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J Med Virol
. 2020 May 21.
doi: 10.1002/jmv.26032. Online ahead of print.
Epidemiological and Clinical Characteristics of Discharged Patients Infected With SARS-CoV-2 on the Qinghai Plateau
Aiqi Xi 1 , Ma Zhuo 1 , Jingtao Dai 1 , Yuehe Ding 1 , Xiuzhen Ma 1 , Xiaoli Ma 1 , Xiaoyi Wang 1 , Lianmeng Shi 2 , Huanying Bai 2 , Hongying Zheng 2 , Eric Nuermberger 3 , Jian Xu 1 4
Affiliations
- PMID: 32437017
- DOI: 10.1002/jmv.26032
Abstract
Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in Wuhan, a series of confirmed cases of COVID-19 were found on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau. We aimed to describe the epidemiological, clinical characteristics, and outcomes of all confirmed cases in Qinghai, a province at high altitude. The region had no sustained local transmission. Of all 18 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, 15 patients comprising 4 transmission clusters were identified. Three patients were infected by direct contact without travel history to Wuhan. Of 18 patients, 10 patients showed bilateral pneumonia and 2 patients showed no abnormalities. Three patients with comorbidities such as hypertension, liver diseases or diabetes developed severe illness. High C-reactive protein levels and elevations of both ALT and AST were observed in 3 severely ill patients on admission. All 18 patients were eventually discharged, including the 3 severe patients who recovered after treatment with non-invasive mechanical ventilation, convalescent plasma and other therapies. Our findings confirmed human-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in clusters. Patients with comorbidities are more likely to develop severe illness. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; clinical characteristics; epidemiological; plateau.
This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.