Since December 2019, increasing cases of a novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are being detected in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.1 The COVID-19 recently discovered is caused by a new coronavirus that has not previously been found in humans (SARS-CoV-2). With the spread of the epidemic, such cases have been found in other parts of China and throughout the world.2 The number of confirmed cases and deaths in recent days is still increasing. As of midnight on March 11, 2020, the National Health Commission (NHC) had received reports of 80,793 confirmed cases and 3169 deaths on the Chinese mainland.3

This study provides a data analysis of the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in China as of midnight on February 10, 2020, to describe the disease distribution and development dynamics of COVID-19.

The epidemiological characteristics and clinical symptoms of 1740 confirmed cases are also described in this paper to provide scientific evidence for the prevention and control of pneumonia in China and other countries around the world.

The outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, has aroused attention around the world.4 We collected and analyzed the data from the official websites of Municipal Health Commissions to provide information about the epidemic characteristics in China.

The results of this study indicated that Hubei province suffered the most severe COVID-19 epidemic, followed by Guangdong, Zhejiang, and Henan provinces. The explanation for these findings could lie in a greater frequency of travel to these provinces among the population of Wuhan. Therefore, the current epidemic in Hubei province needs more medical attention, and the epidemic in Zhejiang province and Guangdong province should not be underestimated.

Our data show that the age of the patients was mainly concentrated between 33 and 54 years, with the youngest patient aged 10 months. Deaths in the confirmed cases were mainly in the elderly population, whose disease could have a more accelerated course.5

The frequency of clinical symptoms from highest to lowest was fever, cough, fatigue, sore throat, muscle soreness, chills, chest tightness, diarrhea/abdominal pain, runny nose, and poor appetite; these could provide a reference for the clinical diagnosis of COVID-19.

Human-to-human transmission has already taken place.6 Urgent next steps to control the extension of the outbreak include early detection and treatment of cases, and quarantine of the population to reduce the transmission of the infection within the community.7 Authorities in China have adopted rapid public health measures, including rapid identification and containment of COVID-19 in a short period of time, enhanced surveillance, epidemiological investigations, and sequencing of the COVID-19 genome, all of which have been recognized and praised by the WHO.8

China has severely restricted traffic in Hubei Province, prohibited outbound transportation (airplanes, trains, and long-distance buses), and vehicle traffic in Wuhan has been banned.9 Large quantities of medical supplies have arrived in Wuhan city,10 which is worth emulating in other countries in order to ameliorate the effects of the epidemic. All of us, including health care workers, must take precautions and use qualified N95 masks and other personal protective equipment when necessary.11

This article has some limitations. There was a proportion of cases with no information about the infection's origin of transmission (27% missing data) or information about the symptoms (28% missing data). However, this paper provided information about the distribution in time, place, and population of COVID-19 that could be useful for preparing for and controlling COVID-19 worldwide.

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.