ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 has high transmission and mortality. Previous studies support the efficacy and safety of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the treatment of lung injury. In this study, We aimed to evaluate the CT changes of lung lesions in severe COVID-19 patients treated with umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) by using AI-assisted quantification method.Methods46 patients with severe COVID-19 from March 5 to April 1, 2020 were selected by single-blind, non-randomized controlled clinical study and divided into three groups: 11 cases in UC-MSCs treatment group 1 (MSC-1, with cells infusion once), 26 cases in UC-MSCs treatment group 2 (MSC-2, with cells infusion twice or three times), and 9 cases in control group with routine treatment. Repeated measure ANOVA was used to compare the effects of treatment factors on chest CT parameters of COVID-19 patients between control and experimental groups, and pairwise comparison using LSD test.FindingsThe differences between the percentage of GGO in total lung or the percentage of total lung infection volume on day 0 and that in day 60 as well as in day 90 were statistically significant among the three groups. The P values were 0.034 and 0.018 respectively. Pairwise comparison results showed that the percentage difference of the whole lung GGO and total lung infection volume in MSC-1 group was smaller than that in control group and MSC-2 group respectively, but there was no statistical difference between control group and MSC-2 group. The distribution characteristics and other CT parameters post-proceeded by AI software were not significantly different among the three groups. There were no serious adverse events related to stem cell infusion in all treated patients.InterpretationUC-MSC infusion is safe for the treatment of severe COVID-19 patients. The absorption of lung lesions at 60 days and 90 days after UC-MSC infusion once was more obvious than that in the control group. AI quantification of lung lesions is more suitable for comparative studies before and after treatment.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Lung Injury , Lung DiseasesABSTRACT
Background: The genome of SARS-CoV-2 has shown considerable variation during its spreading. Monitoring variations in the virus genome to understand the evolution and spread of the virus is extremely important. Methods: Seven SARS-CoV-2 strains (BB127, BB183, HB030, MAS525, HF3028, FY1494, and SZ005) circulating in Anhui Province, China were isolated and sequenced for evolutionary analysis. Five strains were further cultured in vitro and were subjected to viral growth assay, TCID50 assay, and detection of spike protein expression. Next generation sequence (NGS) analysis were applied to investigate the mutation frequencies throughout the whole genome at different time gradients in vitro. Findings: Our observations revealed that in vitro cultured SARS-CoV-2 virus had much higher mutation frequency (up to ~20 times) than that in infected patients, and the mutation in nonstructural protein 14 (nsp14) might increase the genomic mutation frequency. Different strains had various amount of spike protein which may positively correlated with the virus replication capacity but may be influenced by other viral factors. Interpretation: Our study suggested that SARS-CoV-2 has the potential to diversify under favorable conditions. Monitoring viral mutations is not only helpful for better understanding of virus evolution and virulence change, but also the key to prevent virus transmission and disease progression. SARS-CoV-2 genomic variation analysis may also provide potential ideas for more efficient vaccine development and clinical treatment. Funding: This work is funded by Special Project for Emergency Scientific and Technological Research on New Coronavirus Infection (YG, No. YD9110002001), Emergency Research Project of Novel Coronavirus Infection of Anhui Province (Grant numbers 202004a07020002; 202004a07020004), Postdoctoral Research Foundation of China (2020M670084ZX) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (WK9110000166; WK9110000167).Declaration of Interests: We declare no competing interests.Ethics Approval Statement: The study was conformed to the principles of the Declaration ofHelsinki and approved by the Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC..
