Characteristics and outcomes of nonpalliative patients with COVID-19 presenting to emergency departments in the derivation and validation cohorts
| Characteristic/outcome | Cohort; no. (%) of visits* | |
|---|---|---|
| Derivation n = 7420 | Validation n = 2185 | |
| Age, mean ± SD, yr | 54.7 ± 19.8 | 53.6 ± 19.9 |
| Female sex | 3544 (47.8) | 1149 (52.6) |
| Province† | ||
| Quebec | 2992 (40.3) | 369 (16.9) |
| British Columbia | 1839 (24.8) | 291 (13.3) |
| Alberta | 1718 (23.2) | 775 (35.5) |
| Ontario | 732 (9.9) | 379 (17.4) |
| Saskatchewan | 75 (1.0) | 329 (15.1) |
| Nova Scotia | 64 (0.7) | 33 (1.51) |
| New Brunswick | < 5 | 9 (0.41) |
| Arrival from | ||
| Home | 6639 (89.5) | 2005 (91.8) |
| Institution | 631 (8.5) | 120 (5.5) |
| No fixed address | 108 (1.5) | 60 (2.8) |
| Missing | 42 (0.6) | 0 (0.0) |
| Arrival mode | ||
| Self | 4432 (59.7) | 1236 (56.6) |
| Ambulance or police | 2987 (40.3) | 948 (43.4) |
| Missing | 1 (0.0) | 1 (0.0) |
| Infection risk | ||
| Household or caregiver contact | 1064 (14.3) | 253 (11.6) |
| Institutional exposure (e.g., long-term care, prison) | 828 (11.2) | 152 (7.0) |
| Health care worker | 385 (5.2) | 107 (4.9) |
| Travel from country with known cases within 14 d | 296 (4.0) | 78 (3.6) |
| Unknown/not documented | 4847 (65.3) | 1595 (73.0) |
| Arrival heart rate, mean ± SD, beats/min | 93.4 ± 18.6 | 92.6 ± 18.1 |
| Arrival systolic blood pressure, mean ± SD, mm Hg | 131.0 ± 21.1 | 130.9 ± 20.4 |
| Arrival diastolic blood pressure, mean ± SD, mm Hg | 78.2 ± 13.0 | 78.9 ± 13.0 |
| Arrival respiratory rate, mean ± SD, breaths/min | 21.0 ± 6.2 | 20.6 ± 5.5 |
| Arrival temperature, mean ± SD, °C | 37.2 ± 0.9 | 37.0 ± 0.9 |
| Presence of respiratory distress | 1567 (21.1) | 446 (20.4) |
| 10 most common COVID-19 symptoms | ||
| Cough | 3938 (53.1) | 1247 (57.1) |
| Shortness of breath (dyspnea) | 3616 (48.7) | 1096 (50.2) |
| Fever | 3216 (43.3) | 832 (38.1) |
| Fatigue/malaise | 1992 (26.9) | 697 (31.9) |
| Chest pain (includes discomfort or tightness) | 1606 (21.6) | 497 (22.8) |
| Headache | 1263 (17.0) | 415 (19.0) |
| Nausea/vomiting | 1201 (16.2) | 468 (21.4) |
| Chills | 1194 (16.1) | 339 (15.5) |
| Muscle aches (myalgia) | 1136 (15.3) | 384 (17.6) |
| Diarrhea | 1016 (13.7) | 373 (17.1) |
| 10 most common comorbidities | ||
| Hypertension | 2179 (29.4) | 625 (28.6) |
| Diabetes | 1247 (16.8) | 319 (14.6) |
| Dyslipidemia | 1161 (15.7) | 252 (11.5) |
| Mental health diagnosis | 670 (9.0) | 270 (12.4) |
| Hypothyroidism | 547 (7.4) | 141 (6.5) |
| Asthma | 535 (7.2) | 186 (8.5) |
| Coronary artery disease | 487 (6.6) | 114 (5.2) |
| Chronic neurologic disorder (not dementia) | 423 (5.7) | 101 (4.6) |
| Chronic lung disease (not asthma or pulmonary fibrosis) | 379 (5.11) | 132 (6.0) |
| Dementia | 362 (4.9) | 86 (3.9) |
| Smoking or vaping | ||
| Current | 573 (7.7) | 190 (8.7) |
| Past or never | 6847 (92.3) | 1995 (91.3) |
| Illicit substance use | ||
| Current | 130 (1.8) | 83 (3.8) |
| Past or never | 7290 (98.3) | 2102 (96.2) |
| Oxygen required in emergency department | 1341 (18.1) | 302 (13.8) |
| Emergency department disposition | ||
| Discharged | 4488 (60.5) | 1320 (60.4) |
| Admitted | 2858 (38.5) | 848 (38.8) |
| Left against medical advice | 18 (0.2) | 6 (0.3) |
| Died | 22 (0.3) | 6 (0.2) |
| Missing | 34 (0.5) | 5 (0.2) |
| Died in emergency department or in hospital | 471 (6.4) | 147 (6.7) |