Data Collection Procedure and Ethical Considerations
Institutional approval and ethical clearance were initially secured from
the institution and their respective Research Ethics Committees. Data
collection was conducted from August 2021 to January 2022. For the
retrospective aspect, a list of previously admitted patients at the
start of the study, had blood typing, and had RT-PCR was initially
requested. Afterwards, the medical records of these patients were
screened and reviewed before extracting and recording pertinent
information in the abstraction form. For patients who were still
admitted at the start of the study, a list was secured from the
different hospital unit. Eligible patients, or their legally authorized
representative, were invited to participate and were provided full
disclosure before securing written informed consent. The medical records
of these patients were then reviewed and pertinent demographic, medical
and clinical, and COVID-19 infection data were collected and recorded in
the abstraction form. These patients were then followed-up during their
hospitalization for COVID-19 disease outcomes.