The COVID-19 pandemic is a significant global event in the history of infectious diseases. The SARS-CoV-2 appears to have originated from bats but is now easily transmissible among humans, primarily through droplet or direct contact. Clinical features of COVID-19 include high fever, cough, and fatigue which may progress to ARDS. Respiratory failure can occur rapidly after this. The primary laboratory findings include lymphopenia and eosinopenia. Elevated D-dimer, procalcitonin, and CRP levels may correlate with disease severity. Imaging findings include ground-glass opacities and patchy consolidation on CT scan. Mortality is higher in patients with hypertension, cardiac disease, diabetes mellitus, cancer, and COPD. Elderly patients are more susceptible to severe disease and death, while children seem to have lower rates of infection and lower mortality. Diagnostic criteria and the identification of persons under investigation have evolved as more data has emerged. However, the approach to diagnosis is still very variable from region to region, country to country, and even among different hospitals in the same city. The importance of a clinical pathway to implement the most effective and relevant diagnostic strategy is of critical importance to establish the control of this virus that is responsible for more and more deaths each day.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 早期诊断的临床途径：从经验到循证实践的更新。

COVID-19 大流行是传染病史上的重大全球事件。SARS-CoV-2 似乎起源于蝙蝠，但现在很容易在人类之间传播，主要是通过飞沫或直接接触。COVID-19 的临床特征包括可能发展为 ARDS 的高烧、咳嗽和疲劳。在此之后可能会迅速发生呼吸衰竭。主要实验室检查结果包括淋巴细胞减少和嗜酸性粒细胞减少。D-二聚体、降钙素原和 CRP 水平升高可能与疾病严重程度相关。影像学表现包括 CT 扫描上的磨玻璃影和斑片状实变。高血压、心脏病、糖尿病、癌症和慢性阻塞性肺病患者的死亡率更高。老年患者更易患重症和死亡，而儿童的感染率和死亡率似乎较低。随着更多数据的出现，诊断标准和被调查人员的身份也在不断发展。然而，不同地区、不同国家、甚至同一城市不同医院的诊断方法仍然存在很大差异。实施最有效和最相关的诊断策略的临床途径的重要性对于建立对每天导致越来越多死亡的病毒的控制至关重要。