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.