An assessment of COVID-19 infectivity and fatality: Meta-analysis study

This study, which is carried out using the meta-analysis method, which is at the highest level among evidence-based studies, is a research that examines the effect size of the infectivity and fatality of the Covid-19 virus that shook the whole world. A comprehensive literature search (Pubmed, Medline, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, ProQuest, Ulakbim, Ministry of Health, YÖK, WHO Global Index) was conducted between December 2019 and December 2020, which is stated to be the first in the world. Selection criteria for the study were determined. Twenty-one studies meeting the selection criteria were included in the study. The articles analyzed in the study were coded by two independent coders, and the methodological quality of the studies to be included in the study was evaluated using the "Jadad score" and the "Newcastle Ottawa Criterion (NOS)". Studies of medium and high quality were included in the study. Version 3 of the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) program was used to analyze the data. When we evaluated the results of the Meta-Analysis, the effect size of our study on Covid-19 infectivity and fatality was calculated as (d=0.092; p=0.000). According to Cohen (1988), studies have high effect sizes and are heterogeneous. According to the results of the moderator analysis of the subgroup data to investigate heterogeneity, age, gender, clinical findings and comorbidity were found to be a moderator for the mean effect size (p <0.05). In this context, it was determined that Covid-19 infectivity and fatality were significant and effective with demographic features, clinical picture and comorbidity. Since this study is a stuy that covers the first year of the pandemic using the meta-analysis method in the field of nursing in global public health prombelms such as pandemics, it is thought that it will guide the studies to be done by using a wider time frame, by adding studies conducted in wider age categories and in different countries.