India recorded its first COVID-19 case on 30 January 2020. Though the early, extended nationwide lockdown of the country was implemented effectively, this alone was not sufficient to defeat the COVID-19 disease. Realizing the importance of the need to generate local epidemiological data through robust studies, this study was undertaken in a district Kathua of Jammu and Kashmir. The aim was to study the epidemiological profile of patients tested positive in district Kathua.Methods: Retrospective

more »

... observational study was done to find the spatial distribution of corona virus infection in the five blocks in district Kathua of Jammu and Kashmir. Data from the integrated disease surveillance project (IDSP) unit of district Kathua was screened and the epidemiological information from all the positive reports which included the total number of COVID-19 positive cases, address, travel history, contact history were extracted for the period of five months April 2020 to August 2020.Results: 929 patients were found positive for COVID-19. Male outnumbered the females. More than 58.8% of males were of age group 21-40 years and the least number of positive male cases were seen in the age group >80 years. In our study 627 (67%) had a history of travel, 202 (21%) had a history of contact with a positive patient, 100 (10%) were positive with no history of travel or contact.Conclusions: Kathua block of the district was maximally affected having the 58.7% largest number of COVID-19 positive cases with cure rate of 92.46% and case fatality rate of 0.5% was observed.