Epidemiological features of the spread of new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the Tomsk region in the first year of the pandemic

Introduction. At the end of December 2019 the World Health Organization (WHO) announced cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology. Soon, the disease received the official name “New coronavirus infection” (COVID-19), and the etiological agent was named the SARS-CoV-2 virus, characterized by rapid spread, high variability and diverse epidemic manifestations in various territories.

Aim: To identify the epidemiological features of the spread of COVID-19 in the Tomsk region in the first year of the pandemic.

Material and Methods. A descriptive epidemiological study was conducted in the Tomsk region in 2020. Information on COVID-19 cases was analyzed according to the federal register of persons with COVID-19, federal statistical observation form N 12 “Information on the number of diseases registered in patients living in the service area of a medical organization”. The assessment of the obtained data was carried out using the method of retrospective epidemiological analysis with subsequent statistical processing.

Results. In connection with the threat of importation and spread of COVID-19 on the territory of Tomsk region, the order of the Administration of Tomsk region on January 31, 2020 approved the Plan of organizational sanitary and anti-epidemic (preventive) measures to prevent the importation and spread of a new coronavirus infection caused by 2019-nCoV. The first year of the COVID-19 pandemic was characterized by a wave-like course and significant fluctuations in morbidity during its different periods. Clinical manifestations of COVID-19 were registered in 91.2% of the diseased. The composition of patients was characterized by the prevalence of women (56.8%) compared to men (43.2%). The population mortality rate due to COVID-19 was 0.9%. In general, 74.3% of patients with COVID-19 received medical care in outpatient conditions. The capacity of the bed fund by the end of the first year of the pandemic in Tomsk region reached 2810 beds. The maximum coverage of population testing for SARS-CoV-2 identification was observed in the 46–47 calendar week, which corresponded to the maximum rise in COVID-19 morbidity among the total population.

Conclusion. In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in Tomsk region, the following epidemiologic features can be distinguished: absence of seasonality; prevalence of patients with clinical manifestations of COVID-19 in the structure of the diseased; prevalence of patients requiring medical care in outpatient settings; involvement of patients aged 50–64 years in the epidemic process to a greater extent; prevalence of men aged 65 years and older among those who died due to COVID-19.

1. Li Q., Guan X., Wu P., Wang X., Zhou L., Tong Y. et al. Early transmission dynamics in Wuhan, China, of novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia. N. Engl. J. Med. 2020;382(13):1199–1207. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa2001316.

2. Ochani R., Asad A., Yasmin F., Shaikh S., Khalid H., Batra S. et al. COVID-19 pandemic: from origins to outcomes. A comprehensive review of viral pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnostic evaluation, and management. Infez. Med. 2021;29(1):20–36.

3. Khan M., Adil S.F., Alkhathlan H.Z., Tahir M.N., Saif S., Khan M. et al. COVID-19: a global challenge with old history, epidemiology and progress so far. Molecules. 2021;26(1):39. DOI: 10.3390/molecules 26010039.

4. Krasnov Ya.M., Popova A.Yu., Safronov V.A., Fedorov A.V., Badanin D.V., Shcherbakova S.A. et al. Genomic Diversity Analysis of SARSCoV-2 and Epidemiological Features of Adaptation of COVID-19 Agent to Human Population (Communication 1). Problems of Particularly Dangerous Infections. 2020;(3):70–82. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.21055/0370-1069-2020-3-70-82.

5. Borisova N.I., Kotov I.A., Kolesnikov A.A., Kaptelova V.V., Speranskaya A.S., Kondrasheva L.Yu. et al. Monitoring the spread of the SARSCoV-2 (Coronaviridae: Coronavirinae: Betacoronavirus; Sarbecovirus) variants in the Moscow region using targeted high-throughput sequencing. Problems of Virology (Voprosy Virusologii). 2021;66(4):269–278. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.36233/0507-4088-72.

6. Mazankova L.N., Samitova E.R., Osmanov I.M, Afukov I.I., Dracheva N.A., Malakhov A.B. et al. Clinical and epidemiological features of the course of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 in children during periods of an increase in the incidence in Moscow in 2020–2021. Children’s Infections. 2021;20(3):5–10. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.22627/2072-8107-2021-20-3-5-10.

