〔Abstract〕 Objective To understand current epidemic trend of coronavirus disease-2019(COVID-19) in Anhui province in the optimization policy stage, and to analyze the pathogenic characteristics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) in different population. Methods Using a cross-sectional survey design, from December 19 to 20, 2022, an online questionnaire survey was conducted among residents of Anhui province through the official Wechat public accounts of provincial and municipal institutions with high traffic, to collect information on the incidence and clinic situation of COVID-19.The chi-square test was used to compare the proportion of COVID-19 suspected symptoms in different regions, ages and occupations. Results A total of 69 014 questionnaires were distributed and 68 232 valid questionnaires were recovered with an effective rate of 98.97%. The proportion of the participants with COVID-19 suspected symptoms in the past 2 weeks was 51.37%, of which 77.88% self-medicated at home. The top three cities were Bozhou, Fuyang and Bengbu. The age group of 15-59 had the highest proportion of COVID-19 suspected symptoms(51.96%). Among various occupations, service providers had the highest proportion of COVID-19 suspected symptoms(61.07%). 70.20% of the respondents felt anxious about the infection of SARS-CoV-2 and thought it was more serious than the flu. Conclusion The relatively high number of the infected cases and the anxiety of the people are all challenges faced by Anhui province in the stage of optimizing policies. Under the new situation of the epidemic, it is necessary to continuously monitor the local prevalent strains and strengthen the monitoring of clinical symptoms of the infected cases, and effectively control the speed of the virus spread through public health policies and various economic and publicity measures, so as not to cause a run on medical resources and excessive excess deaths.