First cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the WHO European Region, 24 January to 21 February 2020
Open accessAbstract
In the WHO European Region, COVID-19 surveillance was implemented 27 January 2020. We detail the first European cases. As at 21 February, nine European countries reported 47 cases. Among 38 cases studied, 21 were linked to two clusters in Germany and France, 14 were infected in China. Median case age was 42 years; 25 were male. Late detection of the clusters’ index cases delayed isolation of further local cases. As at 5 March, there were 4,250 cases.
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Of the first 47 people diagnosed in Europe, 14 had recently visited China.
“Of the first 47 people to be diagnosed in Europe,104 14 had recently visited China.”
From The Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic (2022) · cites this paper as [104]
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Cites
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The Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Emergency Response Epidemiology Team (2020) · PubMed · Cited by 1,277 · see citing works
Bernard-Stoecklin, S., Rolland, P., Silué, Y., Mailles, A., Campese, C., Simondon, A., Mechain, M., Meurice, L., Nguyen, M., Bassi, C., et al. (2020) · Eurosurveillance · doi:10.2807/1560-7917.es.2020.25.6.2000094 · Cited by 539 · see citing works
Self-citationReusken, C. B. E. M., Broberg, E., Haagmans, B. L., et al. (2020) · Eurosurveillance · doi:10.2807/1560-7917.es.2020.25.6.2000082 · Cited by 172 · see citing works
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- [20]Lebensmittelsicherheit BLfGu, Robert Koch Institute Beschreibung des bisherigen Ausbruchsgeschehens mit dem neuartigen Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in Deutschland (Stand: 12. Februar 2020). [Description of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Germany (as at 12 February 2020)]. German. Epidemiologisches Bulletin. 2020; 7: 3- 4.
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The Lancet Commission on lessons for the future from the COVID-19 pandemic
Sachs, J. D., Karim, S. S. A., Aknin, L., Allen, J., Brosbøl, K., Colombo, F., Barron, G. C., Espinosa, M. F., Gaspar, V., Gaviria, A., et al. (2022) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(22)01585-9 · Cited by 842 · see citing works
Sultan, S., Altayar, O., Siddique, S. M., Davitkov, P., Feuerstein, J. D., Lim, J. K., Falck-Ytter, Y., & El-Serag, H. B. (2020) · Gastroenterology · doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2020.05.001 · Cited by 437 · see citing works
Leaune, E., Samuel, M., Oh, H., Poulet, E., & Brunelin, J. (2020) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106264 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
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Unmasking the COVID-19 pandemic prevention gains: excess mortality reversal in 2022
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- Authors
- Spiteri, G., Fielding, J., Diercke, M., Campese, C., Enouf, V., Gaymard, A., Bella, A., Sognamiglio, P., Sierra Moros, M. J., Riutort, A. N., Demina, Y. V., Mahieu, R., Broas, M., Bengnér, M., Buda, S., Schilling, J., Filleul, L., Lepoutre, A., Saura, C., Mailles, A., Levy-Bruhl, D., Coignard, B., Bernard-Stoecklin, S., Behillil, S., van der Werf, S., Valette, M., Lina, B., Riccardo, F., Nicastri, E., Casas, I., Larrauri, A., Salom Castell, M., Pozo, F., Maksyutov, R. A., Martin, C., Van Ranst, M., Bossuyt, N., Siira, L., Sane, J., Tegmark-Wisell, K., Palmérus, M., Broberg, E. K., Beauté, J., Jorgensen, P., Bundle, N., Pereyaslov, D., Adlhoch, C., Pukkila, J., Pebody, R., Olsen, S., & Ciancio, B. C.
- Affiliations
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (SE)
- World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (DK)
- Robert Koch Institute (DE)
- Santé Publique France (FR)
- Institut Pasteur (FR)
- Hospices Civils de Lyon (FR)
- Istituto Superiore di Sanità (IT)
- Istituto Nazionale per le Malattie Infettive Lazzaro Spallanzani (IT)
- Coordination Centre for Health Alerts and Emergencies. Spanish Ministry of Health, Madrid, Spain
- Servicio de Epidemiología, Dirección General de Salut Pública, Islas Baleares, Spain
- Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (RU)
- Common Community Commission (BE)
- Lapland Central Hospital (FI)
- Region Jönköpings län (SE)
- Santé Publique France – Direction des maladies infectieuses, Saint-Maurice, France
- Centre national de référence Virus des infections respiratoires, dont la grippe, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
- Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ES)
- Dirección General de Salut Pública, Islas Baleares, Spain
- State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology “Vector”, Rospotrebnadzor, Moscow, Russia
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint-Pierre (BE)
- Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Institute, KU Leuven - University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Sciensano (Belgium) (BE)
- Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (FI)
- Public Health Agency of Sweden (SE)
- ORCID
- Spiteri, Gianfranco
- Fielding, James
- Diercke, Michaela
- Enouf, Vincent
- Gaymard, Alexandre
- Bella, Antonino
- Mahieu, Romain
- Buda, Silke
- Schilling, Julia
- Filleul, Laurent
- Lepoutre, Agnès
- Mailles, Alexandra
- Coignard, Bruno
- Bernard-Stoecklin, Sibylle
- Behillil, Sylvie
- Valette, Martine
- Lina, Bruno
- Riccardo, Flavia
- Nicastri, Emanuele
- Casas, Inmaculada
- Larrauri, Amparo
- Pozo, Francisco
- Martin, Charlotte
- Bossuyt, Nathalie
- Siira, Lotta
- Sane, Jussi
- Broberg, Eeva K.
- Beauté, Julien
- Jorgensen, Pernille
- Bundle, Nick
- Pereyaslov, Dmitriy
- Adlhoch, Cornelia
- Pebody, Richard
- Olsen, Sonja
- Venue
- Eurosurveillance
- Published
- 2020-03-05
- Volume
- 25
- Issue
- 9
- ISSN
- 1025-496X (ISSN-L)
- 1560-7917
- PMC
- PMC7068164
- OpenAlex
- W3010140478
- Cited by
- 665
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 34 · 2023: 51 · 2022: 79 · 2021: 159 · 2020: 322
- FWCI
- 24.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Locations
- Eurosurveillance (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Dépôt institutionnel de l'Université libre de Bruxelles (Université Libre de Bruxelles) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Lirias (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Informationszentrum Lebenswissenschaften (ZB MED) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- STM:n Hallinnonalan avoin julkaisuarkisto (Julkari) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- World Health Organization
- European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Mathematics › Modeling and Simulation › COVID-19 epidemiological studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
- Keywords
- COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, first case, case clusters, index case, case finding, case isolation, Germany, France, WHO European Region, outbreak surveillance
- MeSH terms
- Betacoronavirus, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Child, Child, Preschool, China, Europe, Female, Hospitalization, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pneumonia, Viral, Population Surveillance, Risk Factors, Travel, Viral Envelope Proteins, World Health Organization, Coronavirus Infections, Young Adult, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
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