ALAMA COVID-19 MEDICAL RISK ASSESSMENT TOOL KOSOVO DEMOGRAPHIC EXPERIENCE

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the newly discovered Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Aim: In our study, we aimed to present the Kosovo’s COVID-19 pandemic experience using the ALAMA COVID-19 Medical Risk Assessment tool to evaluate overall vulnerability as а part of the health assessment of fitness for work related to gender and age groups. Material and methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted during a period of two years (2020-2021) on a national sample of 200 patients with COVID-19 treated at the Clinical Center in Prishtina, Republic of Kosovo. All patients had a confirmed COVID-19 positive status by RC-PCR test. Results: The average vulnerability of ALAMA COVID-19 Medical Risk Assessment score in the study group of patients was 46.42±19.92, with min/max of 20/85, and 50% of the patients had an ALAMA COVID-19 score of ≤43 (low vulnerability), with a median IQR = 43 (28-65). The average ALAMA COVID-19 score was higher in males compared to females: 50.21±20.09 vs. 42.74±19.14, respectively. Approximately 25% of males had an ALAMA COVID-19 score >70 (high vulnerability) compared to 25% of females with a score > 57 (moderate vulnerability). The ALAMA COVID-19 Medical Risk Assessment tool showed significantly higher vulnerability in male compared to female patients (p=0.0065). Discussion: The ALAMA COVID-19 Medical Risk Assessment tool showed significantly higher vulnerability in male compared to female patients.