Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still a concern worldwide due to its rapid spread and enormous burden in all aspects. COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)1,2. On March 12, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic3. The pandemic has already spread to several nations throughout the world, including Indonesia. Indonesia is a middle-income country with one of the lowest per capita health expenditures in the category4. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are predicted to be affected most by the COVID-19 pandemic5. Physical distance and lockdown are nearly impossible due to the population’s poor socioeconomic standing, which is characterized by congested living circumstances, limited access to daily basic requirements (e.g., food, clean water), and reliance on daily wages. Furthermore, caring for patients with COVID-19 is difficult since already limited health-care resources are soon exhausted.
The first COVID-19 case was reported in Indonesia in 2020, until early December 2021, the total number of cases in Indonesia was approximately 4,256,687 cases with a death amounting to 143,840 people6. Since March 2020, COVID-19 cases rapidly increased which made East Java, Indonesia’s second most populous province, the epicenter of the pandemic from March to June 2020, where the highest number took place in this hospital area, Bangkalan. In response, the Indonesian government established the COVID-19 Emergency Field Hospital of Bangkalan in collaboration with the East Java Provincial Government, Regional Disaster Management Agency, and Regional Public Hospital Dr. Soetomo. This hospital was the epicenter of COVID-19 in Indonesia since the highest number of cases occurred in Bangkalan. From June 2021, the Emergency Field Hospital of Bangkalan conducted a study about the characteristics of patients with COVID-19 in Indonesia since studies are still limited.
The COVID-19 Emergency Field Hospital of Bangkalan – intended to treat a number of patients with COVID-19 with asymptomatic and mild–moderate symptoms to reduce community transmission. The study regarding the clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19 in low-resource settings such as emergency field hospitals in Indonesia was limited, and particular studies of patients with COVID-19 in the Bangkalan area had not been established to date. This report will demonstrate the clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19 in the Bangkalan area.
Clinical manifestations of COVID-19 are varied. Some patients are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms such as fever, cough, dyspnea, myalgia, and fatigue7–9. For severe cases, there are manifestations of acute respiratory distress syndrome and a combination of other complications that lead to death10,11. The characteristics of patients in this kind of emergency hospital in LMIC settings are still largely unknown, especially during the early phase of the pandemic. This study aimed to provide information regarding the clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19 infection who have been hospitalized during high surge of COVID-19 ina field hospital of Indonesia.
Author: Erwin Astha Triyono, Fenska Seipalla
