Cough with sputum

On March 16, 2020, a 59-year-old woman with a past medical history of hypertension and diabetes mellitus presented to the emergency department with reports of weakness and a mechanical fall. On presentation, she reported a mildly productive cough with yellowish sputum for the past week. Her mother had been similarly ill and had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. 

The patient was febrile (100.2˚F) and tachycardic, with a heart rate of 120 beats/min. Her arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) was 97% on 2 litres of supplemental oxygen. Physical examination demonstrated coarse crackles in the bilateral lower lung fields. Laboratory investigation revealed leukopenia (2.6 K/ml), elevated lactate dehydrogenase of 812 U/l, C-reactive protein of 56 mg/l, and a D-dimer level of 1,280 ng/ml. The result of a rapid influenza test was negative. ECG (Figure 1) and CT scan were done (Figure 2A).