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. 2020 Apr;80(4):401-406.
doi: 10.1016/j.jinf.2020.02.018. Epub 2020 Feb 27.

Characteristics of COVID-19 infection in Beijing

Sijia Tian  1 , Nan Hu  2 , Jing Lou  1 , Kun Chen  3 , Xuqin Kang  1 , Zhenjun Xiang  2 , Hui Chen  2 , Dali Wang  4 , Ning Liu  5 , Dong Liu  6 , Gang Chen  7 , Yongliang Zhang  8 , Dou Li  2 , Jianren Li  2 , Huixin Lian  1 , Shengmei Niu  1 , Luxi Zhang  1 , Jinjun Zhang  9
Affiliations

Characteristics of COVID-19 infection in Beijing

Sijia Tian et al. J Infect. 2020 Apr.

Abstract

Background: Since the first case of a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) infection pneumonia was detected in Wuhan, China, a series of confirmed cases of the COVID-19 were found in Beijing. We analyzed the data of 262 confirmed cases to determine the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 in Beijing.

Methods: We collected patients who were transferred by Beijing Emergency Medical Service to the designated hospitals. The information on demographic, epidemiological, clinical, laboratory test for the COVID-19 virus, diagnostic classification, cluster case and outcome were obtained. Furthermore we compared the characteristics between severe and common confirmed cases which including mild cases, no-pneumonia cases and asymptomatic cases, and we also compared the features between COVID-19 and 2003 SARS.

Findings: By Feb 10, 2020, 262 patients were transferred from the hospitals across Beijing to the designated hospitals for special treatment of the COVID-19 infected by Beijing emergency medical service. Among of 262 patients, 46 (17.6%) were severe cases, 216 (82.4%) were common cases, which including 192 (73.3%) mild cases, 11(4.2%) non-pneumonia cases and 13 (5.0%) asymptomatic cases respectively. The median age of patients was 47.5 years old and 48.5% were male. 192 (73.3%) patients were residents of Beijing, 50 (26.0%) of which had been to Wuhan, 116 (60.4%) had close contact with confirmed cases, 21 (10.9%) had no contact history. The most common symptoms at the onset of illness were fever (82.1%), cough (45.8%), fatigue (26.3%), dyspnea (6.9%) and headache (6.5%). The median incubation period was 6.7 days, the interval time from between illness onset and seeing a doctor was 4.5 days. As of Feb 10, 17.2% patients have discharged and 81.7% patients remain in hospital in our study, the fatality of COVID-19 infection in Beijing was 0.9%.

Interpretation: On the basis of this study, we provided the ratio of the COVID-19 infection on the severe cases to the mild, asymptomatic and non-pneumonia cases in Beijing. Population was generally susceptible, and with a relatively low fatality rate. The measures to prevent transmission was very successful at early stage, the next steps on the COVID-19 infection should be focused on early isolation of patients and quarantine for close contacts in families and communities in Beijing.

Funding: Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission and Ministry of Science and Technology.

Keywords: 2019-nCoV; Beijing; COVID-19; Characteristics.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest All authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig. 1
Change of imported cases. *A patient who have been to Wuhan; B patient who have contacted to symptomatic cases.
Fig 2
Fig. 2
. Patients flow and enrollment.
Fig 3
Fig. 3
Top 10 provinces in China for accumulative COVID-19 cases. A. Daily new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and SARS in China; B. Accumulated confirmed case of COVID-19 and SARS in China.
Fig 4
Fig. 4
Comparison of COVID-19 and 2003 SARS in China.
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