Back to Search
Start Over
Epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 cases and estimates of the reproductive numbers 1 month into the epidemic, Italy, 28 January to 31 March 2020.
- Source :
-
Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin [Euro Surveill] 2020 Dec; Vol. 25 (49). - Publication Year :
- 2020
-
Abstract
- BackgroundOn 20 February 2020, a locally acquired coronavirus disease (COVID-19) case was detected in Lombardy, Italy. This was the first signal of ongoing transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the country. The number of cases in Italy increased rapidly and the country became the first in Europe to experience a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak.AimOur aim was to describe the epidemiology and transmission dynamics of the first COVID-19 cases in Italy amid ongoing control measures.MethodsWe analysed all RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to the national integrated surveillance system until 31 March 2020. We provide a descriptive epidemiological summary and estimate the basic and net reproductive numbers by region.ResultsOf the 98,716 cases of COVID-19 analysed, 9,512 were healthcare workers. Of the 10,943 reported COVID-19-associated deaths (crude case fatality ratio: 11.1%) 49.5% occurred in cases older than 80 years. Male sex and age were independent risk factors for COVID-19 death. Estimates of R <subscript>0</subscript> varied between 2.50 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.18-2.83) in Tuscany and 3.00 (95% CI: 2.68-3.33) in Lazio. The net reproduction number R <subscript>t</subscript> in northern regions started decreasing immediately after the first detection.ConclusionThe COVID-19 outbreak in Italy showed a clustering onset similar to the one in Wuhan, China. R <subscript>0</subscript> at 2.96 in Lombardy combined with delayed detection explains the high case load and rapid geographical spread. Overall, R <subscript>t</subscript> in Italian regions showed early signs of decrease, with large diversity in incidence, supporting the importance of combined non-pharmacological control measures.
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1560-7917
- Volume :
- 25
- Issue :
- 49
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 33303064
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.49.2000790