of People with COVID-19 in Rivers State

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has dramatically spread all over the world, crossing the borders of all countries. It is presented mainly by lower respiratory tract symptoms such as fever, cough, dyspnea, and chest tightness. However, COVID-19 causes different upper respiratory tract-related symptoms including nasal congestion, sore throat, and olfactory dysfunction. Therefore, this study was aimed to evaluate the Prevalence and otorhinologic / Ear Nose and Throat ( ENT) Symptomatology of Individual with COVID-19 in Rivers State. The study was a prospective descriptive study of all consenting patients who received care through hospitals, designated for COVID-19 treatment in Rivers State. A total number of 2223 Samples consisting of 137 (6.16%) symptomatic and 2086 asymptomatic (93.84%) were taken in accordance with Nigerian protocol for samples collection and PCR Diagnosis for SARS COV-2. The age, sex, date onset of symptoms, and date of sample collection were documented. A diagnosis of COVID-19 infection was made according to the guidance developed by the NCDC using multiplex RT‑PCR which identified the E‑gene, RDRP‑gene, and N-gene using GeneFinder by Osang Korea. Results revealed that out of the total number of 2223 patients tested 206 were positive of COVID-19 and 2017 (91%) were tested negative. Out 206 positive cases recorded 110 patients were with symptoms, the most frequent recorded ENT manifestations were dry cough and fever (24.5%), loss of smell (24.5%), Difficulty in Breathing (11.8%),Headache (10.9%), Sore throat (7.3%), Nasal congestion (6.5%),,Loss of taste (6.4%),Sneezing (3.6%), dizziness (2.7%), and running nose (1.8%). The study has shown that the prevalence of COVID-19 among symptomatic and asymptomatic patients in the study location is high and a cause of epidemiologic concern as asymptomatic patients contribute a significant burden and carriers of COVID-19 infections. The study also revealed that ENT syndrome is the major symptoms associated with Covid 19.