All patients included in the study were diagnosed by the respiratory pathogen nucleic acid test、chest computed tomographic (CT) scans and typical clinical presentation. We divided the patients into two groups according to severity of illness: non-critical group and critical group. The critical patients must meet the following criteria: respiratory failure, shock, multiple organ failure, requiring mechanical ventilation or intensive care management.
This study was approved by the institutional ethics board of Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University (No. 2020042). The ethics commission approved the application for exemption from the requirement for informed consent.