@article{article_1557681, title={Prevalence of COVID-19 during 2021 in Prishtina, Kosovo: a population-based cross-sectional study}, journal={Turkish Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care}, volume={19}, pages={106–115}, year={2025}, DOI={10.21763/tjfmpc.1557681}, author={Bojaj, Gazmend and Lama, Arber and Zhubi, Esra and Halili, Rrezart and Gashi, Bujar and Hoxha, Teuta and Kamberi, Agron and Hoti, Nexhmedin and Basha, Vlora and Berisha, Visar and et al.}, keywords={COVID-19, pandemi, prevalans, semptomlar, test}, abstract={Background: The global crisis of COVID-19 (Coronavirus disease 2019) has prompted comprehensive research into its impact, with studies uncovering varied occurrence and mortality rates. This study seeks to determine the prevalence of COVID-19 amongst the overall population based on self-reported symptoms and testing while also examining the association of prevalence with demographic, health, and epidemiological factors. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out with citizens of Prishtina, the capital city of Kosovo from May to June 2021. We calculated the prevalence of self-reported COVID-19 symptoms and positive tests among the citizens, as well as crude and adjusted ORs examining the association of COVID-19 infection with explanatory factors, including the protection and exposure coefficient.
Results: A total of 654 (52.1%) out of 1255 respondents reported having experienced COVID-19 symptoms. Six hundred (47.8%) households reported having an infected family member and 44 (7.3%) households reported having a dead family member due to COVID-19. In addition, 47.2% of 3,068 household members were infected with COVID-19, and 1.5% died due to COVID-19. A total of 689 respondents underwent testing for COVID-19 and 184 (26.7%) reported positive results. For individuals who reported COVID-19 symptoms, higher odds for infection were found among urban residents (adjusted OR, 1.53; 95%CI, 1.13-2.07; p=0.006), individuals with infected household members (adjusted OR, 2.53; 95%CI, 2.00-3.20; p<0.001), higher exposure coefficient (adjusted OR, 2.20; 95%CI, 1.42-3.41; p<0.001), and existing health conditions (adjusted OR, 2.22; 95%CI, 1.50-3.27; p<0.001). For individuals who underwent COVID-19 testing, higher odds for infection were found among individuals with infected household members (adjusted OR, 3.51; 95% CI, 2.29-5.39; p<0.001). Conclusion: This study highlights the prevalence of COVID-19 in Prishtina and the significance of factors like existing health conditions, household size, epidemiologic behaviour, and the number of infected members as important determinants of COVID-19 incidence.}, number={1}, publisher={Aile Hekimliği Akademisi Derneği}, organization={The study was funded by the Municipality of Prishtina.}