COVID-19 situation in Baden-Württemberg, Germany: Preliminary case series study during the first wave

Abstract

The present case series study presents the preliminary data of 347 of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) positively tested patients in the Mittelbaden hospital, Baden-Baden Bühl, Germany, during the period from March to June 2020. Among the 347 patients, 55% were males. The mean age-wise was 52.5±20.2 years in the overall cohort and 78.9±11.1 years in fatal outcome cases. A total of 120/347 patients (34.6%) required hospitalization, but only 36/347 (10.37%) cases required intensive care. The overall fatality rate was 6.6% (23/347), of which 12 patients were from the intensive care unit. The most frequent clinical symptoms observed were cough (62.5%), hyperthermia (47.8%), rhinorrhea (25.1%), sore throat (23.1%), dyspnea (22.8%), and headache (19.3%). Laboratory data analysis showed no specific findings, but severe laboratory disturbances could predict critical illness. A higher risk of severe illness or lethal outcome in elderly patients with several comorbidities was the most frequent. The fight against COVID-19 infection in Germany seems to be more successful during the first wave than in other countries. The improvement of the healthcare system against infectious outbreaks depends directly on the analysis of regional factors.