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Table 1 WHO guidelines for COVID-19 severity classification. Source: WHO (2020)

From: Significance of hematologic abnormalities in COVID-19 severity among infected patients in Lagos, Nigeria

Category

Symptoms

Mild

Fever, cough, fatigue, such as sore throat, nasal congestion, headache

Moderate

Adolescent or adult with clinical signs of pneumonia (fever, cough, dyspnea, fast breathing) but no signs of severe pneumonia, including SpO2 ≥ 90% on room air, loss of smell, loss of taste, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, myalgia

Severe

Adolescent or adult with clinical signs of pneumonia (fever, cough, dyspnea, fast breathing) plus one of the following: respiratory rate > 30 breaths/min; severe respiratory distress; or SpO2 < 90% on room air. Loss of smell, loss of taste, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, myalgia

Critical

Chest imaging: (radiograph, CT scan, or lung ultrasound) bilateral opacities, not fully explained by volume overload, lobar or lung collapse, or nodules

Mild ARDS (invasively ventilated): 4 ≤ OI < 8 or 5 ≤ OSI < 7.5

Moderate ARDS (invasively ventilated): 8 ≤ OI < 16 or 7.5 ≤ OSI < 12.3

Severe ARDS (invasively ventilated): OI ≥ 16 or OSI ≥ 12.3

  1. ARDS Acute respiratory disease syndrome, CT Computerized tomography, OSI Oxygen Saturation Index, OI Oxygenation Index