TY  - JOUR
AU  - Alves-Cabratosa, Lia
AU  - Comas-Cufí, Marc
AU  - Blanch, Jordi
AU  - Martí-Lluch, Ruth
AU  - Ponjoan, Anna
AU  - Castro-Guardiola, Antoni
AU  - Hurtado-Ganoza, Abelardo
AU  - Pérez-Jaén, Ana
AU  - Rexach-Fumaña, Maria
AU  - Faixedas-Brunsoms, Delfi
AU  - Gispert-Ametller, Maria Angels
AU  - Guell-Cargol, Anna
AU  - Rodriguez-Batista, Maria
AU  - Santaularia-Font, Ferran
AU  - Orriols, Ramon
AU  - Bonnin-Vilaplana, Marc
AU  - Calderón López, Juan Carlos
AU  - Sabater-Talaverano, Gladis
AU  - Queralt Moles, Francesc Xavier
AU  - Rodriguez-Requejo, Sara
AU  - Avellana-Revuelta, Esteve
AU  - Balló, Elisabet
AU  - Fages-Masmiquel, Ester
AU  - Sirvent, Josep-Maria
AU  - Lorencio, Carol
AU  - Morales-Pedrosa, Josep Miquel
AU  - Ortiz-Ballujera, Patricia
AU  - Ramos, Rafel
PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/1/6
TI  - Individuals With SARS-CoV-2 Infection During the First and Second Waves in Catalonia, Spain: Retrospective Observational Study Using Daily Updated Data
JO  - JMIR Public Health Surveill
SP  - e30006
VL  - 8
IS  - 1
KW  - epidemiology
KW  - SARS-CoV-2
KW  - COVID-19
KW  - timeline
KW  - comparison
KW  - pandemic
KW  - waves
KW  - population characteristics
AB  - Background: A description of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection comparing the first and second waves could help adapt health services to manage this highly transmissible infection. Objective: We aimed to describe the epidemiology of individuals with suspected SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the characteristics of patients with a positive test comparing the first and second waves in Catalonia, Spain. Methods: This study had 2 stages. First, we analyzed daily updated data on SARS-CoV-2 infection in individuals from Girona (Catalonia). Second, we compared 2 retrospective cohorts of patients with a positive reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction or rapid antigen test for SARS-CoV-2. The severity of patients with a positive test was defined by their admission to hospital, admission to intermediate respiratory care, admission to the intensive care unit, or death. The first wave was from March 1, 2020, to June 24, 2020, and the second wave was from June 25, 2020, to December 8, 2020. Results: The numbers of tests and cases were lower in the first wave than in the second wave (26,096 tests and 3140 cases in the first wave versus 140,332 tests and 11,800 cases in the second wave), but the percentage of positive results was higher in the first wave than in the second wave (12.0% versus 8.4%). Among individuals with a positive diagnostic test, 818 needed hospitalization in the first wave and 680 in the second; however, the percentage of hospitalized individuals was higher in the first wave than in the second wave (26.1% versus 5.8%). The group that was not admitted to hospital included older people and those with a higher percentage of comorbidities in the first wave, whereas the characteristics of the groups admitted to hospital were more alike. Conclusions: Screening systems for SARS-CoV-2 infection were scarce during the first wave, but were more adequate during the second wave, reflecting the usefulness of surveillance systems to detect a high number of asymptomatic infected individuals and their contacts, to help control this pandemic. The characteristics of individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection in the first and second waves differed substantially; individuals in the first wave were older and had a worse health condition. 
SN  - 2369-2960
UR  - https://publichealth.jmir.org/2022/1/e30006
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2196/30006
UR  - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34797774
DO  - 10.2196/30006
ID  - info:doi/10.2196/30006
ER  -