COVID-19 in New York City

Much of what we know so far about hospitalized patients with COVID-19 comes from case series from China. Now, we have a report on the first 393 consecutive patients admitted to two New York City hospitals.

The median age was 62 years, 61% were male, and 36% were obese. Symptoms at presentation included cough (79%), fever (77%), and dyspnea (57%). Gastrointestinal symptoms were relatively common (diarrhea, 24%; nausea and vomiting, 19%). Respiratory failure leading to mechanical ventilation (MV) occurred in a third of patients. Of note, 30% of those who went on to MV had not required supplemental oxygenation when first seen, indicating that a substantial proportion deteriorate after presentation.

Clinical features that were more common in thos…