Kofahi Hassan M, Khabour Omar F, Swedan Samer F, Nimer Refat M
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3030, Irbid, 22110, Jordan.
Inform Med Unlocked. 2022;32:101075. doi: 10.1016/j.imu.2022.101075. Epub 2022 Sep 6.
Understanding the dynamics of virus transmission is essential for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Demographic factors could influence transmission of the virus in different communities. Herein, the sources of COVID-19 infection in Jordan were explored. In addition, the effects of demographic factors and the adherence to preventive measures on household transmission were investigated.
The study recruited Jordanian adults who recovered from COVID-19 from March to July 2021. Using a questionnaire, information about participants' demographics, level of adherence to personal protective measures, and their perceived source of COVID-19 infection were collected. Crosstabs were used to test for differences in household transmission ratios between different demographic variables. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict risk factors for household transmission.
The study recruited a total of 2313 participants. Household transmission was the most frequently reported source of infection (44.9%). Other sources of transmission were work/education related (16.0%), friends (8.6%), healthcare facilities (4.8%), social/event gathering (3.1%), shopping activities (2.2%), and public transport (1.6%). Significantly higher ratios of household transmission were reported by older adults (>60 years), college/university students, and female participants. No significant difference in household transmission was found between low-income and medium-high income groups. A significant increase in household transmission ratios was found with increased adherence to mask-wearing and social distancing. This could be a reflection of the reduced risk of community transmission with increased adherence to these preventive measures, coupled with the difficulty in adhering to these measures within the household setting. In multivariate logistic regression, females, young adults (18-30 years), older adults (>60 years), and those who adhere to mask-wearing most of the time were associated with an increased risk of infection in the household setting.
The results reported in the current study provided an insight into the transmission dynamics of the virus in Jordan, as an example of the MENA region. These findings could be invaluable for the future design of public health policies to control COVID-19 and possibly future pandemics.
了解病毒传播动态对于控制新冠疫情至关重要。人口统计学因素可能会影响病毒在不同社区的传播。在此，对约旦新冠病毒感染源进行了探索。此外，还研究了人口统计学因素以及对预防措施的遵守情况对家庭传播的影响。
该研究招募了2021年3月至7月从新冠中康复的约旦成年人。通过问卷调查收集了参与者的人口统计学信息、个人防护措施的遵守程度以及他们认为的新冠病毒感染源。使用交叉表检验不同人口统计学变量之间家庭传播率的差异。采用逻辑回归分析预测家庭传播的危险因素。
该研究共招募了2313名参与者。家庭传播是最常报告的感染源（44.9%）。其他传播源包括工作/教育相关（16.0%）、朋友（8.6%）、医疗机构（4.8%）、社交/活动聚会（3.1%）、购物活动（2.2%）和公共交通（1.6%）。老年人（>60岁）、大学生和女性参与者报告的家庭传播率显著更高。低收入和中等高收入群体之间的家庭传播没有显著差异。随着对戴口罩和保持社交距离的遵守程度增加，家庭传播率显著上升。这可能反映出随着对这些预防措施的遵守程度提高，社区传播风险降低，同时在家庭环境中遵守这些措施存在困难。在多变量逻辑回归中，女性、年轻人（18 - 30岁）、老年人（>60岁）以及大部分时间都戴口罩的人在家庭环境中感染风险增加。
本研究报告的结果为作为中东和北非地区一个例子的约旦病毒传播动态提供了见解。这些发现对于未来设计控制新冠疫情及可能的未来大流行的公共卫生政策可能具有重要价值。
