The only published study that sheds light on the progress of the pandemic in Albania, authored by IPH experts, shows that during the winter of 2020-2021, the most infected age group were young people aged 25-34.
In the first place is the age group 25-35 years (20.03%), represented by active youth who is usually careless and neglects the implementation of anti-Covid measures and meanwhile becomes a source of transmission of infection to other age groups. The most infected are women (60.37%) compared to men (39.62%).
In second place is the age group over 65 years (18.97%), of which men (52.25%) and women (46.74%).
In third place, the age group 55-64 years (17.7%), of which females (56.25%) and males (43.75%).
According to the study, people of retirement age over 65 were the second largest confirmed positive age group. After the age group 25–35 years, which has an impact on the transmission chain of the infection, it can be seen that the age groups 35–44 years and 45–54 years, as two active age groups in employment, but with lower positivity, are also considered as transmitters of infection.
Experts who have tracked the pandemic in the field say in their study that there was a high infection in the age group 55-64 years, which is mainly engaged in leading public and non-public institutions. The experts stated that the infections in public and non-public institutions prove that the anti-Covid protection measures have not been properly implemented and consequently the transmission chain of the viral infection has been expanded. Pediatric and school age groups account for 0.05 to 1.13% of positive confirmations.
Collections from 600 to 2000 people in institutions became more infected
The study of epidemiologists who took the data from the field during the second wave of the pandemic noticed the spread of infections in public and private institutions that gathered many people in their premises. The most infected age group in the institutions was 45-60 years old, who were further the main chain of transmission, infecting in many cases the parents at home or even others.
According to the identified outbreaks, during epidemiological investigations and tests conducted for extended contacts, IPH experts confirmed that the prevalence was higher in public institutions that gather from 150 to 600 people and for private companies that collect from 500 up to 2,000 people.
Despite the absolute value of positive cases for men and women, the largest percentage of cases are women, in almost all age groups, says the study of IPH experts. Experts said women turned out to be more infected than men as they socialized more.
Confirmation of positive cases, especially of hotbeds in public and non-public institutions, led to the phenomenon of premature testing of extended contacts in relevant institutions, through which there were more negative results than expected. Many employees with extended contacts, receiving information on the test result as "Negative", neglected to isolate and stay in isolation, being positive after 7 days of testing from the first test.
Most are negative in the third and fourth week
IPH experts followed 25 patients from the first day of infection until complete negativity. The maximum negativity time resulted 35 days. In 85% of cases, negativity started in the fourth week or up to the fifth week for 10-12% of cases, or the end of the sixth week, for about 3-5% of cases.
IPH experts have clarified that however, a positive PCR reflects only the detection of viral RNA and does not necessarily indicate the presence of a virus with infectious capacity, due to the fact that there are many asymptomatic cases. Regarding asymptomatic, Institute of Health The public will be able to present the final analytical report after the pandemic.
However, from studies published by scientific laboratories of highly developed European and world countries, in some cases viral RNA was detected by PCR even after the 6th week of the first positive test. In some other very rare cases, positive results have been reported even after two consecutive negative tests performed 24 hours apart from one test from the other, which were evaluated as either a test error, or a reinfection, or reactivation of the virus./Monitor /
