Clinical Characteristics and Reproduction Number of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Cases in Markazi Province in Iran

The first case of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) was reported in Iran on February19, 2020. This study aimed to assess the characteristics and reproduction number (R) of COVID-19 inMarkazi province in Iran. This is a cross-sectional study. Confirmed cases (N=2430) in the regions covered by ArakUniversity of Medical Sciences from Feb 20 to Aug 26, 2020 were enrolled in the study. The includedvariables were clinical and demographic characteristics of COVID-19 patients. The case fatality rate(CFR), incidence rates, and R were estimated based on the daily reported data. For estimating R,generation time was assumed on multi scenarios. R was estimated by R0-package. Moreover, Chisquare test was applied. All the analyses were performed in STATA, Excel, ArcMap and R. A p-valueless than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. The mean age of the participants was 51.78±20.58 years, and 206(8.50%) cases were amonghealthcare workers. Among the patients, 499 (20.50%) had a history of cardiovascular diseasesand 337(13.90%) diabetes type 2. The most prevalent symptoms were cough 1347(55.40%), fever1233(50.70%), and dyspnea 960 (39.50%). The highest incidence rate of COVID-19 in the study area(Delijan) was 575.35 per 100,000 persons. CFR was 205(8.40%). At the end of the study period, R wascalculated as 1.04 (CI 95%: 1.00, 1.08) in all districts of Arak University of Medical Sciences. Thehighest R (1.08, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.10) was observed in Farahan. As R is slightly high, the risk of epidemic has reduced gradually. However, observingsocial distance and related guidelines are still recommended.