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Last reviewed: 22 Oct 2024
Last updated: 24 Oct 2024

Summary

Definition

History and exam

Key diagnostic factors

  • fever
  • cough
  • dyspnea
  • altered sense of smell/taste

Other diagnostic factors

  • fatigue
  • myalgia or arthralgia
  • sore throat
  • headache
  • rhinorrhea or nasal congestion
  • sneezing
  • expectoration
  • chest pain/tightness
  • malaise
  • dizziness
  • confusion or delirium
  • gastrointestinal symptoms
  • cutaneous symptoms
  • ocular symptoms
  • signs of pneumonia or acute respiratory distress
  • hemoptysis
  • audio-vestibular symptoms
  • oral mucosal lesions

Risk factors

  • contact with probable or confirmed case
  • residence/work in location with high risk of transmission
  • older age
  • male sex
  • ethnicity
  • residence in a long-term care facility
  • presence of comorbidities
  • obesity
  • cardiovascular disease
  • diabetes
  • chronic respiratory disease
  • chronic kidney disease
  • chronic liver disease
  • pregnancy
  • smoking
  • malignancy
  • cerebrovascular disease
  • mental health disorders
  • solid organ or blood stem cell transplant
  • disabilities
  • dementia
  • immunosuppression
  • HIV infection
  • physical inactivity
  • hemoglobin disorders
  • hypertension
  • substance use disorders
  • children with certain underlying conditions
  • vitamin D deficiency
  • proton-pump inhibitor use
  • corticosteroid use
  • autoimmune disease
  • thyroid disease
  • Parkinson disease
  • gout
  • dyslipidemia
  • surgery
  • blood groups A and B
  • gut dysbiosis
  • environmental factors

Diagnostic tests

1st tests to order

  • real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)
  • rapid antigen test
  • pulse oximetry
  • ABG
  • CBC
  • comprehensive metabolic panel
  • blood glucose level
  • coagulation screen
  • cardiac biomarkers
  • serum C-reactive protein
  • serum erythrocyte sedimentation rate
  • serum lactate dehydrogenase
  • serum procalcitonin
  • serum ferritin level
  • blood and sputum cultures
  • chest x-ray

Tests to consider

  • computed tomography (CT) chest
  • lung ultrasound
  • serology

Treatment algorithm

Contributors

Authors

Jennifer M. Hendrick, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

University of Virginia Health System

Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health

Charlottesville

VA

Disclosures

JMH declares that she has no competing interests.

Tom E. Fletcher, MBE, PhD, MBChB, MRCP, DTM&H

Senior Clinical Lecturer and Defence Consultant in Infectious Diseases

Royal Liverpool University Hospital and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Liverpool

UK

Disclosures

TEF is a consultant/expert panel member to the World Health Organization, and is funded by the UK Surgeon General, the NHS, and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. TEF is partially supported by the National Institute of Health Research Health Protection Unit (NIHR HPRU) in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections at University of Liverpool in partnership with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA; formerly Public Health England) in collaboration with Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. He is affiliated with Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. He has received research grants from the Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, and the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST). The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, the Department of Health, or UKHSA.

Robert Fowler, MDCM, MS (Epi), FRCP(C)

H. Barrie Fairley Professor of Critical Care

University Health Network and Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine

Director

Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research

Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation

Dalla Lana School of Public Health

University of Toronto

Chief

Tory Trauma Program

Sunnybrook Hospital

Toronto

Canada

Disclosures

RF declares that he has no competing interests.

Acknowledgements

Dr Jennifer M. Hendrick​, Dr Tom E. Fletcher, and Dr Robert Fowler would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Nicholas J. Beeching, previous contributor to this topic.

Disclosures

NJB is partially supported by the National Institute of Health Research Health Protection Unit (NIHR HPRU) in Emerging and Zoonotic Infections at University of Liverpool in partnership with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA; formerly Public Health England), in collaboration with Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. He is affiliated with Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, the Department of Health, or UKHSA.

Peer reviewers

William A. Petri, Jr., MD, PhD

Professor

Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health

University of Virginia

Charlottesville

VA

Disclosures

WAP declares that he has no competing interests.

Xin Zhang, MD, PhD

Attending Physician

The Fifth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital

Clinical Division and Research Center of Infectious Disease

Beijing

China

Disclosures

XZ declares that he has no competing interests.

Ran Nir-Paz, MD

Associate Professor in Medicine

Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center

Jerusalem

Israel

Disclosures

RNP has received research grants from US-Israel Binational Science Foundation, Hebrew University, Rosetrees Trust, and SpeeDx. He is chair of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) Study Group for Mycoplasma and Chlamydia Infections (ESGMAC). RNP is a consultant for and has stocks in eDAS Healthcare. He is also chairperson of the Israeli Society for Infectious Diseases guidelines committee.

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