TY - JOUR T1 - Analysis of the impact of lockdown on the reproduction number of the SARS-Cov-2 in Spain JO - Gaceta Sanitaria T2 - AU - Hyafil,Alexandre AU - MoriƱa,David SN - 02139111 M3 - 10.1016/j.gaceta.2020.05.003 DO - 10.1016/j.gaceta.2020.05.003 UR - https://www.gacetasanitaria.org/es-analysis-impact-lockdown-on-reproduction-articulo-S0213911120300984 AB - ObjectiveThe late 2019 COVID-19 outbreak has put the health systems of many countries to the limit of their capacity. The most affected European countries are, so far, Italy and Spain. In both countries (and others), the authorities decreed a lockdown, with local specificities. The objective of this work is to evaluate the impact of the measures undertaken in Spain to deal with the pandemic. MethodWe estimated the number of cases and the impact of lockdown on the reproducibility number based on the hospitalization reports up to April 15th 2020. ResultsThe estimated number of cases shows a sharp increase until the lockdown, followed by a slowing down and then a decrease after full quarantine was implemented. Differences in the basic reproduction ratio are also significant, dropping from 5.89 (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 5.46-7.09) before the lockdown to 0.48 (95%CI: 0.15-1.17) afterwards. ConclusionsHandling a pandemic like COVID-19 is complex and requires quick decision making. The large differences found in the speed of propagation of the disease show us that being able to implement interventions at the earliest stage is crucial to minimise the impact of a potential infectious threat. Our work also stresses the importance of reliable up to date epidemiological data in order to accurately assess the impact of Public Health policies on viral outbreak. ER -