Epidemical and Clinical Characteristics of 165 Patients Infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Fujian Province, China

Background: The severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had infected more than 80000 Chinese since the outbreak at December 2019, subsequently spreading from Wuhan to other provinces of China. We aimed to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of the patients with COVID-19 in Fujian, China. Methods: In this retrospective, multi-center study, 165 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were enrolled in Fujian province, China from Jan 22 to Feb 16, 2020. We collected and analyzed their data on demographics, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, radiological assessments, treatment and outcome. All cases were confirmed by RT-PCR of nasopharyngeal swab specimens and final date of follow-up was February 21, 2020. Findings: Of the 165 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, the median age was 44 years (IQR 33-59·5) and 92 (55·8%) were men. Less than half (64 [38·8%]) had underlying diseases including hypertension (24 [14·5%]), diabetes (12 [8·2%]), and chronic respiratory diseases (11 [6·7%]). More than half (102 [61·8%]) patients had residing or traveling history of Wuhan and thirteen family clusters were identified. Common symptoms at onset of illness included fever (126 [76·4%]), cough (99 [60·0%]), expectoration (63 [38·2%]), and myalgia or fatigue (49 [29·7%]). Hemoptysis (three [1·8%]) and dyspnea (one [0·6%]) were less common. Lymphopenia occurred in 56 (33·9%) patients and elevated procalcitonin was observed in 23 (13·9%) patients. Bilateral pneumonia on chest CT images was found in most (138 [69·2%]) patients and no abnormality in four (2·4%) patients with mild disease. Non-severe cases accounted for a large proportion (137 [83·0%]) while severe (23 [13·9%]) and critically ill (5 [3·0%]) patients complicated with acute respiratory syndrome were relatively less. The median incubation time was 7·0 (IQR 4·0 -12·0) days. At the end of follow-up, 80 (48·5%) patients had been discharged, one died (0·6%), and the median hospital stay was 17·0 (IQR 13·0-20·0) days. Interpretation: During late January to mid-February 2020, patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 were mostly non-severe with mild to moderated symptoms in Fujian province and the mortality rate (0·6%) was significantly lower than that in Wuhan. Older patients (>65 years) were more likely to progress as severe cases of COVID-19 than the young (18-65 years).Funding Statement: This work is funded by the Science and technology plan project of Fujian province (2020Y01090006).Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.Ethics Approval Statement: This study was approved by ethical committee in Zhongshan Hospital, Xiamen Branch, Fudan University. In light of the urgent need to collect data, the requirement for informed consent was waived.