Wuhan Residents Research Articles

Exploring the Mechanisms Driving Sense of Community in a Smart Society in Wuhan: A Mixed-Methods Multidimensional Comparative Study

In the context of China’s community governance, as a result of the insufficient willingness and ability of residents to participate, most communities have formed a “strong political–weak social” governance structure, which limits the effective expansion of social capital. To address this challenge and promote resident participation, achieving a “strong social and political” transformation in governance structure has become a core issue in current research. Meanwhile, “sense of community” serves as a crucial perspective in this research, which remains to be deepened in domestic studies and needs to consider the impact of emerging factors such as smart technologies. This study innovatively introduces affective events theory (AET), constructing a theoretical model and taking Wuhan as an example. By adopting quantitative and case comparison research methods, the paper delves into the factors influencing Wuhan residents’ sense of community in the context of a smart society and the promoting role of smart governance. On the basis of the findings, this paper presents the following conclusions: (1) Communities should attribute equal importance to the construction of both traditional and smart environments while reinforcing the leading and participatory roles of community administrators; (2) In the community’s daily governance processes, equal focus and importance must be attributed to both service delivery and engagement; (3) Communities must acknowledge the individual distinctions among residents and implement tailored governing strategies accordingly; (4) The government should prioritize the research and development of smart applications while boosting financial investments in the creation and operation of smart communities.

Wuhan residents perceptions of prejudice and discrimination and the social categorization processes during and after the COVID-19 lockdown: A qualitative study

Although studies have focused on intergroup biases (e.g., discrimination) during the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about the underlying mechanisms driving intergroup bias, specifically social categorization. In-depth interviews were conducted among 32 residents of Wuhan, P.R. China, during and after the initial COVID-19 lockdown (Jan-July, 2020). Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was applied to describe perceived prejudice and discrimination and the intergroup interaction processes. Results indicated that: (1) Wuhan residents’ interpretations of perceived prejudice and discrimination evolved over time, especially regarding views of the pandemic prevention measures; (2) intergroup contact, emotional factors and cognitive factors influenced individuals’ perceptions of prejudice and discrimination; (3) social categorization and integration processes underwent changes across different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Wuhan, encompassing the lockdown and reopening; (4) the group identity of recovered COVID-19 patients was easily solidified; (5) in the group integration process, emphasizing common attributes between groups, individualized media coverage and positive aspects of intergroup interactions weakened intergroup boundaries and promoted group integration. These results enrich existing knowledge about perceived discrimination and social categorization processes of a suddenly marginalized group through qualitative research methods.

Examining the impact of neighborhood environment factors on residents’ emotions during COVID-19 lockdown and reopening: A Wuhan study on mediation and moderation

Due to COVID-19, the urban lockdown has caused a significant impact on the mental health of residents. However, limited research investigates the role of neighborhood factors on residents’ mental health during and after the lockdown. This study examines Wuhan, the first city to experience the COVID-19 outbreak, employing multiple linear regression and XGBoost algorithms to analyze the emotional status and distribution of Wuhan residents. The goal of this study is to identify the moderating effect of the neighborhood environment scale on emotional positivity and the marginal effect of the neighborhood environment on residents’ emotions. The results of the study indicate that specific neighborhood environmental characteristics have varying effects on residents’ positive emotions, both before and after the COVID-19 lockdown. The green space ratio, attraction density, waterfront space density, and service facility density all positively affected mood within different distance ranges. Shopping facilities, on the other hand, had mainly positive effects during the open period, with negative effects during the closed period. Furthermore, this study determined scale thresholds where neighborhood environments had a positive effect on mood. For instance, attractions and waterfront areas improved the mood of residents in residential areas, up to at least 3 km away. Medical facilities had a positive effect on residents’ mood beyond 2.2 km. This study highlights crucial implications for planning and managing neighborhoods to promote resilience during future public health crises.

