Abstract Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is a new pandemic disease, associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Its diagnosis requires centralized facilities and time. Aims To describe the exposure history and clinical picture of the COVID‐19 patients, to study the SARS‐CoV‐2 Virus load and some determinants that may correlate with its prognosis, and to evaluate the role of inflammatory index NLR as an early predictor of COVID‐19 prognosis. Methodology A prospective follow‐up study included laboratory‐confirmed 179 COVID‐19 cases out of 660 suspected COVID‐19 cases, at El‐Madinah El‐Monawarah General Hospital in April 2020. Confirmed cases were managed by the Saudi Protocol and followed up every 2 weeks by PCR, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) for 1 month. Data were collected through a validated questionnaire and by qualified infection control staff. Results The majority of the COVID‐19 cases were 67 (37.4%) aged 30 to <45 years, 157 (87.7%) males, 76.0% working outside the medical field. 38.0% were asymptomatic and 26.3% had severe symptoms, while the main presenting symptoms were fever and dry cough (49.7% and 43.6%), respectively. The case fatality was 7.8%. The male, nonmedical occupation, and low level of education had a statistically significant relationship with the baseline PCR. There was an inverse significant correlation between baseline PCR readings and the recovery duration and health status outcomes. NLR was noted to be significantly higher among old age, illiterate nonmedical occupation, case with severe symptoms, MICU admission, and worst health status outcomes, but it was paradoxically higher among nonadmitted positive cases. Conclusion Admitted COVID‐19 cases outcomes (disease severity, ICU admission, and mortality) significantly correlated to NLR and not to the baseline PCR viral load. NLR could be a beneficial prognostic and triaging parameter especially old nonmedical COVID‐19 patients.
【저자키워드】 Prognosis, outcomes, PCR, virus load, NLR, COVID‐19 cases, 【초록키워드】 infection control, Coronavirus disease 2019, Mortality, disease severity, neutrophil, Diagnosis, outcome, COVID‐19, SARS‐CoV‐2, lymphocyte, Asymptomatic, Viral load, clinical picture, Fever, male, ICU admission, age, Health status, morbidity and mortality, prognostic, correlation, Admission, questionnaire, fatality, Inflammatory, presenting symptom, determinant, COVID‐19 patients, dry cough, severe symptoms, pandemic disease, positive, parameter, males, Result, collected, evaluate, significantly, majority, correlated, significantly higher, statistically significant, baseline, Confirmed, 【제목키워드】 neutrophil, COVID, lymphocyte, prognostic indicator, role,