Anna Flor G. Malundo, Cybele Lara R. Abad, Maria Sonia S. Salamat, Joanne Carmela M. Sandejas, Jose Eladio G. Planta, Jonnel B. Poblete, Shayne Julieane L. Morales, Ron Rafael W. Gabunada, Agnes Lorrainne M. Evasan, Johanna Patricia A. Cañal, Julian A. Santos, Jeffrey T. Manto, Raniv D. Rojo, Eric David B. Ornos, Mary Elise L. Severino, Maria Elizabeth P. Mercado, and Marissa M. Alejandria
To describe the clinical profile and outcomes of hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across the spectrum of disease severity.This retrospective study included adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection admitted to a referral hospital. Descriptive statistics, tests for trend, Kaplan-Meier curve and log-rank test were used to compare characteristics and outcomes across disease severity categories.Of 1500 patients with COVID-19, 14.8% were asymptomatic, 13.5% had mild disease, 36.6% had moderate disease, 12.3% had severe disease and 22.7% had critical disease. Asymptomatic patients were admitted for a concurrent condition or for isolation. Patients aged60 years, male gender and with co-morbidities had more severe disease. Fever, cough, shortness of breath, malaise, gastrointestinal symptoms and decreased sensorium were more common in patients with severe disease. Bilateral pulmonary infiltrates were common (51.1%), with sicker patients having more abnormal findings. The overall mortality rate was 15.1%. Adopting a symptom-based strategy reduced the length of hospitalization from a median of 13 [interquartile range (IQR) 7-21] days to 9 (IQR 5-14) days.The clinical profile and outcomes for this cohort of patients with COVID-19 was consistent with published reports. Asymptomatic infection was common, and universal testing may be a valuable strategy in the correct context, given the implications for infection control. A symptom-based strategy was found to reduce the length of hospitalization considerably.