Objective To analyze the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of confirmed patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and to explore the methods and experiences of early identification and diagnosis of COVID-19. Methods The epidemiological characteristics, symptoms, signs, laboratory and imaging findings of 6 confirmed COVID-19 patients diagnosed in Department of Infection Diseases, Changhai Hospital of Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University) up to Feb. 12, 2020, were summarized. Results Among the 6 confirmed patients, 5 were males and one was female. There were two young patients, aged 28 and 29 years, and four elderly patients, aged 45, 62, 71 and 75 years, with anaverage age of 63.2 years. All the 6 patients had a clear epidemiological contact history before the onset of the disease, and 2 of them were family clustering cases. Clinical classification of all the 6 patients was ordinary type with fever and respiratory symptoms as the main manifestations. All patients were tested positive for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleic acid by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Yangpu District, Shanghai. Laboratory tests showed the normal leukocyte count in 5 patients and a slightly decreased level in one patient. Decreased leukomonocyte count was found in 3 patients and the other 3 cases were within the normal range. There were no other respiratory pathogens except SARS-CoV-2. The CT scan showed the manifestations of typical viral pneumonia in all patients with ground-glass opacity or bilateral patchy shadow. Conclusion COVID-19 is highly infectious and all populations are susceptible to it. Early identification and isolation of the sources of infection are important to prevent the spread of the virus. The epidemiological history is very important for diagnosis, and CT scan combined with viral PCR nucleic acid test is an effective diagnostic method.