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Meta-Analysis
. 2021 May:57:14-21.
doi: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2021.02.012. Epub 2021 Mar 2.

COVID-19 fatality rates in hospitalized patients: systematic review and meta-analysis

Ana Macedo  1 , Nilza Gonçalves  2 , Cláudia Febra  3
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

COVID-19 fatality rates in hospitalized patients: systematic review and meta-analysis

Ana Macedo et al. Ann Epidemiol. 2021 May.

Abstract

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Although general and local public health report deathly cases, case fatality rates are still largely unknown. Thus, we sought to evaluate the mortality of COVID-19.

Methods: We searched PubMed and EMBASE databases for articles evaluating the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients that included clinical outcomes, between December 2020 and 24 April 2020. Two authors performed an independent selection using predefined terms of search.

Results: We retrieved 33 studies with a total of 13,398 patients with COVID-19 diagnosis. The mortality rate of the COVID-19 patients was 17.1% (95% CI 12.7; 22.7, I2 = 96.9%). For general patients admitted to the hospital (excluding critical care-only studies) the mortality rate of the COVID-19 was 11.5% (95% CI 7.7; 16.9, I2 = 96.7%). Among critical illness studies (n = 7) we found a 40.5% mortality (95% CI 31.2; 50.6, I2 = 91.8%).

Conclusion: High COVID-19 mortality among general admitted patients and critical care cases should guide resources allocations and economic burden calculations during the pandemics.

Keywords: COVID-19; Fatality; Mortality; SARS-CoV-2; coronavirus; outbreak.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig. 1
PRISMA flow diagram for the study selection process.
Fig 2
Fig. 2
Global mortality ratio.
Fig 3
Fig. 3
Mortality in general patients admitted to hospital.
Fig 4
Fig. 4
Mortality in critical illness patients.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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