Epidemiological Analysis of COVID-19 Outbreaks in Wuhu, China, from January to March 2020

Background: COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has spread worldwide and become a global pandemic. Objectives: Studies of the earliest events of the COVID-19 pandemic are critical in understanding how the pandemic started and providing insight into the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and its infection in humans. Methods: In this report, we studied the epidemiological characteristics of all 34 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wuhu, China, from January 3 to March 19, 2020. Results: Our study indicated that cases in male patients (61.76%, 21/34) outnumbered those in female patients (38.24%, 13/34). Studies of the age distribution revealed that most COVID-19 patients were 15 to 59 years of age (26/34, 76%), while more than 14% (5/34) were >= 60 years old, and less than 9% (3/34) were <= 14 years old. Notably, 32 of the 34 confirmed cases were (a) people who had recently resided in or traveled to Wuhan or had close contact with Wuhan residents or visitors (22 cases); and(b) people who had close contact with these 22 confirmed COVID-19 patients (10 cases). Conclusions: This study revealed the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 outbreaks in Wuhu between January and March 2020 and provided insight into the earliest events of the COVID-19 pandemic out of Wuhan in China. Our analyses suggested that the COVID-19 cases confirmed in Wuhu from January to March 2020 were directly related to or originated from the outbreaks in Wuhan.