RESUMO
Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 epidemic in Huangpu District of Shanghai, and to provide scientific evidence for prevention and control of COVID-19. Methods Descriptive statistics were used to study the suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 reported from January 21 through March 10, 2020 in Huangpu District, Shanghai. Results A total of 120 suspected cases of COVID-19 were reported, of which 12 were diagnosed and 108 were excluded.The first confirmed case was reported on January 21, and the last case was on February 10; the majority (11/12) of the confirmed cases were reported from January 21 through February 1.The average duration of time from the symptom onset to the first medical visit was 2.6 days, whereas the average duration from the first medical visit to the hospital diagnosis was 2.2 days.There were 15 suspected cases with a confirmed history of residence or tourism in Wuhan, in which 6 were confirmed cases.Moreover, 5 suspected cases had a confirmed history of contact with other confirmed cases, in which 3 were confirmed cases.Thus, exposure in Wuhan and exposure to confirmed cases were the most significant risk factors at this stage of the epidemic. Conclusion The 12 cases identified in Huangpu District of Shanghai are all adults, half of whom had confirmed history of exposure in Wuhan.The first cluster of COVID-19 cases in Shanghai is documented in Huangpu District.Epidemiological investigation reveals that the confirmed cases might be infectious the day before the symptom onset.