Introduction: We aimed to characterize the clinical features of moderate forms of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization and potentially identify predictors for unfavorable outcomes.
Methods: Pooled anonymized clinical data from 452 COVID-19 patients hospitalized in two regional Romanian respiratory disease centers during the Alpha and Delta variant outbreaks were included in the analysis.
Results: Cough and shortness of breath were the most common clinical features; older patients exhibited more fatigue and dyspnea and fewer upper airway-related symptoms such as smell loss or sore throat. The presence of confusion, shortness of breath and age over 60 years were significantly associated with worse outcomes (odds ratios 5.73, 2.08 and 3.29, respectively).
Conclusion: The clinical picture on admission may have a prognostic role for moderate forms of COVID-19. Clear clinical definitions and developing adequate informational infrastructure allowing complex data sharing and analysis might be useful for fast research response should a similar outbreak occur in the future.
Keywords: COVID-19; clinical features; prognostic.