Characterization of the epidemiological curve of the 1st wave of the pandemic - study of the determinants for death and hospitalization due to COVID-19 in Portugal

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus that emerged in China and has since spread rapidly to all countries in the world. The aim of this study is to characterize the peak of the first wave of the pandemic using some demographic and clinical determinants. The database studied contains epidemiological surveillance data of COVID-19 from Portugal until June 30, 2020. The peak of the pandemic was determined considering the number of diagnoses, deaths, and hospitalizations over time, and the estimated period for the first wave was between March 19 and April 24. Logistic regression models were performed to estimate the univariate and multivariate Odds Ratio (OR) and the respective 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for this period and for each of the variables considered in relation to both study outcomes: mortality (5.8%) and hospitalization (18.8%). The main risk factors considered for the mortality outcome were: Age Group (��� 80 years: OR = 11.978; 65-79 years: OR = 4.064; Ref. G.
Journal of Statistics on Health Decision, In press