Rapidly increasing cumulative incidence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the European Union/European Economic Area and the United Kingdom, 1 January to 15 March 2020

Pete Kinross, Carl Suetens, Joana Gomes Dias, Leonidas Alexakis, Ariana Wijermans, Edoardo Colzani, Dominique L Monnet, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Public Health Emergency Team, ECDC Public Health Emergency Team, Cornelia Adlhoch, Agoritsa Baka, Julien Beauté, Jordi Borrell Pique, Eeva Broberg, Sergio Brusin, Nick Bundle, Mike Catchpole, Orlando Cenciarelli, Scott Chiossi, Bruno Ciancio, Catia Cunha, Angelo D'Ambrosio, Stefania De Angelis, Dragoslav Domanović, Margot Einöder-Moreno, Laura Espinosa, Emilie Finch, Silvia Funke, Céline Gossner, Gaëtan Guyodo, Joana Haussig, Hector Honrubia, Josep Jansa, Helen Johnson, Tommi Kärki, John Kinsman, Csaba Ködmön, Favelle Lamb, Katrin Leitmeyer, Felix Lötsch, Otilia Mårdh, Angeliki Melidou, Hanna Merk, Grazina Mirinaviciutė, Thomas Mollet, Lina Nerlander, Teymur Noori, Daniel Palm, Pasi Penttinen, Anastasia Pharris, Diamantis Plachouras, Emmanuel Robesyn, Senia Rosales-Klintz, Andreea Salajan, Gianfranco Spiteri, Svetla Tsolova, Pete Kinross, Carl Suetens, Joana Gomes Dias, Leonidas Alexakis, Ariana Wijermans, Edoardo Colzani, Dominique L Monnet, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) Public Health Emergency Team, ECDC Public Health Emergency Team, Cornelia Adlhoch, Agoritsa Baka, Julien Beauté, Jordi Borrell Pique, Eeva Broberg, Sergio Brusin, Nick Bundle, Mike Catchpole, Orlando Cenciarelli, Scott Chiossi, Bruno Ciancio, Catia Cunha, Angelo D'Ambrosio, Stefania De Angelis, Dragoslav Domanović, Margot Einöder-Moreno, Laura Espinosa, Emilie Finch, Silvia Funke, Céline Gossner, Gaëtan Guyodo, Joana Haussig, Hector Honrubia, Josep Jansa, Helen Johnson, Tommi Kärki, John Kinsman, Csaba Ködmön, Favelle Lamb, Katrin Leitmeyer, Felix Lötsch, Otilia Mårdh, Angeliki Melidou, Hanna Merk, Grazina Mirinaviciutė, Thomas Mollet, Lina Nerlander, Teymur Noori, Daniel Palm, Pasi Penttinen, Anastasia Pharris, Diamantis Plachouras, Emmanuel Robesyn, Senia Rosales-Klintz, Andreea Salajan, Gianfranco Spiteri, Svetla Tsolova

Abstract

The cumulative incidence of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases is showing similar trends in European Union/European Economic Area countries and the United Kingdom confirming that, while at a different stage depending on the country, the COVID-19 pandemic is progressing rapidly in all countries. Based on the experience from Italy, countries, hospitals and intensive care units should increase their preparedness for a surge of patients with COVID-19 who will require healthcare, and in particular intensive care.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, coronavirus disease; coronavirus, EU/EEA, United Kingdom, Europe.

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Time distribution of the 14-day truncated cumulative incidence of COVID-19 for (A) 14-day truncated cumulative incidence ≥ 4.0 cases per 100,000 population and > 30 notified casesa and (B) 14-day truncated cumulative incidence < 4.0 cases per 100,000 population or < 30 notified casesb, EU/EEA countriesand the UKc, 15 March 2020
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cumulative number of COVID-19 cases in EU/EEA countries and the UK as at 15 March compared with that in Italy, 31 January–15 March 2020 (total number of cases in the EU/EEA and the UK as at 15 March 2020 8:00 a.m. = 39,768)

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Source: PubMed

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