Clinical Characteristics and Reproduction Number of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Cases in Markazi Province in Iran.
Rahmatollah Moradzadeh, Maryam Zamanian, Saeed Amini and 2 others
PMID 33521146WHAT IT FOUND
In 2430 confirmed cases, cough, fever and dyspnea were most common, 206 were healthcare workers, and estimated spread in cities was near 1 by August.
Key findings
01Cough, fever and dyspnea were the most prevalent symptoms among confirmed cases.
02Healthcare workers accounted for 206 (8.50%) of confirmed cases, and healthcare worker status differed significantly by admission status (P=0.001).
03In the age group older than 60 years, 774 of 872 cases were inpatients (88.80%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study counted only PCR-confirmed cases, so people with mild or asymptomatic infection who were never tested were missed. The case fatality calculation was deaths divided by confirmed infections, and the authors say this makes the reported values minimal estimates. Reproduction number estimates depended on assumed generation time distributions and chosen periods of exponential growth. The data were from one province in Iran and from a fixed period, so local incidence and reproduction numbers may not apply elsewhere.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the reproduction number estimates as proof that transmission is controlled. The authors state many asymptomatic cases were missed, and the estimates depended on assumed generation times.