Age Structure of Patients with COVID-19 in Epidemic Dynamics of Novel Coronavirus Infection in the Rostov Region

Objective. To study the features of the age structure of patients with COVID-19 in the Rostov Region in different periods of the pandemic. Materials and methods. A retrospective and current epidemiological analysis of the incidence of COVID-19 in the Rostov Region between March 2020 and April 2022 was performed. The analysis was conducted for the age groups of “0–17”, “18–45”, “46–65”, and “over 65” years in different pandemic periods. Results. The epidemic process of novel coronavirus infection in the Rostov Region during the observation period was characterized by a wavy course with recurrent disease rises and falls. Five time periods of the pandemic were recorded. Some features of the age composition of COVID-19 patients in different periods were revealed: a 2-fold increase in the proportion of children by the 5th period (up to 14.2%) and an increase in the involvement of people over 65 years in the 2nd and 4th periods (25.9% and 19.6%, respectively). The main force behind the pandemic were individuals aged 18–65 years. Conclusion. The age structure of COVID-19 patients during the observation period (two years and a half) was characterized by the predominance of adult patients over 18 years of age. The proportion of children at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic was low, but as the epidemic process evolved, the role of this age group increased significantly. The increase in the incidence among children can probably be explained by the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 genovariants, which are highly contagious and virulent. Key words: COVID-19, monitoring, epidemic process, SARS-CoV-2, age structure