ABSTRACT
Background: This study aims to describe the dynamic characteristics of COVID-19 transmission and the public health interventions in three phases in mainland, China.Methods: The number of daily reported new confirmed cases, severe cases and asymptomatic infected cases from Jan 10 to Jul 10 was analyzed. We calculated the effective reproduction number (Rt) to reflect the dynamic characteristics of epidemic transmission and intervention effect. According to the overall guidelines for prevention and control, we divided the past six months into three phases and summarized the features of main public health interventions in each phase.Results: The daily confirmed cases and severe cases of COVID-19 mainly concentrated in the first phase and the maximum Rt reached 10.75 (95%CI: 10.26-11.24). With the society-wide efforts and joint prevention and control strategy, Rt began to decline below 1.0 from Feb 19. In the second phase, the occurrence of imported infected cases caused small fluctuations. The preventive strategy, preventing both imported cases and local spread of epidemic, was mainly taken. In the third phase, the government adopted policies to prevent imported cases and domestic re-infections, responding to the regular epidemic prevention demands. Conclusion: Social isolation, wearing masks, digital management based on community and area hierarchical control were effective public health interventions in consistent with the development of COVID-19 epidemic. The targeted dynamic interventions in different phases could provide reference for other countries and regions to deal with COVID-19.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , InfectionsABSTRACT
Background A new type of novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province. Previous investigations reported patients in Wuhan city often progressed into severe or critical and had a high mortality rate.The clinical characteristics of affected patients outside the epicenter of Hubei province are less well understood. Methods All confirmed COVID-19 case treated in the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen,from January 11, 2020 to February 6, 2020, were included in this study. We analyzed the epidemiological and clinical features of these cases to better inform patient management in normal hospital settings. Results Among the 298 confirmed cases, 233(81.5%) had been to Hubei while 42(14%) had not clear epidemiological history. Only 192(64%) cases presented with fever as initial symptom. The lymphocyte count decreased in 38% patients after admission. The number (percent) of cases classified as non-severe and severe was 240(80.6%) and 58(19.4%) respectively. Thirty-two patients (10.7%) needed ICU care. Compared to the non-severe cases, severe cases were associated with older age, underlying diseases, as well as higher levels of CRP, IL-6 and ESR. The median (IRQ) duration of positive viral test were 14(10-19). Slower clearance of virus was associated with higher risk of progression to severe clinical condition. As of February 14, 2020, 66(22.1%) patients were discharged and the overall mortality rate remains 0. Conclusions In a designated hospital outside the Hubei Province, COVID-19 patients were mainly characterized by mild symptoms and could be effectively manage by properly using the existing hospital system.