Epidemiology of COVID-19 infection in Oman: Analysis of the first 1304 cases

Objectives: We sought to identify the epidemiological characteristics of the first case series of patients with COVID-19 in Oman. Methods: We included national surveillance data of patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from 24 February to 17 April 2020. Analyses were performed using descriptive and univariate statistics. Results: Of the 1304 patients studied, the mean age was 37.0±13.0 years old, 80.3% were males, and 35.8% were Omanis. The other mostly affected nationalities were Indian (29.1%), Bangladeshi (20.0%), and Pakistani (10.7%). Out of the total, 80.1% were from the Muscat governorate. Omani patients were significantly more likely to be males than females and aged between 20 and 59 years old (p < 0.001). On presentation, 95.9% cases were mild, 3.6% moderate, and 0.5% severe. The case fatality rate was 0.5%. All deaths were from Muscat governorate; four from Mutrah, one from A'Seeb, and one from Bawshar. Conclusions: This case series provides epidemiological characteristics as well as the early outcomes of patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19.