COVID-19 epidemiology (based on research to 21 February 2020)
Citation: Park M, Cook A, Lim J, et al. A systematic review of COVID-19 epidemiology based on current evidence. Journal of Clinical Medicine 2020; 9(4): 967
What is this? Information on the epidemiological characteristics of the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and the effects of control measures can help policymakers and others involved in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic.
What was found: At the time of the review, available research showed that SARS-CoV-2 had an incubation period of 4 to 6 days, with 1.9 to 6.5 secondary cases generated by an infected patient, 5 to 8 days between successive infections and a doubling of the epidemic every 3 to 7 days.
At the time of the review, available research showed that age, gender and race did not affect a person’s susceptibility to the virus and the probability of transmission following contact with a COVID-19 patient.
At the time of the review, available research showed that the reported case fatality risk was 2% to 15%, highest in patients from older age groups and those with pre-existing conditions; and that children developed milder symptoms and had better prognoses.
At the time of the review, the estimated worldwide case fatality ratio was 0.3% to 1.4%, with 17.9% of infected cases being asymptomatic.