Navigating Uncertainty: Experiences of Older Adults in Wuhan during the 76-Day COVID-19 Lockdown.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the world. Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, underwent a 76-day lockdown. Research has indicated that the lockdown negatively impacted the quality of life of older individuals, but little is known about their specific experiences during the confinement period. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 20 elderly residents of Wuhan, aged 65 to 85, who experienced mandatory isolation throughout the pandemic. The interviews centered around three stages of experiences: the Early Lockdown stage (the first week of lockdown after the government implemented the lockdown policy in January 2020), Infection During Lockdown stage (from February to April 2020 when participants were affected by the lockdown), and the Post-Lockdown stage (after April 2020 when the government lifted the lockdown policy). We found that older adults experienced different core themes during each lockdown stage. In the Early Lockdown stage, they felt nervousness and fear while searching for information. During the Lockdown and Infection Stage, they relied on reciprocal support and adjusted to new lifestyles. In the Post-Lockdown stage, they expressed cautions, trust, and gratitude. The finding highlights the evolving emotions and coping strategies of older adults throughout the lockdown phases. This study has yielded valuable insights into the adaptations of behavior and the importance of social interactions, specifically emphasizing the significance of healthcare among the elderly population.

Do Locations of Employment and Residence Influence whether People Use Virtual Social Networks? A Case Study of Residents in Wuhan, China

High-speed information technology development has made virtual social networking (VSN) a social interaction trend. Studies have been carried out to investigate the spatial clustering characteristics of the locations where there is online social interaction, but they have not yet concentrated on the geographic phenomenon associated with the distribution of occupational and residential locations of citizens who use VSN. According to usage statistics gathered from China Unicom for people living in the Wuhan metropolitan development area, there are geographical characteristics for the sites of employment and residence of virtual social application (VSA) users. Compared with people who live or work in the central city, suburban citizens are more willing to conduct virtual social networking, and those who are most likely to do so are concentrated in the suburbs 20–30 km from the main city. Additionally, we used geographically weighted regressions to evaluate the relationship between the density of physical social facilities and the possibility of the usage of VSAs, revealing the influence of various conventional social conveniences on the propensity to use the VSA. Residents are more inclined to engage in VSN in places where traditional social interaction is inconvenient, particularly in suburbs, indicating that VSN is an addition to traditional social interaction. Nonetheless, neither an improvement in, nor the replacement of, VSN activities is apparent in places where conventional socializing is practical. This study identified the clustering of virtual social users’ places of employment and residence in metropolitan areas and concluded that virtual social interaction offers new social channels for people who lack access to adequate physical social facilities; that is, it complements traditional social interaction. These results can deepen the understanding of the relationship between traditional social interaction and VSN. They also offer a fresh viewpoint on facility planning for the potential future creation of a more balanced and diverse social interaction environment through the joint planning of virtual and physical social facilities.

Residents and the place branding process: socio-spatial construction of a locked-down city’s brand identity

PurposeBuilding on Kavaratzis and Hatch’s (2013) identity-based place branding model, this paper aims to explore the spatial and social dimensions of the place brand identity formation process and how residents used social media to participate in the process of shaping a city brand during a crisis.Design/methodology/approachAdopting an interpretive and social constructionist approach, this study analyses a sample of 187 short videos created and posted by Wuhan residents on the social media app Douyin during a COVID-19 lockdown. The authors read the videos as cultural texts and analysed underlying social processes in the construction of place brand identity by residents.FindingsThis study develops an adapted conceptual model of place identity formation unfolding in four sub-processes: expressing, impressing, mirroring and reflecting, and each sub-process subsumes two dimensions: the social and the spatial. In addition, this study empirically describes how residents participated in place branding processes in two ways, namely, their construction of city brand identity via communicative practice and their exertion of changes to a city brand during a crisis. The model reveals how place brands emerge and can be transformed.Originality/valueThis paper amplifies Kavaratzis and Hatch's (2013) identity-based place branding model by testing it in an empirical study and highlighting the social and spatial dimensions. This paper contributes to research about participatory place branding by exploring how residents participated in the place branding process. This study analysed short videos on social media, a new communication format, rather than textual narratives dominating past studies.

Medical occupation preference under the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of risk and altruistic preferences.

