Participants and data collection
death
DISEASE, SARS-COV-2 INFECTION, COVID-19 INFECTION
The authors analyzed data from consecutive patients (> 14 years) diagnosed with COVID-19 who were admitted as inpatients for at least 24 hours between March and August 2020. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed through either RT-PCR or serology testing. In instances where RT-PCR testing was not conducted within ten days of symptom onset, serology was utilized as a confirmatory test for probable COVID-19 cases. The authors excluded patients with nosocomial COVID-19 infection, defined as patients admitted to the hospital for other causes who were infected with SARS-Cov-2 during their hospitalization.The authors extracted data on the following variables: demographics; comorbidities; COVID-19 symptoms on admission; baseline laboratory tests; ICU admission; need for mechanical ventilation; severity of disease at ICU admission measured with Simplified Acute Physiology Score 3 (SAPS-3); and clinical outcomes, including death, discharge, or referral to another healthcare facility. Data from each participant were collected from EHR and compiled by a trained research team using standardized web-based forms and Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap)