Study offers detailed picture of COVID-19 outcomes

A large prospective cohort study of 5,279 people with confirmed COVID-19 found age and comorbidities to be strong predictors of hospital admission and, to a lesser extent, of critical illness and mortality. Researchers at NYU Langone Health, an academic medical center in New York City and neighboring Long Island, collected a wide range of health and demographic data during five weeks beginning March 1, when New York City was the U.S. epicenter of COVID-19. The study results detail the likelihood of hospitalization, placement in intensive care, need for mechanical ventilation, and three outcomes: discharge, death and hospice care. Poor outcomes during hospitalization were most strongly associated with oxygen impairment and markers of inflammation. (The BMJ article, 5/22/20)