Outbreak of COVID-19 in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County in 2020.

COVID-19 je virusna zarazna bolest uzrokovana novim SARS-CoV 2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2) virusom. Virus koji je uzročnik bolesti prenosi se s oboljele osobe na zdravu osobu putem sitnih kapljica koje dospijevaju u zrak prilikom kašlja ili kihanja. Bolest najčešće zahvaća respiratorni trakt i u težim slučajevima može uzrokovati tešku upalu pluća (pneumoniju). Od ulaska COVID-19 u Republiku Hrvatsku, u veljači 2020. godine u Primorskogoranskoj županiji do kraja 2020. godine zarazilo se 15.924 ljudi (godišnja incidencija u 2020. godini iznosila je 5.4 %). Ovaj rad obuhvaća podatke tijekom 10-mjesečnog razdoblja, od početka epidemije COVID-19, u veljači 2020. godine pa sve do prosinca iste godine. Praćeni su navedeni mjeseci na području Primorsko-goranske županije s ciljem stvaranja epidemiološkog prikaza COVID-19. U radu su uključeni podaci raspodjele zaraženih osoba prema dobi i spolu te području županije u što spadaju: Hrvatsko primorje, Gorski kotar i Kvarnerski otoci. Najmanji broj oboljelih bio je u mjesecu svibnju, bila je samo jedna pozitivna osoba, a najveći broj oboljelih bio je u mjesecu prosincu i broj zaraženih bio je 8.030. Od bolesti su češće obolijevale žene. Bolest je najprisutnija bila kod osoba životne dobi u rasponu od 25-64 godina. Na području Hrvatskog primorja incidencija oboljelih kroz sve mjesece u 2020. godini bila je 4.9 %, na području Gorskog kotara bila je 4.2 %, a na području Kvarnerskih otoka bila je 4 %. Pandemija COVID-19 u Primorsko-goranskoj županiji nastupila je vrlo naglo kao i u ostatku Republike Hrvatske i svijeta, no odgovor na pandemiju bio je primjeren te su mjere za sprječavanje širenja zaraze donesene od strane stožera civilne zaštite bile u potpunosti prikladne.COVID-19 is a viral infectious disease caused by the new SARS-CoV 2 virus. The virus that causes the disease is transmitted from an infected person to a healthy person through tiny droplets that reach the air when you cough or sneeze. The disease most often affects the respiratory tract and in severe cases can cause severe pneumonia. Since the entry of COVID-19 into the Republic of Croatia, in February 2020 in the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County until the end of 2020, 15,924 people have been infected (annual incidence for 2020 was 5.4%). This paper covers data over a 10-month period, from the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic in February 2020 until December of the same year. These months were monitored in the Primorje-Gorski kotar County with the aim of creating an epidemiological overview of COVID- 19. The paper includes data on the distribution of infected persons by age and sex and the area of the county, which includes: Hrvatsko primorje, Gorski Kotar and Kvarner islands. The lowest number of patients was detected in May, there was only one positive person, and the highest number of patients was in December when the number of infected was 8,030. The disease was more common in women. The disease was most present in people aged 25-64 years. At the Hrvatsko primorje area the incidence in the period of interest was 4.9 %, at Gorski kotar area 4.2 % and Kvarner islands area 4 %. The COVID-19 pandemic in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County occurred as abruptly as in the rest of the Republic of Croatia and the world, but the response to the pandemic was appropriate and the measures to prevent the spread of infection adopted by civil protection headquarters were fully appropriate