2.1 Data sources and search strategy:
A systematic review was conducted as per the PRISMA guideline. This
systematic review and meta-analysis was registered to PROPERO
(CRD42022304323). A comprehensive search was performed in
PubMed/Medline, Cochrane and Google Scholar databases on 10 February
2022 by two persons independently (D.P.; K.P.). All the probable
combination of key words were included in the study such as
“corticosteroid therapy” “methylprednisolone” “dexamethasone”
“Prednisolone” “COVID-19” “SARS-CoV-2 infection” “Corona
infection” “Mortality” “fatality” “death”. The cross-references
from the screened studies were explored for more articles. The same
study selection criteria were utilized for articles identified via
forward/backward search.