7. Kutyrev V.V., Popova A.Yu., Smolensky V.Yu., Ezhlova E.B., Demina Yu.V., Safronov V.A. и др. Epidemiological Features of New Coronavirus Infection (COVID-19). Communication 1: Modes of Implementation of Preventive and Anti-Epidemic Measures. Problems of Particularly Dangerous Infections. 2020;(1):6–13. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.21055/0370-1069-2020-1-6-13.

8. Komissarov A.B., Safina K.R., Garushyants S.K., Fadeev A.V., Sergeeva M.V., Ivanova A.A. Genomic epidemiology of the early stages of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Russia. Nature Communications. 2021;12(1):649. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20880-z.

9. Briko N.I., Korshunov V.A., Krasnova S.V., Protsenko D.N., Glazovskaya L.S., Gostishchev R.V. et al. Clinical and epidemiological characteristics of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 during different pandemic periods in Moscow. Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2022;99(3):287–299. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.36233/0372- 9311-272.

10. Kotova E.G., Kobyakova O.S., Starodubov V.I., Alexandrova G.A., Golubev N.A., Oskov Yu.I. Morbidity rate of the entire population of Russia in 2021 with a diagnosis established for the first time in life: statistical materials. Federal Research Institute for Health Organization and Informatics of Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation; 2022:143. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.21045/978-5-94116-071-6-2022.

11. Akimkin V.G, Kuzin S.N, Semenenko T.A, Ploskireva A.A, Dubodelov D.V, Tivanova E.V. et al. Characteristics of the COVID-19 Epidemiological Situation in the Russian Federation in 2020. Annals of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. 2021;76(4):412–422. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.15690/vramn1505.

12. Akimkin V.G., Kuzin S.N., Kolosovskaya E.N., Kudryavtceva E.N., Semenenko T.A., Ploskireva A.A. et al. Assessment of the COVID-19 epidemiological situation in St. Petersburg. Journal of microbiology, epidemiology and immunobiology. 2021;98(5):497–511. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.36233/0372-9311-154.

13. Kovalev E.V., Slis S.S., Yanovich E.G., Pichurina N.L., Volovikova S.V., Gaevskaya N.E. et al. Some features of the epidemic spread of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the Rostov Region. Medical Herald of the South of Russia. 2020;11(4):99–106. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.21886/2219-8075-2020-11-4-99-106.

14. Gladkikh A., Dedkov V., Sharova A., Klyuchnikova E., Sbarzaglia V., Kanaeva O. et al. Epidemiological Features of COVID-19 in Northwest Russia in 2021. Viruses. 2022;14(5):931. DOI: 10.3390/v14050931.

15. Mallah S.I., Ghorab O.K., Al-Salmi S., Abdellatif O.S., Tharmaratnam T., Iskandar M.A. et al. COVID-19: breaking down a global health crisis. Annals of clinical microbiology and antimicrobials. 2021;20(1):1–36. DOI: 10.1186/s12941-021-00438-7.

16. Karagiannidis C., Mostert C., Hentschker C., Voshaar T., Malzahn J., Schillinger G. et al. Case characteristics, resource use, and outcomes of 10 021 patients with COVID-19 admitted to 920 German hospitals: an observational study. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. 2020;8(9):853– 862. DOI: 10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30316-7.

17. 17 Orlov S.A., Sobolev K.E., Aleksandrova O.Yu. The approaches to planning of medical infrastructure and bed stock in medical organizations in conditions of development and spread of coronavirus infection COVID-19. Problems of social hygiene, public health and history of medicine. 2021;29(1):25–31. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.32687/0869-866X2021-29-1-25-31.

18. Gridnev O.V., Perkhov V.I., Kaliyev M.T. Covid-19 pandemic: the realized decisions and the forthcoming tasks in the sphere of public health care. Manager Zdravoohranenia. 2020;(7):12–16. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.37690/1811-0185-2020-7-12-16.

19. Artemov A.N., Balabaev G.A., Vorobyev I.I., Mekhantieva L.E., Struk Yu.V. Organization of Stage Medical Care to Patients with Suspected and Confirmed New Coronavirus Infection COVID-19 in the Voronezh Region. Meditsina katastrof = Disaster Medicine. 2021;(2):46– 49. (In Russ.). DOI: 10.33266/2070-1004-2021-2-46-49.