CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Journal of Health and Allied Sciences NU 2021; 11(03): 178-187
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1726692
Original Article

Preliminary Evidence from a Cross-sectional Study on Epidemiology and Early Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19 in Karnataka State of India

Bakilapadavu Venkatraja
1   Department of Economics, Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Institute for Management Development, Mysuru, Karnataka, India
,
Gali Srilakshminarayana
2   Department of Quantitative Methods, Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Institute for Management Development, Mysuru, Karnataka, India
,
Ballamoole Krishna Kumar
3   Division of Infectious Diseases, Nitte University Centre for Science Education and Research, Nitte (deemed to be) University, Deralakatte, Mangaluru, Karnataka, India
,
Madhura Nagesh Hegde
4   Department of Information Science and Engineering, Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management, Mangaluru, Karnataka, India
,
Jayapadmini Kanchan
4   Department of Information Science and Engineering, Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management, Mangaluru, Karnataka, India
,
Ganaraj Karuvaje
4   Department of Information Science and Engineering, Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management, Mangaluru, Karnataka, India
,
Praveen Rai
3   Division of Infectious Diseases, Nitte University Centre for Science Education and Research, Nitte (deemed to be) University, Deralakatte, Mangaluru, Karnataka, India
› Author Affiliations
Zoom Image

Abstract

Introduction Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging infection and quickly disseminated around the world. This article studies the epidemiology and early transmission dynamics of COVID-19 in Karnataka, which would be useful for effective epidemic management and policy formulation.

Materials and Methods All COVID-19 cases reported in the state of Karnataka, India, till June 12, 2020, are included in the study. The epidemiology and transmission dynamics of COVID-19 in Karnataka is studied through descriptive statistical analysis.

Results The findings illustrate a gender-, age-, and region-based disparity in the susceptibility and fatality. There appears to be a male preponderance in the susceptibility, but a female preponderance in fatality. It is also found that the adults are more susceptible to the infection, while the elderly have the risk of high fatality. Further, infected individuals in the region with urbanization have a higher risk of fatality than other regions. The study shows that the chances of recovery for females are lower than males, and further, the chances of recovery are positively related to the age of the infected person. The chances of recovery are higher if the infected individual is younger and they diminish if the individual is older. The study also explores that the chances of recovery are affected by the patient’s geographical location. It is also noted that individuals who returned from foreign travel have better chances of recovery than the locally transmitted individuals.

Conclusion Though the risk of susceptibility to COVID-19 infection is equal to all, the burden of getting infected and the burden of fatality is unequally distributed among different demographic categories. To manage the contagious spread of epidemic, to reduce fatality, and to increase the chances of recovery, targeted policy actions are suggested to benefit the vulnerable demographic categories.



Publication History

Article published online:
11 May 2021

© 2021. Nitte (Deemed to be University). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Thieme Medical and Scientific Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
A-12, 2nd Floor, Sector 2, Noida-201301 UP, India