Subject(s)
EmergenciesABSTRACT
Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a significant threat to human health, but its clinical manifestations vary greatly among individuals. Early detection and treatment are important for severely ill patients to improve their prognosis and reduce the risk of death.Methods In the present study, serum markers were detected and analyzed in moderately ill and severely ill patients.Results The results found that there were statistically significant differences in age, serum Krebs von den Lungen-6 (KL-6) and Immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels between severely ill patients and moderately ill patients (P < 0.05). The cut-off of using KL-6 alone for the diagnosis of severely ill patients was 298.91 U/mL, with an AUC of 0.737, a sensitivity of 100%, and a specificity of 43%. When the diagnosis was performed using KL-6 in combination with Interleukin-6 (IL-6), an indicator of infection, the AUC was 0.776, with a sensitivity and specificity of 82% and 69%, respectively. When the three above were used in combination for diagnosis, the AUC was 0.785, and the sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 59%, respectively. After rehabilitation, the serum levels of KL-6, C-reactive protein (CRP), as well as antibodies, IgA, IgM and IgG, were significantly lower than those in the early stage of hospitalization.Conclusion In the present study, KL-6 and IgA were found to have some diagnostic efficacy for severely ill patients with COVID-19, but larger cohort studies are still needed for further confirmation, which in turn improves the diagnostic and therapeutic efficiency of severely ill patients.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections , von Willebrand Diseases , Death , COVID-19ABSTRACT
Background Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, is posing a serious threat to global public health. Reverse transcriptase real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is widely used as the gold standard for clinical detection of SARS-CoV-2. Due to technical limitations, the reported positive rates of qRT-PCR assay of throat swab samples vary from 30–60%. Therefore, the evaluation of alternative strategies to overcome the limitations of qRT-PCR is required. A previous study reported that one-step nested (OSN)-qRT-PCR revealed better suitability for detecting SARS-CoV-2. However, information on the analytical performance of OSN-qRT-PCR is insufficient.Method: In this study, we aimed to analyze OSN-qRT-PCR by comparing it with droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and qRT-PCR by using a dilution series of SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviral RNA and a quality assessment panel. The clinical performance of OSN-qRT-PCR was also validated and compared with ddPCR and qRT-PCR using specimens from COVID-19 patients.Result The LoD (copies/ml) of qRT-PCR, ddPCR, and OSN-qRT-PCR were 520.1 (95% CI): 363.23–1145.69) for ORF1ab and 528.1 (95% CI: 347.7–1248.7) for N, 401.8 (95% CI: 284.8–938.3) for ORF1ab and 336.8 (95% CI: 244.6–792.5) for N, and 194.74 (95% CI: 139.7–430.9) for ORF1ab and 189.1 (95% CI: 130.9–433.9) for N, respectively. Of the 34 clinical samples from COVID-19 patients, the positive rates of OSN-qRT-PCR, ddPCR, and qRT-PCR were 82.35% (28/34), 67.65% (23/34), and 58.82% (20/34), respectively.Conclusion In conclusion, the highly sensitive and specific OSN-qRT-PCR assay is superior to ddPCR and qRT-PCR assays, showing great potential as a technique for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in patients with low viral loads.
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, is posing a serious threat to global public health. Reverse transcriptase real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is widely used as the gold standard for clinical detection of SARS-CoV-2. Due to technical limitations, the reported positive rates of qRT-PCR assay of throat swab samples vary from 30%-60%. Therefore, the evaluation of alternative strategies to overcome the limitations of qRT-PCR is required. A previous study reported that one-step nested (OSN)-qRT-PCR revealed better suitability for detecting SARS-CoV-2. However, information on the analytical performance of OSN-qRT-PCR is insufficient. In this study, we aimed to analyze OSN-qRT-PCR by comparing it with droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and qRT-PCR by using a dilution series of SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviral RNA and a quality assessment panel. The clinical performance of OSN-qRT-PCR was also validated and compared with ddPCR and qRT-PCR using specimens from COVID-19 patients. The LoD (copies/ml) of qRT-PCR, ddPCR, and OSN-qRT-PCR were 520.1 (95% CI): 363.23-1145.69) for ORF1ab and 528.1 (95% CI: 347.7-1248.7) for N, 401.8 (95% CI: 284.8-938.3) for ORF1ab and 336.8 (95% CI: 244.6-792.5) for N, and 194.74 (95% CI: 139.7-430.9) for ORF1ab and 189.1 (95% CI: 130.9-433.9) for N, respectively. Of the 34 clinical samples from COVID-19 patients, the positive rates of OSN-qRT-PCR, ddPCR, and qRT-PCR were 82.35% (28/34), 67.65% (23/34), and 58.82% (20/34), respectively. In conclusion, the highly sensitive and specific OSN-qRT-PCR assay is superior to ddPCR and qRT-PCR assays, showing great potential as a technique for detection of SARS-CoV-2 in patients with low viral loads.
