Methods & Materials:
This research was a case-control study that was performed in two hospitals in Alborz Province of Iran. This study was approved by the ethics committee of Alborz University of Medical Sciences with ethics code IR.ABZUMS.REC 1398.267. Informed consent was taken from subjects and the inclusion criteria were as follows: all patients with related signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and compatible CT findings requiring hospitalization according to National Guideline items (RR>33 or O2 saturation<93) or physician’s judgement. Exclusion criteria were inconclusive PCR results, causes of pneumonia other than COVID-19, unclear or incomplete recorded history of patients. Data were collected from the patient’s medical findings and self-reports in determined categories.