We examine the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical occupation preference, focusing on Wuhan, China. We conducted a survey of 5686 respondents in China regarding the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical occupation preference. We also conducted a complimentary survey in the UK with 1198 respondents, as well as a field experiment in Wuhan with 428 first and second-year medical students. We find a significant negative impact of the pandemic on the willingness to let a loved one choose a medical occupation. Individuals who were heavily influenced by the pandemic, that is, Wuhan residents, especially medical workers, express significantly lower medical occupation preference. Further analysis from Sobel-Goodman mediation tests reveals that around half of the total negative effect can be mediated by enhanced risk aversion and reduced altruism. The UK survey and the field experiment with medical students in Wuhan reinforce these findings. Our results suggest a shift in medical workers' risk- and altruistic-preferences has led to a reduced medical occupation preference. Non-medical workers and students who are more altruistic and risk-seeking are more likely to choose a medical occupation.

Residents’ videographic practices on TikTok (Douyin): Enacting and communicating social sustainability during a COVID-19 lockdown

ABSTRACT This paper explores the intersection between sustainability and social media activity by studying how user-generated content (UGC) creation enacted and communicated social sustainability in times of restricted social interaction. The context is Wuhan in China, a city that implemented a 76-day lockdown in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a sample of 187 short videos created and posted by Wuhan residents on Douyin (TikTok) during the lockdown, this paper answers this question – how did UGC creators produce short videos on social media to facilitate social connections with others? UGC creators’ video-making practices are conceptualised in the typology of Evoking, Performing, Collaborating, and Narrating, and each practice enabled creators to connect and socialise virtually with others, thus contributing to all participants’ social sustainability in a pandemic. This study contributes to media management scholarship by adding knowledge to the understanding of two areas: the productive role of media audiences, especially their content production practices and logics; the nature of short videos as media products.

Short-term association between air pollution and hypertension mortality in Wuhan residents

Short-term association between air pollution and hypertension mortality in Wuhan residents

Residents' WeChat Group Use and Pro-Community Behavior in the COVID-19 Crisis: A Distal Mediating Role of Community Trust and Community Attachment.

During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the resident's WeChat group has created a new material foundation for dialogue to occur and become a powerful platform for resident communication. This study explores the mechanism behind and the effects of residents' WeChat group use on residents' community trust, community attachment, and pro-community behavior. An online survey questionnaire was used for data collection.The authors collected data from 500 commercial housing community residents in Wuhan, China, and analyzed the data using SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 8.3 software. This study's findings uncover that (1) residents' usage of WeChat groups has a statistically significant and positive impact on their community trust, community attachment, and pro-community behavior; (2) community trust and community attachment both play a mediating role in the mechanism behind residents' usage of WeChat groups in improving pro-community behavior; and (3) the transmission and united effects between community trust and community attachment form a distal mediating role. The model systematically and comprehensively reveals the internal mechanism behind residents' adoption of pro-community behavior. Community managers can actively participate in the resident's WeChat group to ensure the dissemination of positive information in the community; enhance residents' awareness of risk, community trust, and belonging; and cultivate community resilience. At the same time, community managers should also fully recognize the important transformative roles that community trust and community belonging play between the use of WeChat groups by residents and the formation of pro-community behavior. Community managers should actively establish a warm and trusting community culture, strive to create a community atmosphere with a sense of belonging, make residents develop emotional attachment to the community, and then form behavior that is beneficial to the community, greatly enhancing the resilience and self-management of the community in disaster situations.

Modelling the roles of visitor flows and returning migrants in the spatial diffusion of COVID-19 from Wuhan city in China

COVID-19 has spread to many cities and countries in the world since the major outbreak in Wuhan city in later 2019. Population flow is the main channel of COVID-19 transmission between different cities and countries. This study recognizes that the flows of different population groups such as visitors and migrants returning to hometown are different in nature due to different length of stay and exposure to infection risks, contributing to the spatial diffusion of COVID-19 differently. To model population flows and the spatial diffusion of COVID-19 more accurately, a population group based SEIR (susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered) metapopulation model is developed consisting of 32 regions including Wuhan, the rest of Hubei and other 30 provinces in Mainland China. The paper found that, in terms of the total export, Wuhan residents as visitors and Wuhan migrants returned to hometown were the first and second largest contributors in the simulation period. In terms of the net export, Wuhan migrants returned to hometown were the largest contributor, followed by Wuhan residents as visitors.

Exposure, perceived risk, and psychological distress among general population during the COVID-19 lockdown in Wuhan, China.

