SARS-CoV-2 Infection Epidemiology Changes During Three Years of Pandemic in a Region in Central India

Background: The surge in COVID-19 cases during the pandemic created a disease burden. An epidemiological study on COVID-19 is required as not much is known about the impact of containment and mitigation on health. We aimed to compare the epidemiological features during the years of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Vidarbha region in Maharashtra, India, to understand the epidemiology changes throughout the pandemic’s progression. Method: All of the cases reported at our testing centers in Nagpur and its periphery during the three years of the pandemic (i.e., from February 2020 to December 2022) were included. Descriptive analyses of variables of interest and statistical measures were compared. Results: There were 537,320 tests recorded during the study period. Of these, 13,035 (13.29%), 42,909 (13.70%), and 19,936 (15.91%) tested positive in 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively. Hospitalization decreased from 2020 to 2022. An age group shift from 45 to 16–30 years over the pandemic was noticed. Seasonally, positivity peaked in September (27.04%) in 2020, in April (43.4%) in 2021, and in January in 2022 (35.30%). The estimated case fatality ratio was highest in 2021 (36.68%) over the three years in the hospital setting. Conclusion: Understanding the changing epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 strengthens our perceptive of this disease, which will aid in improving the healthcare system in terms of both controlling and preventing the spread of COVID-19.