Table 3.
Comparison between very early and early-treated COVID-19 patients
| Characteristics | ≤ 3 days (N = 257) | > 3 days (N = 89) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age [years], median (IQR) | 77 (64–84) | 73 (59–81) | 0.066 |
| Female sex, n (%) | 119 (46.3%) | 35 (39.3%) | 0.254 |
| COVID-19 vaccination, n (%): | 0.275 | ||
| No | 24 (9.3%) | 5 (5.6%) | |
| Yes | 233 (90.7%) | 84 (94.4%) | |
| N 214 | N 78 | 0.710 | |
| Yes, last vaccination > 120 days | 121 (56.5%) | 46 (59%) | |
| Yes, last vaccination ≤ 120 days) | 93 (43.5%) | 32 (41%) | |
| Calendar period: | 0.004 | ||
| Jan–May | 110 (42.8%) | 54 (60.7%) | |
| Jun–Oct | 147 (57.2%) | 35 (39.3%) | |
| Risk factor, n (%): | |||
| Age ≥ 65 years | 174 (67.7%) | 58 (65.2%) | 0.661 |
| BMI ≥ 30 | 20 (7.8%) | 8 (9%) | 0.719 |
| Cardiovascular disease | 97 (38%) | 41 (46%) | 0.167 |
| COPD or other respiratory disease | 58 (22.6%) | 18 (20.2%) | 0.645 |
| Neurological disease | 29 (11.3%) | 6 (6.7%) | 0.221 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 40 (15.6%) | 22 (24.7%) | 0.052 |
| Chronic kidney failure | 14 (5.4%) | 7 (7.9%) | 0.410 |
| Cancer | 21 (8.2%) | 8 (9%) | 0.810 |
| Immunodeficiency | 34 (13.2%) | 15 (16.9%) | 0.398 |
| Treatments for COVID-19, n (%): | |||
| Heparin | 46 (17.9%) | 12 (13.5%) | 0.336 |
| Corticosteroid therapy | 9 (3.5%) | 6 (6.7%) | 0.227 |
| Antiviral treatment: | 0.095 | ||
| Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir | 102 (39.7%) | 26 (29.2%) | |
| Molnupiravir | 68 (26.5%) | 22 (24.7%) | |
| Remdesivir | 87 (33.9%) | 41 (46.1%) | |
| Setting, n (%): | 0.05 | ||
| Outpatient service | 187 (72.8%) | 74 (83.1%) | |
| Hospitalization because of diseases other than COVID-19 | 70 (27.2%) | 15 (16.9%) | |
| Outcome, n (%): | N 225 | N 84 | 0.260 |
| Recovery | 217 (96.4%) | 81 (96.4%) | |
| Death | 8 (3.6%) | 3 (3.6%) | |
| Adverse events, n (%) | 0.561 | ||
| No | 248 (96.5%) | 87 (97.8%) | |
| Yes | 9 (3.5%) | 2 (2.2%) | |
| Days from symptom onset to virological clearance, median (IQR) | 12 (9–16) | 15 (11–19) | 0.002 |
| Virological clearance at day 7 from treatment start, n (%): | N 176 | N 70 | 0.899 |
| No | 77 (43.8%) | 30 (42.9%) | |
| Yes | 99 (56.3%) | 40 (57.1%) |
Quantitative variables are presented as median, interquartile range (1st and 3rd percentile); qualitative variables are presented as absolute numbers and percentages. Mann–Whitney nonparametric test and Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test were used for analyses, as appropriate
Days from symptom onset to virological clearance was defined as days from onset of symptoms to the first antigenic- or PCR-negative nasopharyngeal swab; virological clearance at day 7 was defined as patients with antigenic- or PCR-negative nasopharyngeal swab at day 7 after treatment start
BMI body mass index, COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease