Abstract: Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 （COVID-19） in Yicheng City and provide scientific basis for prevention and control of COVID-19. Methods Descriptive epidemiological method was used to analyze the epidemic status of COVID-19 in Yicheng City from January to February 2020. Results From Jan. 1 to Feb.29, 2020, Yicheng City had reported 72 confirmed cases, with a reported morbidity of 13.02/100,000, 3 deaths, a mortality of 0.54/100,000, and a case fatality rate of 4.17%. Forty-nine cases were confirmed during the 12 days from Jan. 21 to Feb. 1, accounting for 68.06% of the total. Yancheng Subdistrict had the highest morbidity, with a morbidity and constituent ratio of 31.16/100,000 and 55.56% respectively. The majority of patients were adults over 20 years old, accounting for 98.61% of the total, with no significant gender difference （P>0.05）. The main occupations of patients were farmers, retirees, waiters in public place and cadres, accounting for 65.28% of the total. The cases were clustered,and mainly family-clustered, involving 31 cases and 70 close contacts. The prevalence was mainly based on Wuhan residence or travel import, accounting for 50.00% of the total. The median time from onset to diagnosis of a suspected case was 4.5 days, from onset to diagnosis of a confirmed case was 6 days. Conclusion The morbidity of COVID-19 is high in the urban area, and the incidence peak occurs in a short period of time. The patients are mainly adults over 20 years old, with no significant gender difference. The disease has the characteristics of family-clustered and Wuhan import of early cases. The government-led comprehensive prevention and control measures have controlled the further development of the epidemic. Attention should be paid to the control of transmission within family. The screening and isolation of asymptomatic infected cases are also important in prevention and control measures.

Key words: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Epidemiology