Epidemiological Features of the Incidence of COVID-19 in Moscow in the Period from March 1 to August 31, 2020

Abstract

Introduction: Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a global healthcare and social problem due to a rapid ubiquitous spread of the virus, a high rate of complications and deaths. The disease is often asymptomatic, which can contribute to its spread, while the most common complication is the development of pneumonia with or without acute respiratory failure and respiratory distress syndrome, which are often fatal. These characteristics of the disease, along with the almost complete lack of immunity in the population around the world (before the mass spread), allowed SARS-CoV-2 to spread freely among the population of all countries. Our objective was to assess the epidemiological features of the incidence of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the population of the city of Moscow. Materials and methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all confirmed COVID-19 cases, the total number of diagnostic tests for COVID-19, and the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections registered in Moscow from March 1 to August 31, 2020. The correlation analysis was performed by calculating the Spearman’s correlation coefficient and subsequent statistical significance of differences in the compared relative values (p) from the Student’s t-test. Confidence intervals were determined with the calculation of average errors of the compared variables – m(σ). Conclusion: The revealed features of the COVID-19 incidence in Moscow help establish the factors influencing the development of the epidemic process in the city and give an accurate prediction of the COVID-19 situation for the future.