Objective: This study compared the temporal course of virulence and symptomatology of SARS-CoV-2 infection in two metropolitan cities with different geographic features. The study aimed to shed light on the possible etiology of the differences observed between two regions.
Material and methods: We retrospectively reviewed PCR confirmed COVID-19 cases for the period of March-June 2020 in two different cities (Istanbul and Diyarbakir) located in northern and southern parts of Turkey, respectively. Demographic features, presenting symptoms, past clinical history, radiological findings, laboratory parameters, mean hospitalization duration were collected. Additionally, meteorological data including daily temperature, diurnal temperature variation, relative humidity, wind speed, mean rainfall, ultraviolet index, altitude and latitude were retrieved for the study period.
Key words: SARS-CoV-2; COVID-19; etiology; geographic features
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