Clinical Characteristics of 2019 Novel Coronavirus Infection

The clinical spectrum of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infection is still being defined. Now, investigators describe the characteristics of 99 people with confirmed 2019-nCoV pneumonia who were admitted to one infectious diseases specialty hospital between January 1 and 20, 2020, in Wuhan, China.

The patients' average age was 55; two thirds were men; 47 had long-term exposure (e.g., salesmen, market managers) and 2 had short-term exposure (shoppers) to the Huanan seafood market. About 50% had chronic conditions, most commonly cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (40%). At hospital admission, symptoms and signs included fever (83%), cough (82%), and shortness of breath (31%); few patients had sore throat, rhinorrhea, or gastrointe…