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
Background: Novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) is an emerging, highly contagious community acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by severe acute SARS-CoV-2. Nucleic acid test currently played a crucial role in diagnosis of suspected COVID-19 patients. However, a high false-negative rate of this “gold standard” test has been reported and posed a major setback in blocking the spread of the virus. We here aim to describe an optimized laboratory detection strategy to reduce the false negative rate. Methods: Suspected NCP patients were asked to collect both coughed up specimen and pharyngeal swab. Samples from the same patient were mixed and tested at a single pool. SARS-CoV-2 was then detected by real-time RT-PCR using two different detection kits. Only if both results were negative was the test reported as negative. The patients will be excluded after two consecutive negative tests at 24 hour intervals. We also used multiplex PCR to detect 13 common respiratory tract pathogens (RTP). Results: Using this strategy, we confirmed 85 SARS-CoV-2 infections from 181 suspected patients, and 94.12% of patients were positive in the first test. The 96 excluded patients were followed up, and no additional NCP was found. We also found that 31.25% patients in 96 non-NCP patients were infected with at least one RTP that may cause CAP. Conclusion: Our studies suggest that dual reagents screening with pooled coughed up specimen and pharyngeal swab samples reduced the false negative rate of nucleic acid testing. During the epidemic of NCP in Anhui province, there was a certain proportion of infection and co-infection of other common pathogens of CAP. In comparison with SARS-CoV-2 detection alone, combining multiple pathogen detection reduces the rate of miss diagnosis.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections , Coinfection , Infections , Pneumonia , Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome , COVID-19ABSTRACT
The magnitude of SARS-CoV-2 infection, the dynamic changes of immune parameters in patients with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and their correlation with the disease severity remain unclear. The clinical and laboratory results from 154 confirmed COVID-19 patients were collected. The SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in patients were estimated using the Ct values of specific RT-PCR tests. The lymphocyte subsets and cytokines profiles in the peripheral blood were analyzed by flow cytometry and specific immunoassays. 154 confirmed COVID-19 patients were clinically examined up to 4 weeks after admission. The initial SARS-CoV-2 RNA Ct values at admission varied but were comparable in the patient groups classified according to the age, gender, underlying diseases, and disease severity. Three days after admission significant higher Ct values were found in severe cases. Significantly reduced counts of T cells and T cell subsets were found in patients with old age and underlying diseases at admission and were characteristic for the development of severe COVID-19. Severe COVID-19 developed preferentially in patients with underlying compromised immunity and was not associated with initial virus levels. Higher SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in severe cases were apparently a result of impaired immune control associated with dysregulation of inflammation.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections , Inflammation , Severe Acute Respiratory SyndromeABSTRACT
Background: With coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) ravaging the global, concern has been aroused whether discharged Covid-19 patients with reappeared positive nucleic acid test results are infected again. Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of discharged Covid-19 patients with reappeared positive nucleic acid test results and to track clinical outcomes of them. Methods: We extracted clinical data on 938 Covid-19 patients from Wuhan Union Hospital (West Branch), and we obtained information about residual symptoms and nucleic acid tests after discharge through follow-up study. We evaluated the relationship of clinical characteristics and reappeared positive results. Each patient had at least 44 days of follow-up. Results: Of 938 discharged patients, a total of 58 (6.2%) had reappeared positive nucleic acid test results and 880 remain negative. Among patients over the age of 50, the factors we found to be associated with re-positive results were coronary artery disease (14.1%, vs. 5.5% among those without coronary artery disease; odds ratio, 2.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28 to 6.15), and hypertension (9.5%, vs. 4.9% among those without hypertension; odds ratio, 2.05; 95% CI, 1.10 to 3.82). As of May 11, 2020, 54 (93.1%) re-positive patients turned negative again while two patients remained positive, and two patients was lost to the second follow-up. Conclusion: Coexisting diseases including coronary artery disease and hypertension were substantial risk factors for re-positive outcomes among patients over 50. And most re-positive patients tended to return negative eventually.