Study of the prevalence of SARS COV-2 during the first wave of the pandemic in Kinshasa in 2020
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59228/rcst.026.v5.i1.237Keywords:
Prevalence, SARS CoV-2, First wave, City Province Kinshasa, Covid-19Abstract
Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was particularly vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic due to high population density, poor adherence to hygiene measures, and limited healthcare infrastructure. Despite ongoing awareness campaigns, misinformation and disbelief among the population contributed to increased transmission risks during the first wave. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among symptomatic individuals in Kinshasa during the first wave of COVID-19. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study from March 10 to December 31, 2020, at the Ngaliema Clinic, designated as COVID-19 treatment center. Symptomatic patients from 23 out of Kinshasa 24 communes were tested using both rapid antigen tests and GeneXpert molecular assays. Demographic and clinical data were collected and analyzed using GraphPad Prism 9 and Variant Reporter 3 software. Out of 1,914 individuals tested, the overall SARS-CoV-2 positivity rate was 23.5%. The majority of positive cases were male (sex ratio: 1.22). The most affected commune was Ngaliema (6.9%), followed by Mont-Ngafula (2.4%), while Kisenso reported the lowest prevalence (0.05%). Age was the only variable significantly associated with positivity in multivariate analysis (p < 0.001), whereas sex and district of residence were not. Among health personnel tested, 34.5% were positive, with nurses being the most affected group. The findings reveal a high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 during the first wave in Kinshasa, particularly among middle-a ged adults and healthcare workers. These results underscore the need for targeted public health interventions and sustained community education to mitigate future outbreaks.
Downloads
References
Abrigo, M.R & Love, I. (2016). Estimation de l'auto régression vectorielle du panel dans Stata. Journal de Stata, 3, 778-804.
Adam, N. Sándor, & P. Balázs G. (2020). Different mutations in SARS-CoV-2 associate with severe and mild outcome. Elsevier Ltd.12; 0924-8579/ 2020.
Arkadit Jeandria Nkodia, Nicy Carmel Bazebizonza Tchiguina, Hardy Medry Dieu-Veill Nkodia, (2020). Caractéristiques Epidémiologiques et Dynamique Spatio-Temporelle de la Pandémie à COVID-19 en République du Congo, Health Sci. Dis : Vol 21(12) pp 39-45.
B. Togola, MD, Soumaré. LC. Mariame, K. Kayembé, O. Sangho, Y, Koné, M. Koné, H. Kéita, & S, Coulibaly. (2020). Etude descriptive des cas de covid-19 en commune III de Bamako. Mali Médical, 2021, vol 36 Issue, p 61
Bonny, V. Maillard, A. Mousseaux, C. Plaçais, &L. Richier, Q. (2020). Physiopathologie d’une maladie à plusieurs visages. Rev Med Interne ;41 :375–89.
Cradic, K. Lockhart, & Moblot, P. (2020). Clinical evaluation and utilization of multiple molecular in vitro diagnostic assays for the detection of SARS‐CoV‐2. Am J Clin Pathol. 2020 ;154(2) :201‐207
F. A. Tshisekedi. (2020,24 mars). L'état d'urgence sanitaire en RDC, https://www.stopcoronavirus.rdc.info.2020
Hou, C. Chen, J. Zhou, Y. Hua, L. Yuan, & J. He, S. (2020). The effectiveness of quarantine of Wuhan city against the Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID 19): A well-mixed SEIR model analysis. J Med Virol 2020. Doi:10.1002/ jmv.25827.
Hou, H. Chen, & J. Wang, Y. (2020). Multicenter evaluation of the Cepheid Xpert Xpress SARS‐CoV‐2 assays for the detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 in oropharyngeal swab specimens. Journal Clin Microbiol. p : 55-58
Juliette Dubois, « En RDC, les débuts chaotiques de la riposte contre le coronavirus », sur lemonde.fr, 31
mars 2020 https://www.le monde.fr, article du 31 mars 2020.
Guol, S. Abenethy, AynNaser, & H. Bolay. (2020). Tempory reduction in dailygolbal CO2 during in covid 19. Virol.55, 201-2012.
Lionel Roques, Etienne, K. Klein, Julien Papaïx & Antoine Sar (2020). Using Early Data to Estimate the Actual Infection Fatality Ratio from COVID-19 in France. Biology, Vol 9, p.97
Liu, W. Wang, Q. Zhang, Q. Chen, L. Chen, J. Zhang, B. (2019). Coronavirus Disease during Pregnancy: A Case Series: 23 - 32, National library of medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2021.12.002
Moran A, Beavis KG, & Matushek SM. Detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 by use of the Cepheid Xpert Xpress SARS‐CoV‐2 and Roche cobas SARS‐CoV‐2 assays. Journal Clin Microbiol. 2020; 58(8): e00772‐20.
Mukeno, A. K., Kapend, F. M., Kamb, R., Ngoyi, J. M., Tawi, J. M.., Musuku, O., Malonga, F. K, & Luboya, O. N. (2020). Prévalence de l’infection au SRAS-CoV-2 au centre de riposte de la Gécamines-Sud à Lubumbashi. Revue de l’infirmier congolais, ISSN :2520-0844
Oumar Sangho , Allasseini Balam3, & Ousmane Boua Togola , (2020). Epidemiological profile of COVID-19 in Tombouctou region in Mali. Mali Med. 2021 ;36(2) : 51-56
Organisation Mondiale de Santé pour l’Afrique. Rapport sur la riposte stratégique à la Covid-19 dans la region Africaine de l’OMS]. Brazzaville : OMS, Afrique ; 2021 mars [cité 11 mai 2022] p.78. (012_WHO-AFRO_Strategic-Response-to-COVID-19_A4_P_V3.indd - FINAL - FR FINAL.pdf). Disponible sur : https://www.afro.who.int/sites/default/files/2021
Ricardo, Killerby, ME. Link-Gelles, R. & Haightn, SC. (2020). CDC COVID-19 Response Clinical Team: Characteristics associated with hospitalization among patients with COVID-19 - Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020; 69:790–4
Richardson S., Hirsch J.S., & Narasimhan M. (2020). Clinical Characteristics, Comorbidities, and Outcomes Among Patients With COVID-19 Hospitalized in the NYC Area. JAMA. 323(20) :67–75
Stanis Bujakera Tshiamala, « RDC : un premier cas de coronavirus détecté à Kinshasa » sur jeuneafrique.com,10 mars 2020. https://www. jeuneafrique.com.2020
Scohy, Anathanaph, M. Boders, & J.C Yombi. (2020). Rapid antigène detection test for covid 19. Biology, Vol 4, p.88-94
Smithgall, MC. Scherberkova I. Whittier, & S. Green, DA. Comparison of Cepheid Xpert Xpress and Abbott ID Now to Roche cobas for the rapid detection of SARS‐CoV‐2. Journal Clin Virol. 128 :104428.
Souleymane Coulibaly, Daly Siby, Oumar Sangho, & Ousmane Boua Togola (2020). Apport du Laboratoire au Diagnostic de la COVID-19 au Mali. Health Sciences et Disease.
Solenn de Royer (2020,16 septembre). Pandémie de la Covid-19, https://www.le monde.fr, article du 16 septembre 2020.
Wu, F. Zhao, S. Yu, B. Chen, Y-M. Wang, & W. Song, Z-G. (2020). A new coronavirus associated with human respiratory disease in China. Nature; Biology p. 579- 582
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Baleka et al.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
