RESUMEN
Introduction: despite its relatively low case-fatality rate, COVID-19 is a concern with high mortality and morbidity of hospitalized cases. This study was conducted to assess the relationship between time to consultation, presence of respiratory complications at hospital admission and fatal outcome of COVID-19 cases. Methods: this was a case control study with data collected from records of all patients admitted in the Bafoussam Regional Hospital (BRH) from March 2020 to April 2021. Cases were patients with a fatal outcome and controls were patients that were discharged. The association between the delay in seeking care, dyspnea and blood oxygen level at admission, and fatal outcome was assessed by estimating crude and adjusted odd ratio. Results: of 400 included patients, 239 (59.75%) were male, 84 (23.73%) health professionals and 144 (36.0%) aged 64 years and above. On admission, 236 patients presented at least one sign of respiratory complication. The mean duration of hospitalization was 11.4 days and 120 (30.0%) admitted patients died. Seeking care before the end of the first day of symptom onset (adjusted (A) OR=0.44 [0.21-0.97]) or within the first three days (AOR=0.48 [0.26-0.89]) significantly reduced the risk of fatal outcome, whereas waiting seven days (AOR=0.74 [0.42-1.33]) did not change this risk. Presenting dyspnea (AOR=2.39 [1.32-4.31]) or blood oxygen level <95% (AOR=3.67 [1.37-9.83]) significantly increased the risk of fatal outcome. Conclusion: mortality was one in three patients. Early arrival at the hospital helped to reduce the risk of mortality unlike presenting respiratory complication that increased the risk. Health interventions contributing for early detection and link of COVID-19 cases to care before respiratory complications occur are expected to reduce mortality in COVID-19 patients.