Tuo Ji1, Hai-Lian Chen2, Jing Xu3, Ling-Ning Wu1, Jie-Jia Li4, Kai Chen4, Gang Qin5,6. 1. Department of Internal Medicine, Huangshi Youse Hospital affiliated to College of Arts & Science of Jianghan University, Huangshi, China. 2. Huangshi Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Huangshi, China. 3. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Huangshi Maternity and Children's Health Hospital, Huangshi, China. 4. Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, Nantong University, Nantong, China. 5. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Nantong University, Nantong, China. 6. Department of Infectious Diseases, Nantong Third People's Hospital, Nantong University, Nantong, China.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: To control the spread of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), China sealed Wuhan on 23 January 2020 and soon expanded lockdown to 12 other cities in Hubei province. We aimed to describe the epidemiological characteristics in one of the cities and highlight the effect of current implemented lockdown and nonpharmaceutical interventions. METHODS: We retrieved data of reported cases in Huangshi and Wuhan from publicly available disease databases. Local epidemiological data on suspected or confirmed cases in Huangshi were collected through field investigation. Epidemic curves were constructed with data on reported and observed cases. RESULTS: The accumulated confirmed COVID-19 cases and fatality in Huangshi were reported to be 1015 and 3.74%, respectively, compared with 50006 and 5.08% in Wuhan until 27 March 2020. Right after 24 January, the epidemic curve based on observed cases in Huangshi became flattened. And 1 February 2020 was identified as the "turning point" as the epidemic in Huangshi faded soon afterward. COVID-19 epidemic was characterized by mild cases in Huangshi, accounting for 82.66% of total cases. Moreover, 50 asymptomatic infections were identified in adults and children. In addition, we found confirmed cases in 19 familial clusters and 21 healthcare workers, supporting interhuman transmission. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reported the temporal dynamics and characteristics of the COVID-19 epidemic in Huangshi city, China, across the unprecedented intervention. Such new epidemiological inference might provide further guidance on current lockdown measures in high-risk cities and, subsequently, help improve public health intervention strategies against the pandemic on the country and global levels.
BACKGROUND: To control the spread of 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), China sealed Wuhan on 23 January 2020 and soon expanded lockdown to 12 other cities in Hubei province. We aimed to describe the epidemiological characteristics in one of the cities and highlight the effect of current implemented lockdown and nonpharmaceutical interventions. METHODS: We retrieved data of reported cases in Huangshi and Wuhan from publicly available disease databases. Local epidemiological data on suspected or confirmed cases in Huangshi were collected through field investigation. Epidemic curves were constructed with data on reported and observed cases. RESULTS: The accumulated confirmed COVID-19 cases and fatality in Huangshi were reported to be 1015 and 3.74%, respectively, compared with 50006 and 5.08% in Wuhan until 27 March 2020. Right after 24 January, the epidemic curve based on observed cases in Huangshi became flattened. And 1 February 2020 was identified as the "turning point" as the epidemic in Huangshi faded soon afterward. COVID-19 epidemic was characterized by mild cases in Huangshi, accounting for 82.66% of total cases. Moreover, 50 asymptomatic infections were identified in adults and children. In addition, we found confirmed cases in 19 familial clusters and 21 healthcare workers, supporting interhuman transmission. CONCLUSIONS: Our study reported the temporal dynamics and characteristics of the COVID-19 epidemic in Huangshi city, China, across the unprecedented intervention. Such new epidemiological inference might provide further guidance on current lockdown measures in high-risk cities and, subsequently, help improve public health intervention strategies against the pandemic on the country and global levels.
Authors: X Castro Dopico; S Muschiol; M Christian; L Hanke; D J Sheward; N F Grinberg; J Rorbach; G Bogdanovic; G M Mcinerney; T Allander; C Wallace; B Murrell; J Albert; G B Karlsson Hedestam Journal: J Intern Med Date: 2021-05-18 Impact factor: 13.068