[The New England Journal of Medicine] Clinical Characteristics of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in China

28/02/2020

The New England Journal of Medicine, 28 Feb 2020

Wei-jie Guan, Ph.D., Zheng-yi Ni, M.D., Yu Hu, M.D., Wen-hua Liang, Ph.D., Chun-quan Ou, Ph.D., Jian-xing He, M.D., Lei Liu, M.D., Hong Shan, M.D., Chun-liang Lei, M.D., David S.C. Hui, M.D., Bin Du, M.D., Lan-juan Li, M.D., Guang Zeng, M.Sc., Kwok-Yung Yuen, Ph.D., Ru-chong Chen, M.D., Chun-li Tang, M.D., Tao Wang, M.D., Ping-yan Chen, M.D., Jie Xiang, M.D., Shi-yue Li, M.D., Jin-lin Wang, M.D., Zi-jing Liang, M.D., Yi-xiang Peng, M.D., Li Wei, M.D., Yong Liu, M.D., Ya-hua Hu, M.D., Peng Peng, M.D., Jian-ming Wang, M.D., Ji-yang Liu, M.D., Zhong Chen, M.D., Gang Li, M.D., Zhi-jian Zheng, M.D., Shao-qin Qiu, M.D., Jie Luo, M.D., Chang-jiang Ye, M.D., Shao-yong Zhu, M.D., and Nan-shan Zhong, M.D. for the China Medical Treatment Expert Group for Covid-19

**Figure 1. Distribution of Patients with Covid-19 across China.**

Highlights:

Data regarding 1099 patients with laboratory-confirmed Covid-19 from 552 hospitals in 30 provinces as selected cohort of patients throughout China.
A total of 3.5% were health care workers, and a history of contact with wildlife was documented in 1.9%; 483 patients (43.9%) were residents of Wuhan
Among the patients who lived outside Wuhan, 72.3% had contact with residents of Wuhan, including 31.3% who had visited the city; 25.9% of nonresidents had neither visited the city nor had contact with Wuhan residents.
The median incubation period was 4 days (interquartile range, 2 to 7). The median age of the patients was 47 years (interquartile range, 35 to 58)
Fever was present in 43.8% of the patients on admission but developed in 88.7% during hospitalization. The second most common symptom was cough (67.8%). Fever and cough were the dominant symptoms and gastrointestinal symptoms were uncommon.
On admission, The degree of severity of Covid-19 was categorized as nonsevere in 926 patients and severe in 173 patients. Severe illness occurred in 15.7% of the patients after admission to a hospital. Patients with severe disease were older than those with nonsevere disease by a median of 7 years.
Despite the number of deaths associated with Covid-19, SARS-CoV-2 appears to have a lower case fatality rate than either SARS-CoV or Middle East respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus (MERS-CoV)

Full text

Epidemic likely to persist all year, HKU professor Yuen Kwok-yung says containment will not wipe out virus