The COVID-19 pandemic that has been going on since the end of 2019 impacts people on both the physical and psychological levels. However, the psychological status, especially its underlying psychosocial mechanisms among the general population in Wuhan, the earliest epicenter and hardest-hit city in China during the pandemic, has not been well investigated. This study aimed to examine the relationships between exposures, perceived risk, and psychological distress among the general population in Wuhan during the COVID-19 lockdown. Data were from a cross-sectional online survey conducted from 20 February to 4 March 2020. Final analyses included 4,234 Wuhan respondents. A 5-item Hopkins Symptom Checklist was adopted to assess respondents' psychological distress. It was found that nervousness, fear, and worry were the most common symptoms among Wuhan residents during the lockdown. Exposure within a close physical distance, exposure within the social network, and perceived risk are significantly positively related to respondents' psychological distress. Moreover, perceived risk mediated the effects of exposures on respondents' psychological condition. These findings conduce to identify the populations at higher risk of suffering psychological disturbance during the pandemic and are expected to inform the policymakers and mental health professionals to monitor and improve the perception of risk among the target population by appropriate interventions.

Water Quality Change Trend and Risk Analysis of Wuhan Hanjiang River Water Source

Hanjiang River is closely related to the middle route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project, the Water Diversion Project from the Hanjiang River to the Wei River, and the Water Diversion Project in Northern Hubei. The Wuhan Hanjiang River water source is one of the important drinking water sources in China; its water quality safety is significant to living and production for millions of residents in Wuhan. Based on data from 2004 to 2021, the water quality variation trend and risk of Wuhan Hanjiang River water source were studied. The results showed that a certain gap existed between the concentrations of some pollutants such as total phosphorus, permanganate index, ammonia nitrogen, and correspondent water quality target, especially for the total phosphorus. The growth of algae in the water source was marginally limited by the concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and silicon. When other factors remained unchanged, diatoms tended to grow rapidly when the water temperature was appropriate (6-12℃). The quality of water upstream had a great impact on the water quality of the Hanjiang water source. There may have been pollutants entering into the reach during the West Lake Water Plant and Zongguan Water Plant. There were differences in the temporal and spatial variation trend of concentrations between permanganate index, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and ammonia nitrogen. Significant changes in the ratio of nitrogen and phosphorus in the water body will affect the population structure and quantity of planktonic algae and ultimately affect the safety of water quality. The water body in the water source area was generally in the state of medium nutrition to mild eutrophication, and middle eutrophication may have occurred in a few periods. In recent years, the nutritional level of the water source has been on the decline. It is necessary to make an in-depth investigation on the source, quantity, and change trend of pollutants in water sources in order to eliminate potential risks.

Effect of the COVID-19 Epidemic on Body Mass Index: Findings from a Large Survey during Wuhan Lockdown

This study aimed to explore the effect of the Wuhan lockdown on body mass index (BMI) among Wuhan residents as well as factors including food habits affected and changes in physical activity mediating the association. As a survey of the Wuhan lockdown, a random digit dialing method was used to sample residents aged 18 years and older. A computer-aided telephone interview was applied to survey 11,223 residents in Wuhan City in July 2020. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and mediation analysis were used to analyze the influence of the Wuhan lockdown on BMI. Demographic characteristics, lifestyle characteristics, and health status differed statistically significantly between residents living in and those who left Wuhan during the lockdown (mean BMI, 23.05 ± 0.04 kg/m2 and 22.34 ± 0.06 kg/m2, respectively). The mean BMI among residents living in Wuhan was 0.42 kg/m2 higher ( P < 0.001) than that of residents who left Wuhan during the lockdown, as determined by multivariate OLS regression analysis. Residents living in Wuhan during the lockdown had higher BMI among those aged 18–29 and 30–44 years ( P < 0.001), with no difference among those aged 45+ years. The association between living in Wuhan and increased BMI was the strongest among residents who were overweight/obese. The mediation analysis results showed an indirect effect path with living in Wuhan (through decreased physical activity and increasing BMI) and the direct effect of living in Wuhan during the lockdown. The lack of association between living in Wuhan and increased BMI among residents aged 45+ years was due to the indirect influence of living in Wuhan affecting food habits. The findings indicated that the lockdown in Wuhan city increased residents’ BMI, especially among those who were young or overweight/obese, partly because of decreased physical activity.

