Epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 in Shayibake district, Urumqi, Xinjiang, July–August 2020

  Objective  To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 cases in Shayibake district of Urumqi of Xinjiang and provide scientific evidence for the prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic.

  Methods  A total of 122 cases of COVID-19 reported in Shayibake were studied. Descriptive investigations were conducted retrospectively to understand the age, gender and spatial/temporal distributions of the cases, the characteristics of clusters and the case detection ways.

  Results  A total of 122 COVID-19 cases were reported in Shayibake. The reported infection rate was 16.30/100 000. The 122 cases included 106 confirmed cases (86.89%) and 16 asymptomatic cases (13.11%). The male to female ratio of the cases was 1∶1.35. The cases in Uyghur population accounted for 62.30% and the cases in Han population accounted for 35.25%. The age of the cases ranged from 3 months to 92 years. The median age was 33 years (the interquartile range: 15–49 years). The cases were found in all age groups. The confirmed cases were mainly aged under 60 years (93/106, 87.74%), and the asymptomatic cases were mainly aged under 40 years (15/16, 93.75%). The average age of the confirmed cases was higher than that of the asymptomatic cases (35 vs. 18 years, Z=−2.295, P<0.05). The majority of the cases were students (17.92%), followed by the elderly retirees, the unemployed, self-employed persons, and service personnel. There were 30 clusters with 88 cases (72.13%). Among them, 25 were family clusters (73 cases, 73/88, 82.95%). There were 2 clusters in neighborhood and work place (4 cases, 4/88, 4.55%) and 1 cluster in the same class (7 cases, 7/88, 7.95%). Family clusters accounted for high proportion. There were 26 cases reported in Changjiang community, accounting for highest proportion (21.31%). A total of 113 cases (92.62%) were detected through centralized isolation, mass screening and self-isolation. Most of the cases were found through active detection. The outbreak was effectively controlled within two weeks, the longest latency periods.

  Conclusion  The epidemic of COVID-19 spread rapidly in Shayibake, mainly causing case clusters. The epidemic has been well controlled by effective prevention and control measures.