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Hypertension , Coronary Artery DiseaseABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) accompanies severe immune injury as well as a decrease and overactivation of T lymphocytes. We observed that vMIP-Ⅱ, a broad-spectrum chemokine receptor inhibitor, could improve the lymphocyte decrease of COVID-19. Comparisons of T cell populations in PBMCs showed that the effects of vMIP-II on the subsets of T cells and cytokine secretion stimulated by SARS-CoV-2 S protein were the same as those in the asymptomatic infection group: the proportion of CD8+ TCM cells in the vMIP-II treatment and asymptomatic groups was significantly higher than that in the symptomatic control group. Differential gene expression of effector CD8+ T cells suggested that vMIP-II inhibits multiple chemokine receptors and related signal pathway and strengthens their stem proliferating capacity. Thus, vMIP-II reconstitutes cellular immunity lost due to acute infection of SARS-CoV-2 by modulating effector CD8+ T cells to produce more TCM cells.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections , Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome , Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury , COVID-19ABSTRACT
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) accompanies severe immune injury as well as a decrease and overactivation of T lymphocytes. We observed that vMIP-Ⅱ, a broad-spectrum chemokine receptor inhibitor, could improve the lymphocyte decrease of COVID-19. Comparisons of T cell populations in PBMCs showed that the effects of vMIP-II on the subsets of T cells and cytokine secretion stimulated by SARS-CoV-2 S protein were the same as those in the asymptomatic infection group: the proportion of CD8+TCM cells in the vMIP-II treatment and asymptomatic groups was significantly higher than that in the symptomatic control group. Differential gene expression of effector CD8+ T cells suggested that vMIP-II inhibits multiple chemokine receptors and related signal pathway and strengthens their stem proliferating capacity. Thus, vMIP-II reconstitutes cellular immunity lost due to acute infection of SARS-CoV-2 by modulating effector CD8+ T cells to produce more TCM cells.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections , Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome , Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury , COVID-19ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed a major challenge for protecting health care workers (HCWs) against the infection. Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) in health care workplace is recommended as a high priority. In order to investigate the relationship between PPE use and the number of COVID-19 cases among HCWs, we conducted a molecular epidemiological study among 142 HCWs who were dispatched from Hefei to work in Wuhan and 284 HCWs who remained in Hefei, China; both provided care for patients with COVID-19. Nucleic acid testing and SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody (IgM, IgG, IgA) detection were performed to confirm SARS-CoV-2 infection among those HCWs. We also extracted publicly released data on daily number of COVID-19 cases among HCWs, daily number of HCWs who were dispatched to Hubei province since January 24, and daily production of PPE in China and daily demand and supply of PPE in Hubei province. Our laboratory testing confirmed that none of the 142 HCWs who were dispatched to work in Wuhan and 284 HCWs who remained in Hefei were infected by SARS-CoV-2. Consistent with these findings, as of April 15, 2020, none of the 42,600 HCWs who were successively dispatched to Hubei province since January 24, 2020 was reported to have COVID-19. These HCWs were provided with adequate supply of PPE as committed by their original institutions or provinces. In contrast, during the early phase of COVID-19 epidemic in Hubei province, a substantial shortage of PPE and an increasing number of COVID-19 infection among HCWs were reported. With the continuing increase in domestic production of PPE in China, the PPE supply started to meet and then exceed the demand. This coincided with a subsequent reduction in the number of reported COVID-19 cases among HCWs. In conclusion, our findings indicate that COVID-19 infection among HCWs could be completely prevented. Appropriate and adequate PPE might play a crucial role in protecting HCWs against COVID-19 infection.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Coronavirus InfectionsABSTRACT
The spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has taken on pandemic proportions, affecting over 100 countries in a matter of weeks. The goal of this study was to assess the diagnostic values of different methods of detecting and estimating the SARS-CoV-2 infection, and the auxiliary diagnostic potential of antibody assays. By retrospectively analyzing the data of viral RNAs and serum immunoglobulin M-immunoglobulin G antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 from 38 cases with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 in the Second People's Hospital of Fuyang, we found that, in the early phase of the illness, the viral RNA was most abundant in the sputum specimens, followed by that in the throat swabs, while the antibody assays identified fewer positive cases at this stage. However, the sensitivity of the antibody assays overtook that of RNA test from the eighth day of disease onset. Simultaneous use of antibody assay and reverse transcription-quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction improved the sensitivity of the diagnoses. Moreover, we found that most of these cases with no detectable viral RNA load during the early stages were able to be seropositive after 7 days. Our findings indicate that the antibody detection could be used as an effective supplementary indicator of SARS-CoV-2 infection in suspected cases with no detectable viral RNA, and in conjunction with nucleic acid detection in confirming the infection.