Exploring the Spatial Heterogeneity and Influence Factors of Daily Travel Carbon Emissions in Metropolitan Areas: From the Perspective of the 15-min City

Most of the residents’ daily travel is concentrated within their 15-min walking distance. In China, derived from the 15-min city concept, the 15-min walkable area is often referred to as the 15-min pedestrian-scale neighborhood, and it has become a basic planning unit. Understanding the factors that influence the built environment of the 15-min pedestrian-scale neighborhood on the residents’ daily travel carbon emissions is critical to reduce urban carbon emissions. There may be spatial heterogeneity in daily travel carbon emissions as a dependent variable due to the spatial heterogeneity of built environment factors. Therefore, this study used data from the Wuhan City Resident Travel Survey to describe the spatial pattern of daily travel carbon emissions among Wuhan residents. The study examined the spatial heterogeneity of daily travel carbon emissions and explored the spatial differentiation of the built environment’s impact on daily travel carbon emissions within the 15-min pedestrian-scale neighborhood of the residents using spatial autocorrelation analysis and multi-scale geo-weighted regression (MGWR). The results indicate that Wuhan residents’ daily travel carbon emissions show an increasing circle structure from the center outward. In general, built environment elements in the 15-min pedestrian-scale neighborhood are closely related to the daily travel carbon emissions, and the direction and degree of impact of the built environment varies spatially. This study provides empirical evidence for controlling transportation carbon emissions.

The Impact of Housing Demand on Housing Price Fluctuations—Taking Wuhan as an Example

The housing problem is related to the well-being of the people's livelihood, and the housing price problem has always been a hot topic of social concern. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the problem of expensive housing in big cities has become more prominent, and the problem of housing prices has plagued the people. With the rapid economic development of big cities, more and more people are pouring into big cities to work and buy houses, and house prices are also rising sharply. Due to the government's macro-control policies and the epidemic, housing prices have also been affected. This paper intercepts the time series data such as the average house price and the gross regional product (GDP), price index (CPI), the number of permanent residents and the per capita disposable income of residents in Wuhan from 2000 to 2020. Using multiple regression model, it is concluded that the demand-side factors such as GDP, price index and disposable income of residents in Wuhan will positively affect housing prices, and thus predict the fluctuation trend of house prices in Wuhan in the future and put forward corresponding suggestions.

Impacts of community-level grassroots organizations on household food security during the COVID-19 epidemic period in China

Purchasing food via community-level grassroots organizations was a new pattern of food patronage for Wuhan residents during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, but little attention was paid to it. The study examined the relationship between community-level grassroots organizations and household food insecurity based on an online survey of household food insecurity in Wuhan in March 2020. The study found that problems in all three domains of food insecurity including food anxiety, insufficient quality and inadequate quantity existed but were uneven. Community-level grassroots organizations played an important role in promoting food security including reducing worries about food supply and providing enough food intake, but did not ensure households had adequate food quality due to increasing food prices, fewer varieties of food and decreased food freshness. Compared to other grassroots organizations, the community committee had actually become an extension of the government to run administrative grassroots affairs before the epidemic, so its tight relationship with local government made it become the major grassroots power in ensuring household food security at the residential community level.

How has COVID-19 changed trip patterns by purpose in China?

Abstract COVID-19 has upended the whole world. Due to travel restrictions by governments and increased perceived risks of the disease, there have been significant changes in social activities and travel patterns. This paper investigates the effects of COVID-19 on changes to individuals' travel patterns, particularly for travel purposes. An online questionnaire survey was conducted in China, which incorporates questions about individuals’ sociodemographic and travel characteristics in three different periods of COVID-19 (i.e. before the outbreak, at the peak and after the peak; the peak here refers to the peak of the pandemic in China, between the end of January and 1 May, 2020). The results show that trip frequency decreased sharply from the outbreak until the peak, and drastically increased after the peak. Nevertheless, the data from this study suggests that it has not fully recovered to the level before the outbreak. Subsequently, a series of random parameters bivariate Probit models for changes in travel patterns were estimated with personal characteristics. The findings demonstrate that during the peak of the pandemic, residents who did not live in more developed cities reached low-frequency travel patterns more quickly. For travel purposes, residents of Wuhan, China resumed travelling for work, entertainment and buy necessities at a much higher rate than other cities. After the peak, students' travel for work, entertainment and to buy necessities recovered significantly faster than for other occupations. The findings would be helpful for establishing effective policies to control individual travel and minimize disease spread in a possible future pandemic.

