Objective To analyze the similarities and differences between the two outbreaks of coronavirus disease 2019（COVID-19） in Shenyang in 2020

and to summarize the evolution law of the disease. Methods Fifty-seven patients admitted from January to February 2020 in Shenyang（year-beginning admission patients） and 38 patients admitted from December 2020 to January 2021（year-end admission patients） were included

and clinical data including epidemiological and demographic characteristics

disease types

progression status

traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） symptoms and syndromes were collected and analyzed. Results There were statistically significant differences between year-beginning and year-end admission patients group in the gender

age

and combined diseases（P<0.05 or P<0.01）. Patients in both group were mainly moderate cases; three of year-beginning admission patients（5.3%） progressed after hospitalization

of which 2（3.5%） progressed into severe or critically ill cases

while 14 of year-end admission patients（36.8%） progressed after hospitalization

of which 9（23.7%） became severe or critically ill cases. Thirty-four of year-beginning admission patients（59.6%） had fever lasting for an average of 11.41±4.41 days

while there were 32 fever cases（84.2%） among year-end admission patients

lasting for 8.06±3.84 days; statistically significant differences were found in fever case numbers and lasting time between two patients groups（P<0.01）. The major TCM symptoms in year-beginning admission patients were manifested as low or medium fever

dry cough

expectoration

and diarrhea

and the predominant syndrome was spleen deficiency and dampness excess syndrome; for year-end admission patients

the major symptoms and syndromes were high fever

dry cough

constipation

and pathogenic dampness constraining the lung syndrome. Conclusion During the two epidemics in Shenyang in 2020

the patients admitted at the beginning of the year are mildly ill; the pathogenic dampness vents the exterior and can be eliminated; the condition has not changed much

and therefore the treatment is relatively simple; for patients admitted at the end of the year

elder cases with complex underlying diseases are more common; the pathogenic dampness penetrates inward and transforms into fire quickly; the condition progress fast and there are more severe cases

therefore the treatment is relatively complex.