Table 6.
The information of included case series and case reports.
| Study ID | Study type | First author's country | Number of cases | Number (male/female) | Age/years old (X, range) | Intervention methods | Main results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yin X (2021)50 | case series | China | 17 | 8/9 | 24.8, 41–81 | Acupuncture + Chinese medicine + basic treatment | 14 patients were discharged, and 3 patients were converted from moderate to critical. |
| Gong Y (2021)9 | case series | China | 33 | 8/25 | 59, 13–84 | Acupuncture + basic treatment | 33 patients were cured and discharged with significant improvement in symptoms, no adverse reactions or complications from acupuncture-assisted treatment, and no risk of occupational exposure. |
| Wang H (2021)51 | case report | China | 3 | 3/0 | 77, 66–85 | Intradermal acupuncture + western medicine | Three patients were discharged with significant symptom relief, normal inflammatory indexes and absorbed lung lesion. |
| Ma C (2021)52 | case series | China | 18 | 12/6 | NR, 6–64 | Moxibustion + modified Wuye Lugen Decoction | Symptoms of all patients have improved. |
| Zhou H (2021)53 | case series | China | 41 | 26/15 | 47.8, 17–76 | Moxibustion + Chinese medicine | The total effective rate of treatment was 87.8%, and the symptoms improved significantly. 39 patients had negative nucleic acid after 2 weeks of treatment. |
| Li W (2021)54 | case series | China | 8 | 2/6 | NR, 34∼73 | Acupuncture | The efficiency of acupuncture in treating COVID-19 patients with psychological stress disorder was 87.50%. |
| Yin X (2021)'55 | case report | China | 1 | 0/1 | 81, NA | Acupuncture + Chinese herbal medicine + standard care | Discharged from hospital on day 24 with improved symptoms. |
| Cheng SI (2021)56 | case report | USA | 1 | 0/1 | 37, NA | Acupuncture + cupping | Patients recovered within a week without hospitalization. |
| Yeh BY (2021)57 | case report | China | 1 | 1/0 | 73, NA | Acupuncture + western medicine | Acupuncture shows benefit in COVID-19 patients with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. |
| Liu L (2020)58 | case report | China | 1 | 0/1 | 67, NA | Acupuncture + Chinese medicine | Discharged with improved symptoms. |
| Zhang X (2020)59 | case series | China | 7 | 4/3 | 35.7, 22–50 | Chinese and western medicine (moxibustion as adjuvant therapy) | Seven patients were discharged after 14 to 35 days of treatment with negative nucleic acid conversion. |
| Wang M (2020)60 | case series | China | 7 | 4/3 | 39.0, 31–52 | Chinese and western medicine (moxibustion as adjuvant therapy) | Three patients were cured and four patients improved, with an efficiency of 100%. |
| Chen X (2020)61 | case series | China | 192 | NR | NR | Indirect moxibustion | 43 health care workers did not develop infections; 149 patients showed some improvement in symptoms and psychological status. |
| Huang X (2020)62 | case series | China | 42 | 28/14 | 47.0, 29–76 | Heat-sensitive moxibustion + conventional treatment | Heat-sensitive moxibustion can effectively reduce the negative emotions of patients and improve the symptoms of chest tightness with high patient acceptance. |
| Gong Y (2020)'63 | case report | China | 2 | 0/2 | 76.5, 72–81 | Acupuncture + oral administration of “Shanghai leishen No.1 formula” | Two patients were discharged from the hospital after about 1 to 3 months of treatment. |
| Tao L (2020)64 | case report | China | 1 | 0/1 | 64, NA | Acupuncture + basic treatment | After 10 days of treatment, the patient's lung lesions were significantly absorbed and the nucleic acid converted negative. |
NA: Not available; NR: Not reported.