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

BACKGROUND: The first case of Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) was reported in Iran on February 19, 2020. This study aimed to assess the characteristics and reproduction number (R) of COVID-19 in Markazi province in Iran. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study. Confirmed cases (N=2430) in the regions covered by Arak University of Medical Sciences from Feb 20 to Aug 26, 2020 were enrolled in the study. The included variables 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, Chi square test was applied. All the analyses were performed in STATA, Excel, ArcMap and R. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: CONCLUSION: As R is slightly high, the risk of epidemic has reduced gradually. However, observing social distance and related guidelines are still recommended.