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 Serological Testing/methods , COVID-19/diagnosis , Adult , Antibodies, Viral/blood , China , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulin G/blood , Immunoglobulin M/blood , Male , Middle Aged , RNA, Viral/analysis , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction , Sensitivity and Specificity , Seroconversion , Viral LoadABSTRACT
Background. The pandemic of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is causing great loss. Detecting viral RNAs is standard approach for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis with variable success. Currently, studies describing the serological diagnostic methods are emerging, while most of them just involve the detection of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgM and IgG by ELISA or flow immunoassay with limited accuracy. Methods. Diagnostic approach depends on chemiluminescence immunoanalysis (CLIA) for detecting IgA, IgM and IgG specific to SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (NP) and receptor-binding domain (RBD) was developed. The approach was tested with 216 sera from 87 COVID-19 patients and 483 sera from SARS-CoV-2 negative individuals. The diagnostic accuracy was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Concentration kinetics of RBD-specific serum antibodies were characterized. The relationship of serum RBD-specific antibodies and disease severity was analyzed. Results. The diagnostic accuracy based on RBD outperformed those based on NP. Adding IgA to a conventional serological test containing IgM and IgG improves sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis at early stage. CLIA for detecting RBD-specific IgA, IgM and IgG showed diagnostic sensitivities of 98.6%, 96.8% and 96.8%, and specificities of 98.1%, 92.3% and 99.8%, respectively. Median concentration of IgA and IgM peaked during 16-20 days after illness onset at 8.84 g/mL and 7.25 g/mL, respectively, while IgG peaked during 21-25 days after illness onset at 16.47 g/mL. Furthermore, the serum IgA level positively correlates with COVID-19 severity. Conclusion. CLIA for detecting SARS-CoV-2 RBD-specific IgA, IgM and IgG in blood provides additional values for diagnosing and monitoring of COVID-19.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Severe Acute Respiratory SyndromeABSTRACT
Background: The spread of an novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2, previously named 2019-nCoV) has already taken on pandemic proportions, affecting over 100 countries in a matter of weeks. Elucidating the diagnostic value of different methods, especially the auxiliary diagnosis value of antibodies assays for SARS-CoV-2 infection is helpful for improving the sensitivities of pathogenic-diagnosis, providing timely treatment, and differentiating the infected cases from the healthy, thus preventing further epidemics. Methods: Medical records from 38 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in the Second People's Hospital of Fuyang from January 22, 2020 to February 28, 2020 were collected and retrospectively analyzed. Specimens including throat swabs, sputum and serum were collected during the hospitalization period, viral RNAs and serum IgM-IgG antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 were measured respectively. The detectability of different methods as well as the auxiliary diagnosis value of antibodies test for SARS-CoV-2 infection were analyzed. Results: Among 38 patients, the total seropositive rate for IgM and IgG was 50.0% and 92.1%, respectively. Two patients remained seronegative throughout the course of illness. In the early phase of illness, the RNA test for sputum specimens possessed the highest detectability(92.3%), followed by the the RNA test for throat swabs (69.2%), and the antibodies assays presented lower positive rates(IgM, 23.0%, IgG, 53.8%). While, the sensitivity of antibodies assays overtook that of RNA test since day 8 after onset (IgM, 50.0%; IgG, 87.5%). Of note, the positive rate of throat swabs was only 13.0% for cases in later phase([≥]15 d.a.o), and the sensitivities of IgM and IgG rose to 52.2% and 91.3%, respectively. Combined use of antibodies assay and qRT-PCR at the same time was able to improve the sensitivities of pathogenic-diagnosis, especially for the throat swabs group at the later stage of illness. Moreover, most of these cases with undetectable viral RNA in throat swabs specimens at the early stage of illness were able to be IgM/IgG seropositive after 7 days. Conclusions: The antibodies detection against SARS-CoV-2 offers vital clinical information for physicians, and could be used as an effective supplementary indicator for suspected cases of negative viral nucleic acid detection or in conjunction with nucleic acid detection in the diagnosis of suspected cases.