The Emotional Anatomy of the Wuhan Lockdown: Sentiment Analysis Using Weibo Data.

On January 23, 2020, the city of Wuhan, China, was sealed off in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies have found that the lockdown was associated with both positive and negative emotions, although their findings are not conclusive. In these studies, emotional responses to the Wuhan lockdown were identified using lexicons based on limited emotion types. This study aims to map Chinese people's emotional responses to the Wuhan lockdown and compare Wuhan residents' emotions with those of people elsewhere in China by analyzing social media data from Weibo using a lexicon based on the circumplex model of affect. Social media posts on Weibo from 2 weeks before to 2 weeks after the Wuhan lockdown was imposed (January 9, 2020, to February 6, 2020) were collected. Each post was coded using a valence score and an arousal score. To map emotional trajectories during the study period, we used a data set of 359,190 posts. To compare the immediate emotional responses to the lockdown and its longer-term emotional impact on Wuhan residents (n=1236) and non-Hubei residents (n=12,714), we used a second data set of 57,685 posts for multilevel modeling analyses. Most posts (248,757/359,190, 69.25%) made during the studied lockdown period indicated a pleasant mood with low arousal. A gradual increase in both valence and arousal before the lockdown was observed. The posts after the lockdown was imposed had higher valence and arousal than prelockdown posts. On the day of lockdown, the non-Hubei group had a temporarily boosted valence (γ20=0.118; SE 0.021; P<.001) and arousal (γ30=0.293; SE 0.022; P<.001). Compared with non-Hubei residents, the Wuhan group had smaller increases in valence (γ21=-0.172; SE 0.052; P<.001) and arousal (γ31=-0.262; SE 0.053; P<.001) on the day of lockdown. Weibo users' emotional valence (γ40=0.000; SE 0.001; P=.71) and arousal (γ40=0.001; SE 0.001; P=.56) remained stable over the 2 weeks after the lockdown was imposed regardless of geographical location (valence: γ41=-0.004, SE 0.003, and P=.16; arousal: γ41=0.003, SE 0.003, and P=.26). During the early stages of the pandemic, most Weibo posts indicated a pleasant mood with low arousal. The overall increase in the posts' valence and arousal after the lockdown announcement might indicate collective cohesion and mutual support in web-based communities during a public health crisis. Compared with the temporary increases in valence and arousal of non-Hubei users on the day of lockdown, Wuhan residents' emotions were less affected by the announcement. Overall, our data suggest that Weibo users were not influenced by the lockdown measures in the 2 weeks after the lockdown announcement. Our findings offer policy makers insights into the usefulness of social connections in maintaining the psychological well-being of people affected by a lockdown.

Epidemiological Analysis of COVID-19 Outbreaks in Wuhu, China, from January to March 2020

Background: COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has spread worldwide and become a global pandemic. Objectives: Studies of the earliest events of the COVID-19 pandemic are critical in understanding how the pandemic started and providing insight into the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and its infection in humans. Methods: In this report, we studied the epidemiological characteristics of all 34 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wuhu, China, from January 3 to March 19, 2020. Results: Our study indicated that cases in male patients (61.76%, 21/34) outnumbered those in female patients (38.24%, 13/34). Studies of the age distribution revealed that most COVID-19 patients were 15 to 59 years of age (26/34, 76%), while more than 14% (5/34) were ≥ 60 years old, and less than 9% (3/34) were ≤ 14 years old. Notably, 32 of the 34 confirmed cases were (a) people who had recently resided in or traveled to Wuhan or had close contact with Wuhan residents or visitors (22 cases); and (b) people who had close contact with these 22 confirmed COVID-19 patients (10 cases). Conclusions: This study revealed the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 outbreaks in Wuhu between January and March 2020 and provided insight into the earliest events of the COVID-19 pandemic out of Wuhan in China. Our analyses suggested that the COVID-19 cases confirmed in Wuhu from January to March 2020 were directly related to or originated from the outbreaks in Wuhan.