2019 novel coronavirus disease in hemodialysis (HD) patients: Report from one HD center in Wuhan, China

Yiqiong Ma; Bo Diao; Xifeng Lv; Jili Zhu; Wei Liang; Lei Liu; Wenduo Bu; Huiling Cheng; Sihao Zhang; Lianhua Yang; Ming Shi; Guohua Ding; Bo Shen; Huiming Wang

Compared with the previous two outbreaks, the epidemic area of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 is wider, the number of infected people is larger, more patients died, and the global economic loss is greater. As the origin source of the epidemic and the the impact of COVID-19 epidemic on HD patients. HD patients are distinct different cluster from other population because: 1. They compose a large scale cluster. For instance, there are more than 7000 HD patients in Wuhan city; 2. They are scattered in different centers across the city; 3. They are highly mobile. Patients should regularly return to their residences and hospitals; 4. They usually receive concentrated dialysis treatment in a large space; 5. Their immune function are impaired; 6. When they are infected, they become a potential source of mobile infection. Considering these natures, HD patients and HD centers need to be given priority in epidemic prevention and control. According to our investigation on single center, the infection rate of HD patients in the COVID-19 epidemic is indeed much higher than that of other population, and the staffs in HD center are also susceptible to infection.