Subject(s)
COVID-19ABSTRACT
Novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP) is an emerging, highly contagious community acquired pneumonia (CAP) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Highly efficient and accurate microbiological laboratory assay is essential to confirm the SARS-CoV-2 infection, rule out other pathogens that can cause CAP, and monitor secondary infections. Here, we enrolled and provide microbiological analysis for 129 suspected and 52 transferred confirmed NCP patients hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) from Jan 21 to Feb 29, 2020. By analyzing the dual swab samples (sputum and pharyngeal) from 129 suspected patients with realtime RT-PCR, we confirmed 33 SARS-CoV-2 infections, with two co-infection cases with adenovirus or rhinovirus. We also used multiplex PCR to detect 13 common respiratory tract pathogens in 96 non-NCP patients, and found that 30 patients (31.25%) were infected with at least one respiratory tract pathogen that may cause CAP. Further, we performed bacterial and fungal cultures as well as fungal serologic tests and found that there is no secondary bacterial/fungal infections in confirmed NCP patients. Our studies suggest that, during the epidemic of NCP in Anhui province, there was a certain proportion of infection and co-infection of other common pathogens of CAP, and the secondary bacterial and fungal infection is not detectable in NCP patients. In comparison with SARS-CoV-2 detection alone, this optimized strategy combining multiple pathogen detection for identification of NCP and other CAP patients as well as cultures and serologic tests for confirmed patients increases the diagnosis efficiency and facilitates the personalized medication.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections , Coinfection , Infections , Mycoses , Pneumonia , Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome , COVID-19ABSTRACT
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection began in December 2019 in Wuhan, and rapidly spread to many provinces in China. The number of cases has increased markedly in Anhui, but information on the clinical characteristics of patients is limited. We reported 75 patients with COVID-19 in the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC from Jan 21 to Feb 16, 2020, Hefei, Anhui Province, China. COVID-19 infection was confirmed by real-time RT-PCR of respiratory nasopharyngeal swab samples. Epidemiological, clinical and laboratory data were collected and analyzed. Of the 75 patients with COVID-19, 61 (81.33%) had a direct or indirect exposure history to Wuhan. Common symptoms at onset included fever (66 [88.0%] of 75 patients) and dry cough (62 [82.67%]). Of the patients without fever, cough could be the only or primary symptom. The most prominent laboratory abnormalities were lymphopenia, decreased percentage of lymphocytes (LYM%), decreased CD4+ and CD8+ T cell counts, elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Patients with elevated interleukin 6 (IL-6) showed significant decreases in the LYM%, CD4+ and CD8+ T cell counts. Besides, the percentage of neutrophils, CRP, LDH and Procalcitonin levels increased significantly. We concluded that COVID-19 could cause different degrees of hematological abnormalities and damage of internal organs. Hematological profiles including LYM, LDH, CRP and IL-6 could be indicators of diseases severity and evaluation of treatment effectiveness. Antiviral treatment requires a comprehensive and supportive approach. Further targeted therapy should be determined based on individual clinical manifestations and laboratory indicators.